Here come the brides

Last update: June 24, 2008 - 1:13 PM

• The gardeners: Shari and Roger Wilsey, St. Paul.

• Picture-perfect: The couple's large European-style garden has been the setting for several weddings, including two of their children's, and numerous wedding photos. The Wilseys don't rent it out, however. "We share it with people we love," Shari said.

• Where horses trotted: There wasn't a garden, just overgrown trees and grass, when the Wilseys bought their 1904 Baroque-style house nine years ago. But soon after moving in, Shari, a longtime gardener, noticed something that looked like brick underneath the grass. It turned out to be an original T-shaped brick path, near the carriage house, that now divides part of her landscape into quadrants for her color garden. "One section is blue, one white, one yellow and one pink," she said.

• Old-World charm: The Wilseys' garden gets much of its romantic personality from its accent pieces, which include a wrought-iron arbor and trellis, a fountain, stone benches, urns, classical statues and, tucked behind an antique gate, a tiny courtyard with a Tuscan flavor. "I think I am kind of a romantic person," Shari said. Her front sidewalk is lined with topiary roses, set in giant planted urns, that give it a look of grandeur. "People have asked, 'Who's coming to your house?' They think royalty must be showing up," she said.

• Partnership: "Our garden is so big, I could not do it without Roger," Shari said. "He digs every new hole for me, weeds and helps with planting. When we plant, we make our way toward each other. We love to entertain out there, on the patio, and we love to spend time together in our garden."

KIM PALMER

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