Curb Appeal on Three Mile

If you’ve been having a bad day, driving past Anthony Gildersleeve’s home at 5261 Three Mile is guaranteed to lift your spirits. His porch and front yard are a riot of colors that change with the seasons. Right now hydrangeas, hostas, impatiens, and pots of coleus take center stage.

“I just like plants,” says Anthony with a broad smile. This is his first home, which he was able to purchase for a great price in 2008, when property values in MorningSide had plummeted. Since then he has steadily improved both his front and back yard. He’s especially proud of the garden swing hanging from a giant oak in the picture perfect backyard. “Everyone who comes here wants to swing on it.”

When he’s not gardening, Anthony works as an operations manager at Slipnot, a company on the east side that makes industrial flooring. He’s been there for the past 31 years. “People sometimes get us confused with Slipknot (a heavy metal band). They tell me ‘Man, I listen to your music all the time!’” Anthony says with a laugh.

Born and raised in Alabama, Anthony has lived much of his adult life in Detroit. His seven siblings are close-knit and all live on the east side. “We see each other all the time,” he says.

Although the vast majority of his plants are the result of tender loving care, Anthony admits with a mischievous grin that he slips in a few artificial flowers here and there. But when the overall effect brings joy to his neighbors, no one really cares.