"Made in the shade."
That phrase sounds very inviting as the temperatures have climbed the past couple of weeks. And, if you think that shade gardening has a great appeal, read on for some great advice.
I had a chance to spend some time with Burton Johnson at his newly opened Hosta House nursery at 4000 Jupiter drive in Salt Lake City.
I wanted to see firsthand the transformation to his landscape using hostas, one of nature's best shade-tolerant plants.
While some might think that having 10,000 hostas on a quarter of an acre lot is excessive, Johnson considers it to be a good start a he opens his dream to the public.
He has many reasons for loving these plants, but his No. 1 reason is: "Why would anyone want to go out in the hot sun to garden when they can be in the shade where it's cool?"
"People think that they will want to grow grass in the shade but you can't," he said. " I try to let them know that hostas are a perfect solution because they not only grow but will thrive in the shade," he says.
Johnson has numerous shade trees in his landscape that are helping to provide the low-light conditions needed to grow hostas, but he does not stop there.
He adds shade in other areas by building arbors or adding shade cloth to help provide shade where it is not already available.
In addition to addressing the shade issues, he also corrects soil problems. He does that by growing his stock in pots that not only corrects the soil, but the plants are ready to sell. He also thinks his technique might help others help to grow their plants if they have problem soils.
He uses a technique called pot in pot planting. He grows the plant in a pot that slips inside another pot that is buried in the soil.
The pots are down in the soil so they don't get too hot and he can easily lift them out when someone wants to make a purchase.
While some might think that hosta plantings would be difficult to care for, Johnson disagrees.
He explains his solution for three of the most common complaints.
Slugs and snails are one of the most vexing problem when growing hostas. Johnson explains his solution is to use a product called Deadline.
"I spread the product the first year because I had a problem. The second year I used it again and now I only do some spot treating if I seethe pests show up," Johnson said. "I like the product because it only requires that I use about one pound for 4,000 square feet."
"It has been very effective at that rate. I like it because it is spread so sparsely that an animal would wear itself out before it could find enough to eat to hurt itself."
With his nursery so near the mountains, I asked him if deer were a problem.
He said the deer usually come in and take a bite or two and move on. But this year, "they came and ate a meal," he said.
"I use a device with an electronic sensor that turns on a sprinkler that blasts them with a stream of water if they come into my garden. Scarecrows don't do that. I use a sensor to turn the water on as needed. It has worked very nicely. I have more sensors and more water if I need it. I haven't had many problems with deer while I've been using it.
Another problem is weeds. He said he leaves the leaves on the plants to make a thin layer of mulch. He also adds mulch over the top of the leaves to protect the plants in the winter. In addition, he uses the leaves from his trees for the mulch.
"In the spring I rake them off into the walkway and run over them with a lawn mower to shred them so that they will decompose into the soil," he said. "I use a lot of mulch, and between the mulch and my soil mixture I don't need to do much weeding."
His hosta nursery is his passion. Walking through it you can see the breadth and depth of this wonderful group of plants. He has the small miniatures and the large massive ones.
Some are light green, others are dark. Some are variegated and some have unusual shapes on their leaves.
All have names that Johnson is happy to share along with their history.
"I have been planning this project for 30 years. I took a tour and somebody had a beautiful yard and they were selling hostas out of their backyard.
"I said to myself, 'When I get to a certain age, I am going to have that.' I have been growing hostas for 20 years. The reason I fell for hostas is nothing works better for what I have going here.
"They are low maintenance. It is something I can specialize in here.
Nobody else has this vision. I told my wife, Suzanne, that I wanted to do something nobody else is doing. I want something I can be the best at."
Visit him and see how you think he is doing or check his garden out online at www.hostahouseutah.com.
Garden tips and events
Red Butte Garden is offering an evening exploration event on July 7, 7-8:30 p.m. Learn what's blooming throughout the garden. Wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes. Regular garden admission applies; members get in free. Registration is required at 801-581-8454 or www.redbuttegarden.org.
Join Darren Hall for the free Garden Talks in the Park on Wednesday, July 6, 8 p.m., at the Brigham Young Historic Park, 100 N. State. Hall will discuss the care, encouragement and enjoyment of birds in the garden.
In case of inclement weather, the talks will be held on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
Larry A. Sagers is a horticulture specialist for the Utah State University Extension Service at Thanksgiving Point.