The Pros at Home

ILCA Visits Industry Members at Home

When it comes to horticultural pursuits, Hans Hansen has no problem

Editor’s Note: This series features the private landscapes of green industry professionals—landscape contractors, plant breeders, nursery owners, public garden staff and educators. After all, who wouldn’t like a little perk at what peers are doing around their own homes?

Nina A. Koziol If you’ve used Fire and Ice or Stained Glasshosta, Blueberry Sundae baptisia, Berry Awesome hibiscus, or Monarda Sugar Buzz Rockin’ Raspberry in your projects you can thank plant breeder Hans Hansen. That’s just for starters. He’s created a multitude of cultivars with agastache, buddleia, clematis, digiplexis, helleborus, heuchera, heucherella, hibiscus, hosta, lagerstroemia, mangave, nepeta, salvia, sedum and veronica.

Soft spoken, tall and lanky with an ever-present baseball cap, Hansen has worked with hostas since 1993. He introduced his first two hostas—Pandora’s Box and Fire and Ice—in 1997 while working as director of research and development at the former Shady Oaks Nursery in Minnesota. He moved to Zeeland, Michigan, in 2009 where he became the Director of New Plants for Walters Gardens and manages their perennial plant breeding program. The 450 or so plants he bred or selected are found in garden centers across the country and overseas, many sold as part of the Proven Win-ners brand.

bringing work home

Putting Down Roots

When Hansen purchased his home in Zeeland, he was faced with the typical row of evergreens along the home’s foundation, some hollies, a PJM rhododendron, five daylilies, an azalea, and a sweeping lawn.

“I began by laying out garden hoses for bed outlines. I left the foundation plantings and concentrated on the perimeter of the yard.” The outer beds, filled with layered plantings, created garden rooms around the house and screened the property from the street.

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Next, he removed most of the existing plants except the PJM rhododendron. The turf was killed off and he amended the soil. “I added 20 loads of four-yearold aged horse manure as compost prior to planting.”

He had gardened on five acres in Minnesota, which he said felt like a little arboretum. “When I came to Michigan, I had to get a lot more creative because I garden on a corner lot. My goal was to have a diverse garden with as many plants as possible.”

The areas along the driveway and the island beds are packed with perennials, cacti and dwarf conifers. Intense planting of shrubs and small trees among the (continued on page 42)

Contrasting colors, textures and leaves make the bed pop.

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(continued from page 40) perennials creates captivating curb appeal. “I have most of my plants in layers—it’s not so much a collection as it is an assortment of plants that work well together. When things are planted that close together there’s nothing to do but deadhead or edit. There’s no room for weeds.”

New conifers went in first. “I live close to the former Wavecrest Nursery and made weekly trips the first couple of years to visit and buy plants. I added peonies and other perennials.” A deep border running along the road features several green exclamation points—DeGroot’s Spire arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Degroot’s Spire’). “By staggering the diversity of plant materials, you can have a long season of interest. I rely on not only one type of plant but many different genera throughout the season.” The spent perennials and evergreens add dramatic winter interest and cleanup takes place in the spring.

Sweeping borders feature an orangeblue color scheme in summer with lilies, agapathus, catmint and red-hot poker (Kniphofia). Although he didn’t design the garden on paper, Hansen followed the simple rule: taller plants in back, shorter ones in front. “I limit flower colors for unity, but that changes throughout the year. There are pinks in the spring, but summer is mostly warm colors. I try to have something interesting all season.”

“I think he’s the foremost perennial breeder in the world today,” said plantsman Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I’ve not met anyone who can hold a candle to him. You need to be a good plant breeder, a good plantsman and a good gardener, and he’s an incredible (continued on page 44)

(continued from page 42) gardener. He understands how the plant can be used in the garden.”

Developing a Passion for Plants

By age four, Hansen was planting onions on his family’s dairy farm in southwestern Minnesota. For his birthday or Christmas, he’d ask for plants. When he was six years old, a neighbor told him he could have any plants in her garden. He chose Baptisia australis. “My dad helped me transplant it. It was a very old plant and he broke a shovel handle digging it. It was at my parent’s farm for 45 years. I’m unsure of the life expectancy of baptisia, but it’s in its third garden now after outliving its first two owners.”

Those early years kicked off a lifelong passion. He began hybridizing Asiatic and Martagon lilies in 1984 when he was 14. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t gardening,” Hansen said. “I was blessed to be able to explore the countryside. A lot of times, I’d walk the ditches looking for plants and picking asparagus. By the time I was a teenager, I was into plant genetics and purchased a book from the [North American] Lily Society on breeding lilies. It’s just how I’m wired.”

A young Hansen exploring the gardens. An Analytical Eye

Hansen currently keeps a list of his snowdrops, narcissus and lilies. “I used to keep meticulous records at my former garden, but I have such limited space here that if I’m not attached to a plant, it rotates in and out quickly.” He’s unforgiving when plants don’t live up to expectations. “As a plant breeder, 99 percent of the seedings from crosses are composted. I value great plants, but by the same token, on a small city lot if something isn’t bringing me enjoyment (continued on page 46)

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(continued from page 44) any more, that’s an opportunity to grow something I enjoy better.”

Some of the characteristics he looks for when breeding or selecting plants include garden value, long-season appeal, good foliage and disease resistance. “The hallmark of a good plant is passing the litmus test.” When he’s breeding hibiscus, for example, he’s looking for flower power—plants covered from top to bottom with blossoms that have great color, over-lapping petals and outstanding foliage. Flowers with shorter pedicels (stalks) are a desired attribute because they keep the blossoms from flopping.

Some of his favorite plant combinations at home are the mangaves and evergreens for their contrasting textures and colors. “I love the orienpet lilies—Silk Road, Esta Bonita and Conca d’Or and the spring-flowering gentians and peonies.” There have been times when he’s brought plants home not knowing where they’d go. “I’ve walked around for 30 minutes looking for a spot and then realized that I like what I have better than the plant I brought home.”

Rock It

One area is dedicated to a rock garden with gentians, dianthus, Pulsatilla ambigua, ornamental onions and cacti.

(continued on page 48) The Martagon Lilies fill one of the many layered borders.

(continued from page 46) “I do have a rock garden but there are just a few rocks,” Hansen says with a grin. “Why would I want to invest money in rocks when I could buy plants?” His number one favorite plant (right now) is Gentiana aucalis, which is covered with eye-popping blue-purple flowers. “I’ve planted a lot of them. One of the neighbors walked by and said that must be invasive because it’s all over. It’s all over because I like it— it’s a great color.”

While most of the garden is in full sun, a side border benefits from neighboring shade trees. “It’s all about the foliage. If the foliage looks great all season long, the flowers can come and go—that’s more icing on the cake.” Plants in the shade garden grow shoulder-to-shoulder. “There’s really nothing to do but deadhead them.”

You won’t find sweeping drifts of any one type of plant in Hansen’s landscape. “The hostas read as specimen plants in the border.” It’s a well-designed collector’s garden that draws the eye throughout the plantings.

Watching his garden evolve and mature this past decade has been an interesting experiment. “The growth rate of plants is so much different in Michigan compared to Minnesota. It seems like we have at least four to six weeks more growth in the fall.” The sandy soil enriched with organic matter is slightly acidic allowing him to grow a wide variety of plants. “We are a zone 6 with lake effect snow, so the mild environment with well-drained soil is a blessing.”

Mentors

Hansen credits his mother as a great influence. “She and my dad encouraged and fostered my love of nature and gardening.” He attended her garden club meetings. “She signed excuse slips so I could miss school and join master gardeners (continued on page 52)

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(continued from page 48) on their trips.” During her final visit to Michigan in 2020, she brought a division of a double fernleaf peony from her garden. “It was a plant I had grown for most of my life and she wanted to make sure I grew it again. I’m happy to see it doing well and for the memories of my mom.”

Later in life, plantsmen Tony Avent and Roy Klehm had a big impact on Hansen’s career. “They have been so encouraging with their knowledge, their time and connecting me with folks who have the same passion for plants as myself— and sharing plant material. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. In fact, Tony came all the way from North Carolina to Minnesota to help me move plants.”

In 2020, Hansen took over the “Living Catalog,” at work, a sweeping outdoor display featuring many of the plants he has bred. “I’ve enjoyed editing and creating perennial beds on a larger scale and I’m designing beds that are similar to what I have at home.”

His passion for plants runs nonstop even after work. “I haven’t ever worked in my own garden other than the 10 minutes a week it takes to cut my grass,” Hansen said. “I enjoy every minute of it and look for things to do. It’s my goal to have an hour a day to spend in the garden.” Intuitive Design

Hansen instinctively knows the elements that make for good garden design. “It’s having four seasons of interest, originality and sustainability. I don’t rely on one plant but many different genera throughout the season.”

“I’ve been known to take a shovel and go right through a clump of sedum to put in a lily bulb, so things are really planted very intensely. It’s not so much a collection as an assortment of plants that work together.” He’s currently collecting Galanthus (snowdrops) and miniature daffodils. “They disappear after blooming and don’t compete with the other plants.”

The garden is now a place for Hansen to relax and connect with nature. “The last couple of years I have added a few water features. The sound of splashing water is relaxing and draws songbirds into the garden as well.”

Outside of work, Hansen travels far and wide, teaching, plant exploring and visiting other breeders and gardens. “If the day would ever come that I have limited mobility, most of my beds would be mulched with wood chips and the bones provided by the conifers would be enough to still have good interest. The spring bulbs could come and go quietly still providing enjoyment.” May his wonderful plant creations provide enjoyment to the rest of us for years to come.