Hosta haven (March 2007)

Under all that shade, along every path, beneath every tree, are hostas. Hundreds of hostas of all types, in fact. Hostas are the basic building block of this stunning design.

Luttrell put all this together on land that was overrun with weeds, vines, and briars. He retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in September 1990, and moved back to his hometown in east Tennessee. First intending to live on nine acres he owned, his plans changed after he encountered this rundown property.

“The house here was pretty good but the yard was terrible. It was covered with briars and vines growing 14 feet tall,” he says. “It had been untouched for a while. I started cutting and did what I could. It took a while to get to the point that I could see the potential.”

He had no formal horticultural training but during all those years in the Marines, gardening became his hobby. When he traveled, he toured gardens. He made friends in the gardening world and began speaking to gardening groups, as well.

This place, he saw, had shade, plenty of it. Maybe too much shade for some plants, he figured. That made hosta his plant of choice. He has beautiful azaelas, wonderful daylilies, nice acuba and japonica, and other interesting plants, but hosta reigns here.

“There are many, many cultivars of hosta here,” Luttrell says. “Hosta has such wide range. It can fit in so many situations. There’s full-grown hosta that has a half-inch leaf. Or it can be 18 inches long and 12 inches wide.

“There are different colors, streaks, and variegations,” he continues. “It’s just beautiful. You can have multiple looks with hosta. It brightens up a place. A lot of plants don’t do that, but hosta can in just a short time.”

“It’s definitely a shade-loving plant you can complement with something like ferns or acuba. It has a neat foliage texture. Another nice attribute is that it’s a great three-season plant. Some have very fragrant blooms, too.”

Luttrell says he spends seven hours a day working in the yard. “Even at that, I’m still always behind,” the gardener laments.

He likes growing plants in raised beds, calling that the easy way to do things. “Hosta likes good soil. You can bring in new soil and then you’re in business. In a lot of areas here, I took soil out to get better drainage, then put in good soil before planting,” he says.

“I like to use mushroom compost to build the soil up. I’ll add topsoil and pine bark to that. Then, boy, that stuff is ready to go.” He buys plants from hosta hybridizers, of course, sometimes expensive ones. But he likes a little mystery and adventure, too, so he also propagates plants from seed. “I’ll gather seed in the fall when the pod turns brown. Then I’ll put the seed in a bag in the basement. In February, I put it in some soil, and then I just let it rip. Now I have lots of hosta I grew from seed,” he says.

It’s a process that requires patience. “It takes into the third year to get these plants to a good size. By the end of the second year you’ll know what they look like. It takes years for hybridizers to get a plant to the market. Some plants even change colors,” he says. He refuses to give up on a hosta when it appears sickly. He digs up the puny ones and puts them in the “hosta hospital.” By mid-summer, as many as 80 or 100 plants may be getting some of his special care.

“I’ll see one that was a beauty but now it’s sick. I’ll pull that sucker and sanitize it with a solution of Clorox and water,” Luttrell explains. “I’ll put the plant down in the bucket and all that bad stuff falls off. I wash the roots until I get to what I call the white root. As long as you’ve got one good root, you’re okay. Then I put it in some good soil and feed and water the heck out of it. It’ll be ready to come back before too long. It’s a lot of fun to bring it back to life,” he says.

Luttrell puts his hosta knowledge to work as a judge at competitions. He’s also former president of the East Tennessee Hosta Society. “I’ve been a master judge for 35 years now. The shows are interesting. It gets real competitive at the cut leaf shows. Those are competing on things like size, whether it’s true to form, and cleanliness,” he says. Don’t get the idea he’s a hosta elitist, though. As Luttrell sees it, hosta can be considered one of the most democratic of plants.

“Anybody can grow ‘em. They’re easy. If you have a small space, you can grow them in pots. I’ve seen people stack them in pots, then put them in the garage during winter, all kinds of things. If it gets enough water, hosta is going to be all right,” he says. Folks with any kind of eye for beautiful plants love Luttrell’s place. Come spring, when the dogwoods and azaleas bloom and love is in the air, he gets requests from couples looking for a scenic spot to hold a wedding. He’s happy to help however he can. “It’s very colorful. We’ve got all kinds of backgrounds. There’s an arbor and a gazebo, and they’re great for pictures. I get a kick out of it that people enjoy this place,” he says.

It’s obvious Luttrell puts lots of work into his green and growing masterpiece. This work creates beauty, however, and that makes it both pleasant and purposeful. “I enjoy getting it right. It’s a lot of fun to put together something nice and to watch beautiful things grow,” he says.