H OSTA L A VI STA , BABY
the Witt family nurtures elaborate gardens chock full of hostas SUBMITTED PHOTOS
BY K ATY M ACEK
A
fter moving to Eau Claire to continue their education, Richard and Karen Witt also wanted to continue another tradition of theirs: their big, beautiful gardens. However, they found the climate in Eau Claire to be completely different from their previous home just a few hours away in Madison, and the plants in their garden there didn’t grow quite so well in the new home. That didn’t stop them, though. The Witts spent a lot of time researching plants and flowers to grow in their new garden and still continue finding new ideas and plans to add. “We’ve made some mistakes, as any gardener would,” Richard Witt said. “But we’ve had lots of fun trying new and different things.” While their old garden bathed in sunshine, this one has what Witt calls “dappled shade,” meaning a whole new range of plants to choose from. And they’ve also found certain flowers that grow better in complete sunshine still
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grow into things of beauty in the shade. Witt said their garden has many unique and beautiful plants, but he is especially fond of hostas, and he and his wife attend national conventions to brush up on them. The variety of sizes they come in especially appeals to him because they make good landscaping decorations for any yard. “You become quickly aware of all of the incredible possibilities for hostas,” he said. “That collecting spirit rises up and you want the latest and greatest and that’s part of my fun. I usually have some of the newest hostas that come on the market.” Their rural Eau Claire home is now surrounded by an acre and a half of gardens and water features, including more than 1,000 different plants. Aside from hostas, Witt said they have a large variety of plants and flowers in their garden, especially ferns and perennials, but also slightly more exotic ones like lady slippers and trillium, just to name a few.