The Heidi chronicles

Job: Owner and "chief experience officer" of Heidi's Lifestyle Gardens, president of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association.

Home base: A large plot on Gleason Lake in Plymouth. The original house, a 1964-built rambler, wasn't tall enough for Heiland, who tops 6 feet. "I'd hit my head on the ductwork," she said. So 12 years ago, she arranged to have the house moved and built another with geothermal heat.

Family: Husband, Dan. "He's a mason. It's hardscapes for him, softscapes for me," Heiland said. Two grown children, a son and a daughter, plus a "bonus son," and two small grandchildren.

Hobby: Ski racing. A broken leg ended her college racing career.

Dream fulfilled: Attending Floriad 2012, the World Horticultural Exposition held once a decade in the Netherlands. "The Floriad has been a bucket list thing for me," she said.

Fun fact: Her business logo incorporates edelweiss, the Alpine flower of Austria. "My dad grew up outside Salzburg."

KIM PALMER