A LIFELONG PLANT LOVER, Hans Hansen followed his passion to a career in plant breeding. He currently serves as Director of New Plant Development at Michigan's Walters Gardens, Inc., a leading wholesale perennial grower. Through both hybridizing and field work, Hans has introduced hundreds of perennials to the gardening market.
SCOTT BEUERLEIN: You were into plants even as a child. Tell us about that and your education.
HANS HANSEN: I remember always being interested in plants. My earliest memories include planting onions with my mom and dad at age three. I grew up on a dairy farm in southwestern Minnesota. Although I didn't know it at the time, my parents were my greatest source of encouragement. I'm sure they were very busy with raising three kids and running both a dairy farm as well as raising crops, but they allowed me to have space to raise ornamental plants. They also built a temporary greenhouse for me, rigged up fluorescent shop lights to germinate seeds, drove me to nurseries and master gardener events and rearranged family vacations to include arboretum stops.
My mom loved to share cut flowers with friends, church and folks in the hospital and nursing homes. She placed value on plants that made good cut flowers rather than were good landscape plants. She enjoyed plants, but her interest was strictly on the beauty and she didn't care about the names. In fact, after college when I bought my house in Waseca and finished taking divisions of the plants on the farm, she pulled all the labels and discarded them.
My dad didn't care for yellow leaved plants; he thought they looked chlorotic and needed more nitrogen. He seemed in tune with my work though, and when I asked what he thought of some of my gold-leaf hosta hybrids he said, "I suppose they are special."
Esta historia es de la edición July - August 2023 de Horticulture.
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Esta historia es de la edición July - August 2023 de Horticulture.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
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Around the World With Herbs
Looking beyond familiar mediterranean favorites, we can find flavor in the tropics
RIBWORT PLANTAIN
Before you call it a weed, consider its many talents
JARED BARNES - Propagating gardeners
JARED BARNES is an award-winning professor of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. He also hosts The Plantastic Podcast and publishes a weekly e-newsletter called plant ed, both of which can be found at his website, https://www.meristemhorticulture.com. At home, he gardens with wife Karen and daughter Magnolia.
FILMS WITH FLOWERS
Relax with an uplifting garden-themed movie
TOTAL TOMATO GROWING GUIDE
Niki Jabbour's advice for making the most of this grow-at-home favorite
HANGDOG NO MORE
I'M A CURIOUS and impetuous guy. Good at thinking but terrible at remembering. And dammit if I'm not impatient.
LOOKING AHEAD
A colorful, fruitful summer follows winter's well-used days
NEW PLANTS
Pollinator Favorites
PLANTS from PIECES
ALL ABOUT PROPAGATION BY STEM, LEAF & ROOT CUTTINGS
FULL SUN FOLIAGE
IT'S A BIT MORE CHALLENGING THAN IN THE SHADE, BUT WE CAN FIND DELIGHTFUL LEAVES TO EMBELLISH SUNNY SPACES