Gardening can be a healing and ever-changing art form. Heidi Heiland encourages gardeners to start small, observe, adapt and have fun. The true joy comes from experimenting and connecting with nature. Photos: Heidi Heiland
Heidi Heiland, founder of Heidi’s GrowHaus & Lifestyle Gardens in Corcoran, is a passionate lifelong gardener. For her, gardening isn’t just a hobby; it’s a healing connection with nature. She was raised in a family of gardeners, and both her mother and grandmother shared the same deep love for it. “Gardening is in my roots. It’s my legacy. I’m meant to do this,” Heiland says.
At 17, Heiland began laying the foundation for her future career after her first job at a townhome development company. The company’s garden designs were overly simplistic, and Heiland saw the need for a business that provided fine gardening services to expand the potential of residential landscapes.
That vision inspired her to start her own gardening service with a partner. By 2016, the budding business had bloomed into Heidi’s GrowHaus & Lifestyle Gardens. “The GrowHaus widened the demographic of people we could serve,” Heiland says. “Not everyone needs a professional gardener, but I think everyone can benefit from a garden center.”
When Heiland isn’t helping clients connect with nature, her passion for horticultural therapy spills over into her own backyard. Her gardens serve as a personal laboratory and are designed for enjoyment and experimentation. She takes a blended approach, mixing edible and medicinal plants, nativars, native species and ornamentals. “I believe that the people and plant connection is a strong bond we need to honor,” Heiland says. “Gardening is the slowest-moving performance art that is always evolving. My philosophy is that we need to observe, interact, observe again and repeat.”
Heiland’s focus on sustainability accentuates this philosophy, and permaculture has led to her adopting specific practices like chop and drop, where plants and foliage are cut back and left in place to create natural mulch; fair share, the practice of sharing the space fairly with deer and rabbits; and bee lawns that support pollinators. She avoids using synthetic chemicals and focuses on naturally nurturing her plants and soil.
Over time, Heiland’s gardens have evolved dramatically. She has moved from more lawn to more garden, creating a space that is lower maintenance with plants like perennials, shrubs and trees. A personal highlight of her outdoor space exemplifies Heiland’s deep connection and love for the serene garden landscape. “My favorite part of the garden is the view out my bathroom window,” she says. “That’s where I go first thing when I wake up, so that view is the first thing I see. It’s where my day begins.”
Come late spring, Heiland is busy planting annuals, fertilizing, mulching and succession planting. She loves the joys that each new season of planting brings. She also appreciates sharing her garden and knowledge with others, inspiring them and sharing successes and challenges. Heiland has offered garden tours in the past, so keep an eye out for potential 2026 tour dates on growhausmn.com to experience her sprawling gardens firsthand.
Heidi’s GrowHaus & Lifestyle Gardens
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