Garden Design

A good garden design is complex and elegant.

I learned much at the University of Minnesota were I earned a degree in Landscape Architecture in 2006. Much I learned from Permaculture practices. Ultimately, its good old, hands on experience.

To create a solid plan many layers are considered. Spatially the size of beds, property lines, window heights and vista lines all come into play. Environmentally sunlight exposure, moisture averages, soil types and micro climates need to be considered. Visually anticipating the colors of flower and foliage, the season they bloom, texture, form and size at maturity are all thought through when choosing species and placement.

When we plant new gardens on our property we are adding to the overall ecosystem. This is why it’s exciting to us native species. These species are found here naturally, they thrive in our local conditions, they feed pollinators, butterflies and birds. They create habitat. They encourage the expansion of species that have become less common then we’d like. If you’d like native species planted on your property, reach out and we can start a conversation of doing just that.

Cut Flower Farm

For two summers I grew an all natural, cut flower farm in Independence Minnesota.

At my childhood home I tore up sod, bartered for access to a greenhouse and planted a 100’ x 40‘ bed. This exploratory venture resulted in fresh flowers and bright bouquets sold to local Coops throughout the Twin Cities. Fun fact, I mulched the garden with compost created with milfoil from Lake Minnetonka and the neighbors horse manure.

I learned the ins and outs of flower farming working for Little Boy Flowers in Northern California the year prior. It was a joy spending my days nourishing and surrounded by these beautiful blooms. I was even written up in the Lake Minnetonka magazine!

The Strong Man Neon Journey

Neon isn’t easy.

It’s a practice of those noble pursuits of patience, perseverance and humility Arnold here challenged me psychologically beyond anything I’ve done, creatively.

My cousin had requested I build him the “mud flap girl”. I didn’t have it in me, too much negative connotation. I decided a muscle man would have to do and went about creating a pattern of the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger. After sketching him out on a big piece of paper, I was pretty optimistic. I think this might work! What proceeded was a long journey of bending, breaking, splicing, breaking and rebending again and again. Finally Arnold was ready to be pumped with Neon gas. He lit up and he looked great!

I brought the completed tubes back to the shop to start creating the back board cut out. All was rolling along nicely when CRUNCH, Arnold was stepped on. Broke.

It took a full week to fix him. The challenges continued. Long story short, this Arnold piece required a level of stick-to-it-ness that went beyond what I knew I had.

It’s for these reasons, he’s also the most lovely.

Gardening Service

In 2019 Garden Legacy has a printed ad for gardening services in the Northern Gardener Magazine.

This beautiful and informative publication is one of the only cold hearty magazines for garden enthusiasts in the zone 3 regions. Sent to over 11,500 subscribers, I am looking forward to the new voices in the community I may encounter during the 6 months the advertisement runs.

INVISIBLE LIGHT art opening at Modus Locus

A Minneapolis Art Gallery with spunk.

“Invisible Light” plays with the reality that during Winter in the frozen north, we live with diminishing natural light and color. This exhibit encourages us to retreat internally to honor the light within as we yield ourselves to darkness.” - Modus Locus

 EXHIBITION: January 3 - February 8, 2019

Artist Statement,

Alison Feik enjoys stacking functions.

Creating unique combinations that do more together then apart. 

Bringing together the practical, functional with the meaningful, conceptual. 

A Memorial Bench and a Garden becoming one. 

Your reflection and the glow of Neon residing together.

Welder, Neon Artist, Painter, and Garden Designer Alison Feik is a multimedia artist from Independence, Minnesota.

Stone work for Garden Benches

Wet Saw Mania!

After cutting stone with a hand saw for the past few months, I was eager for an easier method. The hand saw created clouds of dust, and it was constantly difficult to set the stones for a safe, straight cut.  The idea arrived to rented a wet saw!  In two days time, I cut 33 pieces, from a load I had amassed via a delightful counter top dumpster. I grabbed my mother and her trailer to pick up the rented saw.  We unloaded and set this efficient beast up, having been novices, I felt quite content with ourselves.  After making a few swift cuts, I was feeling very good indeed.  

Now I have a variety of dimensions and patterns.  Many of the stones have a match for the mirroring benches, that face one another.  The result is, a store house has been created!  The process should with less frustration and sawing biproduct in the future.  

Memorial Garden Benches

It was while musing on the subject of Memorial Gardens when the idea of a unique garden bench was hatched.

The work is both practical and theoretical.  It combines gardens and intentions. To be more specific, Memorial Gardens. Or as I like to call it, a Garden Legacy.  

You see, big hearted people often plant a stately tree, or dedicate a bench to honor the life and memory of a someone they’ve lost.  It’s important.   These garden benches hold that same intention. 

A garden bed is at the base of each bench to be planted with vibrant, meaningful plantings.  This combines the living, perennial nature of a flower with the static permanence and strength of steel and stone. The bench becomes a thoughtful space. Where you can reliably sit, rest into your thoughts and be surrounded by beauty.  

Each bench I created by hand at my family's shop in Independence, Minnesota.  Please, come by, take a look and take a seat.  

Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer and national holiday is next weekend.  The timing may be just right

Gloria's Memorial Garden

Gloria had an appreciation for life's simple joys.  

She saw enchantment in migrational birds, returning after a long winter’s journey. Gloria welcomed these winged creatures, one generation after another, to eat, drink and dance outside her windows.

In the summer she was known to cut small bouquets of flowers, keeping them always fresh on the kitchen table.

Canning jam was a one of her specialties. 

Though her favorite jam, too precious to give away, was elderberry.  She protected the wild bush growing along her properties from the cities utility crew, and their undiscriminating eye for edible bushes.  As was her way, by the time she had explaining such matters, they didn't dare disturb this elders Elderberry.

Plant List

 1. Elderberry - for the birds and canning 2. pre-existing Rhubarb - she harvested every spring 3. Echinacea - cut flowers on her birthday, pollinator magnate, represents maintaining a strong sense of self. 4. Raspberry- a favorite of hers to harvest 5. Tiger Lily- transplanted originally from her families farm.

Charles Memorial Garden

Charles' wife chose a flowering Crab Apple to honor her late husband, a tree he had greatly enjoyed. 30 Tulips were planted representing his 6 children, 17 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

Charles, the oldest of Charles Sr. and Lillian Hickey from Detroit, MI grew up with a brood of brothers and one little sister.  

He was a veteran, a hunter, an artist, and a businessman.  He loved fiercely and protected his kin with sharp intellect and a strong will. 

As father to 6 children, he mentored each through their education and in the subtleties of this life. Charles enjoyed a charmed marriage to his beautiful wife whom skied, danced, played cards and traveled the world alongside him.  In total he boasts 17 loving grandchildren.