8 CapitalPress.com Friday, August 14, 2020 Mountain Valley Gardens: Busy times Sebright Gardens: Hostas among stars By LEE JUILLERAT etables can Part of the challenge for By GEOFF PARKS Sebright , a called Mid-America Garden. For the Capital Press be challeng- Johnson, her three sons who For the Capital Press breed kept not for egg “I’ve been breeding irises ing. As John- work at the nursery and the or meat production but as an for 30 years and I ship to 40 LAMATH FALLS, son observes, 15 mostly seasonal employ- homas Johnson and Kirk “ornamental,” similar to the different countries” with the Ore. — It’s not that “You don’t ees, is providing good Hansen have combined nursery’s products. Mid-America sole-propri- KBernie Johnson doesn’t stick your advice for customers, espe- Ta successful marriage Hansen, 55, said the divi- etor flower business, John- enjoy seeing customers at Bernie tomatoes in cially first-time garden- with a successful nursery, sion of duties is clear at son said. “We were here for her family’s Mountain Val- Johnson the ground in ers. Because of this year’s Sebright Gardens, an orna- Sebright Gardens: “Every- only about 4 or 5 years and ley Gardens. But because mid-March.” demand, “You don’t have mental plant enterprise that one comes to me with ques- were just doing the mail-or- people in the Klamath Basin, Normally, the peak time to spend time on every- features hardy plants such as tions about the gardens, then der business with the irises like others nationally, are busy season lasts about six body. I spend a lot of time hostas. they all go to Thomas with an a few open houses for the staying home and working weeks, from the Mother’s telling people things they Sebright Gardens is a questions about what’s in the hostas, but we were being in their gardens, she’s hop- Day weekend in early May don’t want to hear,” says 34-acre nursery featuring a retail.” stretched.” ing business slows down. to mid-June. This year, with Johnson, who often discour- 4-acre display garden that In addition to the display Hansen, who also holds “This year has been so stay-at-home orders, the rush ages them from buying and eschews annuals and vege- gardens, Sebright encom- down a full-time job as an air- unusual. This year every- began in mid-March. By late planting plants that likely tables for purely ornamen- passes 24 acres of a tucked- line flight attendant, was the body is a gardener,” says June the nursery’s six green- won’t succeed. tal perennials such as selec- away patch of ground adja- impetus for the hosta nursery. Johnson, who defines her houses were nearly cleared Giving good advice is tively bred hostas, ferns and cent to the area’s famous “I met Kirk, and he age as “over 70.” of vegetables. “It’s bizarre, a key because, “If you fail, ground-cover plants. lakebed farmlands. Ten brought up the idea of a nurs- Because Klamath Falls is I’ve never seen anything like you probably won’t try Johnson, 53, is also a fan nearby acres support the pro- ery,” Johnson said. “So we known for its extreme tem- this,” Johnson says. “We’re again. If you’re even a lit- of exotic birds, so he named duction of bearded irises sold off the day-lily business perature variations, growing having huge issues with tle bit successful you’re his nursery enterprise, just through a separate business to a neighbor and together flowers and especially - veg maintaining our stock.” hooked.” northeast of Salem, for the Johnson runs on his own, started Sebright (in 2004).” 8733535-N19-132996-AbiquaLandscape - Page 1 - Composite Native Foods Nursery: Edible, medicinal plants ABIQUA LANDSCAPE By GAIL OBERST ing great solace in their gar- the ups and downs.” Many of PRODUCTS For the Capital Press dens during these challenging his customers like the bene- times,” he said. “Nature, and fits native plants provide to the 503-873-3535 EXTER, Ore. — these plants, can be incredi- ecosystem, in addition to the COVID-19 hasn’t bly supportive to our overall low-maintenance beauty they Dhurt Justin Michel- well-being.” add to the landscape. son’s Native Foods Nursery. Michelson has other the- Michaelson started his On the contrary, compared ories about the success of the business three years ago, well SAWDUST • BARKDUST to last year, sales of edible nursery. before the pandemic. The and medicinal native plants “Northwesterners are resil- 34-year-old Seattle-area native Wholesale • Retail - Call for Pricing this year at his nursery have ient people,” he said. “When leases the nursery land from increased four-fold. food or medicine supplies are the Lost Valley Education Cen- 503-873-3535 • Willamette Valley, OR “It’s been beyond my wild- potentially short, they natu- ter, a nonprofit education orga- S200665-1 est dreams,” said Michelson. rally look for ways to sup- nization at the southeastern [email protected] “I think people are find- port their families through edge of the Willamette Valley. 7923739-NWAG19-94210-ValleyFab - Page 1 - Composite

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