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The saying “With beauty, with passion, we sculpt earth into art” emblazons the wall of Holly Larson’s business. These words inspire everyone who enters the building, knowing that the young entrepreneur loves designing beautiful landscapes for her customers.

At the age of 25, Holly made the bold move to start her own business and credits her sister April Sorensen for the decision. “My sister did hair and we always talked about doing something together,” Holly says. “We always said I would have a garden center and she would have a salon boutique. That was our plan and then two years ago she was killed.”

Experiencing the tragic loss of her sister motivated Holly to pursue her dream. “Time is really short and you need to do what you want,” she says. Equipped with a degree in environmental design and a desire to move forward with the dream she shared with her sister, Holly opened Garden Diva Design Studio in 2008.

With help from her family, Holly transformed an old restaurant into a garden center outside of Hayward, Minnesota. The vibrant colors and unique displays at Garden Diva portray Holly’s youthfulness and ingenuity. She offers home decor, fl oral arrangements, gift items and a greenhouse full of unique plants ready to discover the soil. But, Holly’s eye for design is what sets her business apart.

Holly uses her creativity and vision to design beautiful landscapes, transforming her client’s lawns into works of art. When starting a new design, Holly sets up an appointment and meets the clients at their home. “We go over any questions they may have. Sometimes, I go into their house to see their style so that what we do outside the house complements what it looks like inside.” After the initial meeting, Holly returns to her store and creates an overall design and sketches a plan.

“I love starting from scratch,” Holly says. “However, it’s also a nice challenge to work with what the customer already has and to complement that with a new design, too.”

Holly says the trend right now is toward conservation landscaping and outdoor living rooms. “I have put in quite a few rain gardens and rain barrels which cut down on runoff and I have designed outdoor living rooms, equipped with fireplaces, stone island bars with built-in grills and paver flooring. Also, people are really getting into vegetable gardens again.”

True to her family centered lifestyle, Holly’s mom helps out part time at Garden Diva, answering phones and assisting customers. Holly also hires her dad to help with installation. Other than that, “It’s just me,” she says humbly.

Holly is a pioneer – diving into a career that is typically male dominated. “It’s just a little different to see a woman doing what I’m doing,” she says. “However, I am learning that many clients like having that option. They like to know they can come to a woman.”

Two years after pursuing her dream and opening Garden Diva Design Studio, Holly has admirable goals for her business. “I just want to make sure that I am always in connection with my customers, one on one, knowing exactly what they want and satisfying them to the fullest potential.” Knowing how precious time is, Holly approaches her work one customer at a time. “I have big plans for the future but if I don’t concentrate now, I’ll never get there. I just take it one day at a time – one project at a time.” With beauty, with passion, Holly sculpts earth into art.

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