City of Elk River Economic Development

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Our community is blooming! 🌸 We’re celebrating the winners of the 2026 Garden Gem Awards who have transformed their spac...
09/03/2026

Our community is blooming! 🌸 We’re celebrating the winners of the 2026 Garden Gem Awards who have transformed their spaces into vibrant landmarks. From residential gardens to corporate grounds, thank you for making our town shine!

Read about it here: bit.ly/ElkRiverFullBloom

08/31/2026
The final winner of the 2026 Garden Gem Awards is Freeport Business Center from the neighborhood category! 🌻Dawn and Ric...
08/20/2026

The final winner of the 2026 Garden Gem Awards is Freeport Business Center from the neighborhood category! 🌻

Dawn and Rich Schulz built and have owned the property on Freeport Avenue since 2003 (where they also operate R&D Sales Inc.). What makes this property stand out is that Dawn does all the landscaping herself! ✨

Her hands-on hard work paid off in a big way this year, the property made such an impression on a passing community member that they submitted a nomination to make sure her effort was recognized.

Thank you, Dawn, for your dedication to keeping your property looking beautiful for all of Elk River! 👏

Our 2026 Garden Gem Awards spotlight continues with commercial category winner, Cretex Companies! 🌸Founded right here in...
08/18/2026

Our 2026 Garden Gem Awards spotlight continues with commercial category winner, Cretex Companies! 🌸

Founded right here in Elk River in 1917, Cretex has been part of the community for over a century. Dave Anderson, who started with Cretex back in 1971 and now manages their corporate headquarters at Lowell and Main, was determined to make their grounds shine this year, especially after his wife, Eileen, took home a Garden Gem Award last year! 😉

To bring his vision to life, Dave assembled a fantastic local team: Joey Shutz to tend the grounds and perennials, along with Marylin Specht (Riverside Farms) and Hannah Stoll (Nelson Nursery/Garden Center of Zimmerman, MN) to install stunning annual displays.

Thank you, Dave and the Cretex team, for keeping a piece of Elk River history looking so beautiful! 👏

08/14/2026

Studio Elm by Aj hills photography is Open For Business! Let's keep supporting Elk River businesses! Thank you for being a loyal local!

Our 2026 Garden Gem Awards spotlight continues with Paul & Sandy Peterson, winner of the single family 2000 or later cat...
08/13/2026

Our 2026 Garden Gem Awards spotlight continues with Paul & Sandy Peterson, winner of the single family 2000 or later category!🌷

In 2022, Paul and Sandy bought the corner outlot at Fresno and Mississippi, completing their new home in 2023. The half-acre property had been a beloved neighborhood landmark for over 20 years, but its iconic features, including a 200-foot boulevard of daylilies, were heavily overgrown with weeds and buckthorn.

Together with their family, they set out to restore it for the whole neighborhood to enjoy. Sandy brought her design skills, moving 80+ perennials and revamping the Mississippi Oaks monument sign landscaping. Paul brought the muscle, spending days on chainsaw work, clearing brush, and establishing a lush lawn. Together, they even replanted all 200 feet of daylilies by hand!🌸

Thank you, Paul and Sandy, for giving this community corner such a breathtaking facelift!

Tour their garden as well as the other winners at bit.ly/2026GardenGemWinners.

It’s time to recognize another incredible 2026 Garden Gem Award winner: Cassandra Miller from the single family before 2...
08/11/2026

It’s time to recognize another incredible 2026 Garden Gem Award winner: Cassandra Miller from the single family before 2000 category!🌻

Nearly nine years ago, Cassandra moved into her home on Rush Avenue. The lot had been vacant for months, and the yard was in serious need of some love. That first spring was a guessing game, but Cassandra and her partner, Shawn, rolled up their sleeves and saved as much existing growth as they could, uncovering cherry, apple, and mulberry trees, grapevines, and beautiful perennials!

With Shawn taking on the heavy lifting, tree removal, and mulching, they’ve transformed a tricky corner lot into a flourishing oasis.🌳

Congratulations, Cassandra, on turning neglect into a true neighborhood gem!✨

Tour her garden as well as the other winners at bit.ly/2026GardenGemWinners.

Today’s 2026 Garden Gem Award spotlight is Martha Quesenberry from the townhome category! 🌿Martha has been an Elk River ...
08/06/2026

Today’s 2026 Garden Gem Award spotlight is Martha Quesenberry from the townhome category! 🌿

Martha has been an Elk River resident for nearly six years. When she moved into her townhome association, her top wish was to keep her passion for gardening alive, and she has done just that! Every spring, she looks forward to seeing perennial shoots break through the soil and filling her flower pots with vibrant new annuals.

With a little helping hand from her daughter-in-law, Sarah (who was actually a Garden Gem Award winner last year!), Martha keeps her favorite petunias looking spectacular all season long. 🌸

Thank you, Martha, for bringing so much color and beauty to our community! 👏

Tour her garden as well as the other winners at bit.ly/2026GardenGemWinners.

Over the next three weeks, we’re excited to highlight the winners of the 2026 Elk River Garden Gem Awards! 🌸✨First up, h...
08/04/2026

Over the next three weeks, we’re excited to highlight the winners of the 2026 Elk River Garden Gem Awards! 🌸✨

First up, help us celebrate Jill Varty from the new rural category!

For 29 years, the Varty family has served the community through Varty's Greenhouse. Three years ago, Jill decided to branch out into something new right in front of the greenhouse: creating a native prairie garden for shoppers and drivers to enjoy as they pass by.

With guidance from the Sherburne Soil & Water Conservation District, Jill planted six varieties of native grasses and 30 varieties of native flowers! The result is a thriving, pollinator-friendly ecosystem that showcases the unique beauty of Minnesota's natural landscape, and she’s already planning her next native garden behind the property pond. 🦋

Congratulations Jill for inspiring us all with native ecology and sustainable beauty!🐝

Tour her prairie as well as the other winners at bit.ly/2026GardenGemWinners.

Address

13065 Orono Pkwy NW
Elk River, MN
55330

Opening Hours

7:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+17636351000

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