After 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 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.

Before the research they did in gardening, their interest in big gardens stemmed from somewhere much closer to home. Both of their parents, who Witt said “were big gardeners before it was fashionable to do so,” had huge gardens on display in their respective communities.

Flowers of every kind could be found in their gardens, and that passion for beauty flowed right into both Karen and Richard.

The upkeep of such a beautiful garden is, of course, somewhat time-consuming, but Richard Witt said that’s part of the fun of it.

“There’s always a lot of work to do,” he said. “On the other hand, if you’re working in a paradise, I couldn’t think of another hobby that allows you to get outside and allows you to be surrounded by absolutely beautiful plants.”

Something he really enjoys is the laid-back nature of the work. While he knows there is lot of work to do, it is easy to get caught up in the beauty of it.

“There are times where you walk outside and have plans to work in a particular area,” he said. “And while you’re walking you see a plant that’s grown in the past couple days and it’s so attractive that you have to stop and look at it.”

Both are retired faculty members from UW-Eau Claire and enjoy spending their time in the garden as well as sharing it with everyone in the community.

“We like the plants and we try to make it as neat as we possibly can in the hopes that people who come to do a walkabout will see some beautiful things and enjoy what we see as a beautiful garden,” he said.

They are currently in the process of getting everything ready and plan to provide walkabouts of their garden to the public for no fee, as they have done many years previously.

This year, Witt said he hopes their garden will be ready to open to the public the first weekend in June.

3 Fun Facts About Hostas

1. Hostas are named after noted Austrian botanist Nicholas Host.

2. Hostas are prone to slugs! Have some salt handy (or a pet turtle – turtles love to eat slugs).

3. Hostas are edible and some varieties are popular in Japanese cuisine.

Want to talk hostas or take a tour? Contact the Witts at wittrm@uwec.edu or call (715) 834-0447.