Imagine a garden tucked away behind a white picket fence, shaded and serene under a canopy of leaves. Only this garden, unlike those beckoning the sun and daylight admirers, comes most alive during the moonlit hours. Thanks to 10,000 twinkle lights strung overhead and the soothing babble of waterfalls and numerous pond features, walking through the garden at night is a treat for the senses. Wandering the secret walkways under boughed branches, it is impossible not to ask, “Could this be Neverland?”
Magical it may be, but a fantasy it definitely is not. Just ask Maple Grove-area gardener Michelle Chambers, who has been working on her backyard for five seasons. Her “secret garden” is a real place, sitting on just under half an acre behind her home at the end of a cul-de-sac.
The story begins with Chambers and her then-fiancée, now husband, Brian Blair, up to their knees in mud. It was 2010 and they were digging a pond in the backyard, when Blair turned to Chambers with an idea: “I want to get married back here.” So their simple pond project quickly turned into a bigger plan to transform the backyard into a magical space for an evening wedding with music and dancing under the stars. “We knew we needed lighting, but at the same time we wanted it to be magical, so instead of floodlights we decided to go with 10,000 twinkle lights, which can light up a place just as effectively,” says Chambers.
Fast forward five years and the couple is still spinning magic in the backyard with an ever-evolving garden. It now holds three major ponds, from 2 feet to 21 feet in size, along with seven trellises and 13 walkways, most of which were created by hand and without professional help. There’s also a flower-shop-themed garden shed. Although it is often referred to as a “moonlight garden” or “nightscape,” since the lights and waterfalls transform the experience under the stars, the garden still dazzles in the daylight. Chambers strategically picks shade plants for the wooded lot such as impatiens, ferns, and hostas—more than 400 of them. “The key is to layer the textures and colors,” she explains. That’s why she uses hanging baskets to add pops of color throughout the garden, and rotates them during the summer to keep the look fresh.
Since the Minnesota growing season is so short, Chambers buys annuals. After a few weeks of buying baskets and plants for the season, she finally brings them outdoors. “It is always my favorite day, when everything comes out,” she says. Add in the water elements, and summer has arrived in the garden. “I’m like a little kid at Christmas, I just can’t wait to turn on [the waterfalls and lights] for the first time.”
Water features remain Chambers’ favorite element in the garden. Besides their obvious role in creating the perfect garden background “soundtrack,” the water features bring in wildlife, “from ducks to geese to fawns to birds.” But the animals weren’t the first to enjoy the garden ponds; in many ways, Chambers’ two grown sons claimed that space many years ago.
Before the main ponds became a home for koi fish and lily pads, it was the boys’ backyard sandbox. As Chambers explains, she and her husband used every part of the old 21’x13’ sandbox, except the plastic slide, to create a dual waterfall pond. The fabric underneath became a liner, the bricks outlining the box became part of a waterfall, and the sand was repurposed to secure the bricks.
In fact, many items in the garden have been repurposed. “I have been shocked at how beautiful a garden can be with recycled items,” Chambers says. A baby carriage from a garage sale serves as a flower planter, an old straw garden hat adds a whimsical touch, and cement sewer rings find new life as mosaic steps. Chambers is constantly coming up with new creations and ways to add to the garden. “It’s a work in progress, constantly evolving,” she says.
The garden has seen upward of 2,000 “tourists” per summer, including book clubs, garden clubs and even curious high school kids who can’t help but stand wide-eyed in the moonlight. Chambers never expected her garden would become such an attraction; it was always just a hobby she enjoyed after work. Having grown up on a grain farm, and with grandparents who loved to garden, digging in the dirt is simply part of her constitution. When she purchased the lot in 1999, Chambers recalls, “I knew I wanted to create something beautiful to share with people. I never knew it would be to this level.” Today it stops traffic near their house when the lights are turned on at night. “It just sparkles; neighbors and people come from everywhere just to walk the perimeter of the yard.” She adds, “If you plant it, they will come. And holy cow, they keep coming!”
The garden has brought such success and joy these last few years that Chambers was inspired to bring magic and beauty to people in another way—as a portrait photographer. The garden is a natural backdrop for senior photos and images of children in nature. In fact, her latest hobby has her considering a new career path, one she would never have been prodded to consider had it not been for that first flower, planted four years ago.
Reflecting on her unexpected gardening journey, Chambers can’t help but smile. Despite the fact that she has a professional background in design illustration, she never sketched an official garden plan on paper. Perhaps that’s the secret: simply letting life unfold.
Excited to visit this garden on a lovely summer evening? Visit Michelle's website for more information.
