W. George Schmid studied botany, horticulture, and landscape architecture at the University of Munich. An avid gardener of shade plants, he is author of The Genus Hosta and the award-winning An Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials. George gardens at Hosta Hill in northern Georgia.
Interview with
W. George Schmid
Timber Press: Why did you decide to write An Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials?
George: When I did research for my book The Genus Hosta in the 1980s, my garden overflowed with hostas. Out of necessity, it was transformed from a formerly diverse, shady garden into one that displayed mostly hostas. After the publication of my book in 1992, I longed again for my formerly diverse and natural garden. My desire for it to be a tiny reminder of the magnificence I had seen in the nooks and crannies of the Appalachian Mountains, Swedish forests and Bavarian Alps, translated into a search for diverse native and exotic plants. My collection of books on shade gardens was of little help, so I was off to visiting native wildflower nurseries and searching the Internet for exotic wonders from faraway places. The encyclopedia is a culmination of this hunt for classic and new shade perennials and my desire to share this information with other gardeners.
TP: You grew up in Bavaria. How has your gardening changed since you moved to Georgia? Which climate was healthier for growing shade perennials?
G: The flora of Bavaria is quite different and more limited than the plant treasure found in the southern regions of North America. In the formative days of becoming a gardener, I tried to grow alpine gentians in Tennessee clay. The plants quickly told me that they did not like their new home. Now gardening in zone 7a, I can grow an immense variety of plants from all temperate and subtropical regions of the world. But I also had to realize that shade perennials requiring a cool summer do not like it here at Hosta Hill. Now I have more shade garden plants, more bugs, more challenges, and – more fun.
TP: When did your admiration for plants — specifically those that relish the shade — blossom?
G: Any shade gardener longs for plants that pay back. My grandfather found that hostas were such plants and my cousin still in his garden today, tends the same ones he planted in 1900. Following grandfather, my love for hostas developed early on and resulted in my first successes as a gardener. These successes spurred me on to write a book and make a shady garden where the plants tell you that they love it where they are. I have added many other shade-tolerant plants since then and found they pay back with beauty, durability, ease of maintenance and progeny. They add to the serenity of my shady garden and form part of my garden's embrace that keeps mind and body happy and healthy.
TP: Can you explain how you, as a gardener, as well as your gardening technique and interests, have changed in the 50 years you have been a gardener?
G: Gardening is not easy. Becoming a good gardener is even harder. Moving from one part of the world to another requires a change of plants, techniques and, as a consequence, interests. School learning is helpful; at least it tells you that you need to create the bones of your garden first. After that is done, the tough learning really starts. Each garden and each and every plant in a garden require unique conditions that must be investigated and learned. Fortunately, nowadays much information is available in books and on the Internet. Finding out what you can grow successfully will help you develop new techniques and guide your interests. Mine went from open gardens with lawns to an embracing shady garden with a natural look. That is where I feel most at home.
