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Owen Purvis has
always liked to garden, but did
so with varying degrees of success, until he received Hosta
‘Antioch’, as a gift from a friend. He
liked it so much better than the H.
‘Lancifolia’ and H. ‘Undulatas’ that
came with the house that he decided to find
more. The 50 foot
wide by 250 foot deep
back yard underwent a transformation from vegetable garden and home
with about
50 evergreen seedlngs, to a space to plant the hostas that Owen was
collecting
everywhere he could find a different one. The
evergreens were farmed out, planted in
neighbors’ yards, and the hosta beds grew, but were confined to the
side of the
garage and back of the house.
About ten years ago,
a home addition produced a
lot of soil that needed to be moved somewhere or disposed of. Instead of hauling it away,
Owen came up with
a plan to build berms around the long, narrow lot, all the better to
display
the increasing hosta collection.
The result of the
last decade and a half of
building a hosta garden is nothing short of spectacular. The first view from the
street is a good
indication that something other than your average city landscape is in
store. The strip
between street and sidewalk sports
an edging of rocks, and is filled with large well-grown hosta
specimens, a
stunning ligularia and hemerocallis. The
front yard slopes down from the tidy house with its welcoming front
porch, and
contains a bed running across the entire property, curving toward the
street as
it goes. A Tiger
Eyes sumac, Japanese
maples, conifers, and a weeping cherry provide shade for a bed of
hostas,
martagon lilies, peonies, ferns, astilbe, and a smorgasbord of other
perennials. A brick
walkway winds
through the bed to the front door. Peeking
out from the edge of the bed and overhanging the driveway is Hosta 'On Stage', a bright beacon
showing the way to the treat in store in the back yard. Across the driveway, in a
narrow row next to
the neighbor’s house, is a row of Owen's seedlings, centered by a
frosty light
green one, that grabs and keeps your attention.
Neatly lined up in front of the side doors of
the redwood garage are
rows of potted miniature hostas. Along
the entire side of the garage is a bed of mini and small hostas, each
one
perfectly displayed and easily viewed. Crisp
edges delineate the hosta beds surrounding the grassy strip that
undulates
through the back yard. Flagstone
paths
branch out through the hosta beds and up the berms, allowing the
visitor to
walk among the hostas and appreciate the view from many angles.
An impressive
streaked H. ‘Elatior’ dominates the
back beds, along with a massive ‘Chinese
Dragon Supreme’. Tall
evergreens line
the back of the garden, where the depth of the bed increases, and the
feeling
of being lost in the land of hostas is strong. At
this point, a strategically placed bed
allows the visitor to linger among the hostas to absorb the peace and
tranquility. It
seems impossible that
this garden is in the midst of a city neighborhood.
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The beds continue from the back of the lot,
around a garden shed, where many potted plants and seedlings gather. On the way back toward the
house, more
beautifully grown hosta specimens await, huddled under a spectacular Magnolia grandiflora, and a whimsical
metal palm tree. A
leisurely stroll
towards the house reveals several hundred more well grown hostas,
including a
beautiful Hosta ‘Lakeside Paisley
Print’, front and center. A
small patio
at the back of the house affords one more opportunity to turn and see
the
entire sweep of the hosta garden. It's
hard to believe that this many hostas and companions have been packed
into this
space. When asked
to name a favorite
hosta, Sue chose 'June', and Owen says he would probably pick H. nigrescens.
Owen
began to grow
seedlings several years ago, and began to hybridize within the last two
or
three years. Many
of his seedlings are
displayed throughout the garden. His
pick of the seedlings he's grown is H.
'Hotel California'. That
seems
appropriate, as the lyrics of the Eagles song describe a place where
you can
check in but you can never leave. Any
hosta lover would be content to check into this garden paradise and
stay
forever.
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