Over the past 38 years, Bonnie and Harold Busson have battled stubborn clay and rocks to create a woodland wonderland. River birch, pagoda dogwood, Kentucky coffee tree and tall evergreens provide the backdrop for the couple’s more than 1,500 hostas. Bonnie and Harold estimate their collection includes at least 500 varieties. In the spring, the property is covered with wildflowers and ephemerals, followed by masses of colorful perennials and companion plants interspersed with hostas.

A grove of stately trees, boasting five different kinds of oak, stands sentinel at the back of the property. At the side of the house, a prolific vegetable garden thrives in raised boxes; robust cucurbit vines clamber over huge mats of black plastic.

Walkways of brick pavers, designed and built by the Bussons’ son, begin at the front entry and meander through the property. Turf grass sets off other gardens. As you wander the pathways, notice the many rocks ringing the gardens. Each of these rocks was in the ground before the garden began. Tremendous effort went into the creation of all this beauty. “It can take an hour or more to dig a hole for a new hosta,” Bonnie says. It is obvious that this lovely countryside garden has been a labor of love.