Seeds of wisdom

There's a nursery hidden away in Chapel Hill for one of the most popular plants in America.

Most people probably have seen the plant before - and many grow it themselves. Some will pay anything from $4 to $400 for it, and it is the No. 1-selling perennial in America.

And it's not what some might think.

Green Hill Farm, a nursery devoted solely to hosta plants, was founded in 1981 by hosta expert Bob Solberg, who has operated the business since then with the help of his wife Nancy Solberg.

Hostas originated in Japan and China and can be used in Oriental cooking, although they are usually just decorative.

Because they're low-maintenance and have more than 2,500 varieties available with new creations popping up all the time, the plants are popular with gardeners.

"I was looking to go into the nursery business, and hostas seemed to be the right thing for me to do at the time," says Solberg, 54.

"Hostas take up little room, and (it was an) area that was just starting to expand."

New types of hostas are introduced frequently, and the farm tries to keep 200 to 300 varieties in stock.

The average lifespan is about three years, and Solberg annually replaces 20 percent with his own creations.

In the past 20 years, he has invented about 40 new types of hostas.

"We're in the business of new," he says. "It's like cars. There are new cars every year and there are new hostas every year."

With every new hosta comes a new name. Solberg says he tries to pick names that "sort of look like the plant" and that people can identify with in some way.

Stomachs might growl upon listening to his past creations, such as Guacamole (the 2002 Hosta of the Year and the fifth most popular hosta worldwide), Fried Green Tomatoes, Orange Marmalade and Cookie Crumbs.

And to wash it all down, one can pick up a Frozen Margarita or a Whiskey Sour and even a Corkscrew for good measure.

"Some people buy hostas just for the name," he says with a chuckle.

That's not to say factors like color don't play a big role.

Solberg created a light blue hosta earlier this year, named Carolina Blue, that sold out after the men's basketball NCAA Championship in April.

"A lot of people wanted it this year," says Solberg, adding that the nursery no longer carries the hosta.

Charity Boyd, who has worked at the farm for the past three years, knew nothing about hostas before working at the nursery.

"They're just interesting plants," she says. "It's fun out here."

Botany has been part of Solberg's life from a young age. "When I was a kid in Miami, I had a nursery," he says. "I grew palm trees from seeds."

It all blossomed from there, leading him to major in biology at Davidson College and then complete three years of graduate work at UNC in bryophyte ecology.

He co-founded the American Hosta Growers Association and won the Distinguished Merit Award from the American Hosta Society for his work.

Hostas aren't Solberg's only passion. The nursery led him to discover his other passion - his wife.

Bob and Nancy Solberg work hand in hand to maintain the farm, selling hostas at the nursery and by mail-order, in addition to traveling the country to attend conventions and speak about hostas.

"I like when we travel and meet other plant people," Nancy Solberg says. "We get to meet other crazy, addicted people."

She began work at Green Hill Farm in 1991, and a romance developed between her and Bob Solberg. The two were married in February 2000, one of the only times they could hold a wedding because hostas are dormant during the winter months.

A native of Omaha, Neb., Nancy Solberg blames her grandmother for instilling in her a love of horticulture.

"She did it to my mother, who did it to me," says Nancy, who is blue-eyed with glasses and has a big smile. "I've done (gardening) ever since I could remember."

Both agree the job is satisfying.

"You have to be a kind of special person to do this," Bob Solberg says.

 

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