Gene Waldowski designs his gardens the same way he paints.
"Full of color and contrast," said the artist and retired high school teacher.
With his wife, Lois, as collaborator and resident wisecracker, Waldowski has created a shade-lover's delight at their home in Ramsey. More than 120 varieties of hosta provide a backdrop for brightly colored cultivars and Gene's creative hardscapes.
The couple bought their woodsy property in the northern Twin Cities suburb in 1967, shortly after they married. The yard was so shady that it was hard to get grass to grow, Lois said.
Back then, the couple didn't know a lot about shade plants. And they were more focused on jobs and child-rearing than working in the yard. Inspiration came in the 1980s after they visited a nursery in Waseca that was overflowing with hostas.
"We didn't realize how many types there are," Gene said. "Hundreds of thousands of them. We saw how you could use hostas to create a beautiful garden, even in the shade."
Natural intervention
Nature helped push the couple toward a more deliberate plan for their garden, after Dutch elm disease claimed a number of mature trees, and a 1997 storm took out several colossal oaks.
Today, the Waldowskis' yard is a showcase for hostas and other plants that thrive among the shadows of towering trees. Leafy hostas of every size and shape are carefully placed to create a composition. Pale yellow hostas contrast against a sea of deep greens and dusty blues.