Ever wondered how to manage irrigation in a shade garden, or what it looks like when someone turns a passion project into one of the most remarkable nurseries in the country? This episode has answers.

Mandy made the trip from the Midwest to Salem, Oregon to walk the four acres of display gardens at Sebright Gardens — and came back with stories worth sharing. We sit down with co-founder Kirk Hansen to talk about how he's built a living collection of over 1,000 hosta varieties alongside hardy ferns and epimediums, making Sebright one of the largest shade-garden nurseries west of the Mississippi.

Kirk started Sebright as a private passion project in 2003. Today it's a destination for shade gardeners, plant parents, and hosta collectors from across the country — and yes, they do ship beyond Oregon's borders.

In this conversation we get into the real nuts and bolts of managing a large shade garden: irrigation strategies, the challenges of growing under established trees, how to curate companion plants that complement hostas, and what the visitor experience is actually like when you walk those mossy paths yourself.

Whether you're designing a shady corner of your backyard, dreaming of a Pacific Northwest road trip, or just fell down the hosta rabbit hole recently — this one's for you.

Topics covered:

• Irrigation strategies for large shade gardens
• Growing hostas and shade plants under trees
• How Sebright Gardens grew from a backyard project to a destination nursery
• Curating 1,000+ hosta varieties alongside ferns and epimediums
• What to expect when visiting Sebright Gardens in Oregon's Willamette Valley
• Shipping plants across state lines — what's possible and how it works
• Shade garden design inspiration from the Pacific Northwest

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