Landscapes Designed for Life

Serving Rochester, Minnesota & Beyond

Your outdoor space should feel natural. Personal.

Like it belongs to you and the way you live.

Step into your landscape with me.

Schedule a consultation, and we’ll walk through your ideas together to shape a space that feels alive, purposeful, and uniquely yours.

Schedule a Consultation

Come Experience the Gardens.

The Garden Lab is more than a typical residential urban lot—it's an experience. We host seasonal gatherings, hands-on workshops, and garden dinners, all designed to connect people to the land and to one another. Explore, learn something new, or enjoy some time outdoors.

The Garden Lab isn’t just a place—it’s something you can step into.

From seasonal gatherings to hands-on workshops and garden dinners, these events are meant to connect people to the land (and to each other).

Come wander, learn something new, or just spend a little time outside.

See all Upcoming events

Quick View

2026 Urban Farm-to-Fork Dinner Series

$125.00

The Urban Farm-to-Fork Dinners are always a special evening, and every gathering brings together great food, wonderful people, and the beauty of the growing season. We invite you to join us for one of these memorable dinners celebrating the bounty of Southeast Minnesota and highlighting the creativity of talented local chefs.

Hosted at The Garden Lab, an urban farmstead in downtown Rochester, Minnesota, this productive educational site showcases regenerative urban agriculture with an abundance of vegetables, flowers, fruit trees, chickens, and more. Your attendance helps support Kelly’s vision to expand the urban farmstead, promote food security, and increase access to fresh food through her Plant a Seed initiative.

Each evening begins with time to mingle while enjoying curated libations, craft brews, specialty non-alcoholic beverages, and nibbles. Guests will then enjoy a guided tour of the gardens before gathering together for a delicious four-course dinner. Each menu is inspired by the visiting chef and crafted from the day’s harvest, featuring farm-fresh ingredients, locally sourced meats and cheeses, and flavors of the season.

Farm attire is encouraged as we celebrate summer and the harvest in a relaxed outdoor setting.

Dinner Dates
June 20
July 25
August 22
September 19

Evening Schedule
5:00 PM - Arrive and mingle with craft brews, libations, and nibbles
5:30 PM - Farmstead tour
6:00 PM - Four-course dinner featuring seasonal ingredients and local meats and cheeses

Seating is limited to 36 guests per dinner, creating an intimate and unforgettable culinary experience.

Dates:

There’s always something going on here!

Here are a few ways I work with people in the community.

A garden with colorful flowers lining a concrete pathway next to a white house, with trees and a cloudy sky in the background.

Landscape Design

Every space starts with a walk.

We’ll look at what exists already, talk through how you use your space, and shape something that feels natural, intentional, and truly belongs.

Learn more about Design

People working inside an open-fronted rustic white wooden building, possibly a barn or food stall, during daytime, with signage listing food options and outdoor surroundings visible.

Events

Seasonal events that invite the community in.

From garden gatherings to the Farm to Fork Summer Series, it’s a chance to slow down, wander, and spend time together outside.

Learn more about Events

Close-up of a hand holding pumpkin seeds with a blurred background.

The Garden Lab

Where the learning happens.

I teach about seeds, soil, and everyday gardening. I also grow and sell plants that are sure to get you growing and enhance the beauty of your home.

See the Garden Lab

Two women outdoors in a park, one with gray hair holding a paper and pen, and the other with brown hair kneeling in front of a plant, surrounded by gardening supplies, on a sunny day.

Intuitive Design, Shaped by Real Life.

Hi, I’m Kelly—designer, educator, and the hands behind The Garden Lab.

I design landscapes that go beyond aesthetics—they are living systems connected to the land, and shaped by the rhythms of everyday life.

Spaces you live in, grow in, and come home to.

Learn more about Kelly

A Few Notes from Gardens I’ve Been a Part Of:

"Kelly is an artist."

“Kelly is an artist. Plants are her medium, and the landscape - her canvas. The design she came up with for our yard was creative, beautiful as it matured, and unlike any other design presented to us for consideration. The new garden spaces and walkways enhanced the exterior of our home tenfold and enriched our lives in countless ways. I wholeheartedly recommend Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick.”
- Romi W.
“I have been a client of Kelly’s for over ten years."

“When we moved to our historic country home on 25 acres, we immediately hired Kelly to design the gardens. Kelly’s design genius, attention to detail, vast plant knowledge, limitless idea generation, budget consciousness, and, most importantly, willingness to listen have transformed our landscape. Without reservation, I highly recommend Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick.”
- Ellen H.
"The brain-child of Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick."

“How does one transform a drab, rarely used deck into a distinctive bi-level living space packed with entertainment potential? Lots of planning. Janine and Chris didn't want support posts or an overhang spoiling their view or darkening their basement the way the old structure did. The answer? Create an outdoor kitchen (complete with wood-fired pizza oven) and terrace underneath an all-season sunroom that opens to a lovely green space. The brain-child of Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick.”
- RW Magazine July/August 2013

Thoughtful Design, Rooted in Connection

Thoughtful Design, Rooted in Connection.

Every space starts the same way—with a conversation.

I take the time to understand how you live, what you’re drawn to, and how you want your space to feel. From there, we design something that isn’t just beautiful, but intentional.

I care about materials. About plants that belong. About creating something that lasts.

Reach Out Today