Arbor Gateway to Arboretum
Kandi & Bart Osborn
Passions Rooted in Trees and Plants Judy Hohmann Marketing & Communications Manager
For Bart and Kandi Osborn, a love of the landscape and gardens has made the Arboretum an important part of their life for more than three decades. It all started 33 years ago with a visit to the Arboretum to get ideas on what types of trees and hedges could be planted at their new home. The architect for their new house was Edwin Lundie, designer of the Arboretum’s Snyder Building. Over the years, their relationship with the Arboretum expanded. There is the connection to the Lake Minnetonka Garden Club—one of the historic founders of the Arboretum in 1958; and where Kandi is a current member. They both became dedicated volunteers. Bart was a guide for group tours for a few years and served as a trustee for nine years with the Arboretum Foundation. Kandi is currently serving as a trustee with the foundation, and is in her sixth year. Their passion for trees and plants grew. Bart is a devotee of trees, having completed classes at the Arboretum and
University of Minnesota on tree identification. He estimates their home tree collection at 108 trees, all 87 varieties grown at the Arboretum. The Pillsbury Shade Tree Exhibit is a favorite spot. Bart proclaims trees as “gorgeous” and shares his love of trees by underwriting metal labels to help identify trees at the Arboretum. The Osborns funded the Arboretum monument sign at Highways 5 & 41 and more recently, donated monies for the pine trees flanking it, establishing an arbor gateway. Kandi is inspired by the Arboretum gardens, especially the dahlia and peony collections. She looks for varieties that would add a pop of color to her home gardens. Her love of plants, shrubs and hedges extended into gardening, photography and cooking classes at the Arboretum. She looks forward to the new bee center at the Arboretum and learning about pollinator gardens. As for Bart, he is excited about the Eastern drive extension off Three-Mile Drive, with potential to ”…double the number of trees.”
EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT Matthew Lindholm, of Minnetonka, designed an outdoor map/brochure stand with planter base and a mounted frame for the Arboretum as the project for his Eagle Scout award. A scout in Troop 345, Matt and a team of scouts and family built the structure, now installed outside the Oswald Visitor Center. Thanks and congrats to Matt on his Eagle Scout achievement.
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arboretum magazine
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september 2013