What we do & what we believe:
At Northern Holler Nursery and Gardens, we specialize in growing open-pollinated, wild-type indigenous plants of North America placing an emphasis on plants that historically occur in the eco-regions of Minnesota. With an eye on resuscitating suburban and urban landscapes we seek to provide connections between people and the places where they live by offering an array of native plants that grow in the Tallgrass Prairie, Oak/Pine Savanna and Eastern Deciduous Forrest environments. We never use herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides such as neonicotinoids and when possible, we opt for sustainable fertilizers and growing mediums.
We also design and create naturalistic gardens that not only appeal to human sensibilities but also aim to support the systems of nature that should be occurring around us. Our sustainable and low-impact methods prioritize closed-loop ecological principles that attract wildlife, conserve water and bolster biodiversity. Oh, and you can eat some of these plants too!
Land Acknowledgment:
The term “Native Plant” is easily tossed around these days by the horticulture industry as a trendy marketing term, but behind the word is a dismissed history tying people, plants, and place together. As a native plant grower and an aspiring steward of the land, it is my duty to honor the people whose footsteps shaped this place prior to colonization. The Mdewakanton and Wahpekute bands of the Eastern Branch of the Dakota people were the historical inhabitants and caretakers of the lands and waterways of the Minnesota River Valley and the hollers that are now called Burnsville. While planting indigenous plants does not fix or forgive the wrongs wrought by the settlers and their governments, it is one way to reconnect people with place. Through that process of connection, we can begin to heal the ecological wounds colonization has caused. Remember that this is not our land, it is just our turn.
-Preston Drum 2024
OUR MISSION:
To grow plants and make gardens
that heal instead of hurt.
Biography:
Founded in 2023 in Burnsville, Minnesota by Preston Drum, this operation sprang from a confluence of career malaise, garden nostalgia and a healthy dose of eco-anxiety as Drum found himself a newly naturalized citizen of the suburbs.
Born and raised in the inner city of Charlotte, North Carolina, he relocated to Minnesota with his wife in 2012 to build a career as a visual artist and educator. Earning an MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2016. His paintings, sculptures, videos and interactive installations are often site-specific and collaborative in nature, framing the audience as a participant in the art.
This knack for creating immersive spaces has moved to the exterior and evolved into garden design. While this business is young, Drum has been gardening since he was “knee-high to a grasshopper”, as they say in the south. Whether continuing in the footsteps of his horticulturist parents or in the corporate towers of the interior landscaping field, Drum has been working with plants throughout and concurrently with his artistic career. In the last ten years his work has been exhibited throughout the Midwest and Southern United States at venues such as Rochester Art Center, The Minneapolis Institute of Art and The Walker Art Center.
As a certified Master Naturalist with the University of Minnesota’s Extension Service, he maintains an active volunteer schedule by removing invasive plants, installing native gardens at elementary schools and growing plants for the City of Burnsville’s restoration efforts. Currently wearing many hats as a full-time caregiver for his children, husband, studio artist, gardener, native plant nurseryman, and an arts educator at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, he occasionally finds time to bang on a drum set with his band.