Play ground

Playing with plants at home gives Joseph Hillenmeyer, a self-described plantsman, an opportunity to experiment with specimens and design. And, since the neighboring residents on either side of his property have turned over their land to his garden design pursuits, he has a triple-lot of home “test grounds.”
   
In the 12 years Hillenmeyer, owner of Joseph Hillenmeyer Garden Design, has lived at his residence, the gardens have transitioned five times. “It’s truly experimental ground — it’s me, playing with design techniques and new plant materials to see how hardy varieties are, or how I can control a growth habit,” he says.    
   
It’s not a practical space, he admits. It’s a project of passion.
   
Hillenmeyer feels a duty to test the plants before he specifies them for a project — and his palate is extensive, with up to 400 plants to among while designing estates and gardens. “I’m not comfortable using any of those plants until I have grown them for myself,” he says.
   
Hillenmeyer’s friends are happy recipients of the plants he “gets over” after testing. “When I’m ready to pull out some plants, I call them and they bring over their cars or trucks and we load them up,” he says.
   
That sharing of plant love is something true plantsmen in the industry value. There’s camaraderie, partnership. “It’s not just about making a dollar,” Hillenmeyer says of horticulture. When he visits nurseries, he packs some plants to “trade,” and returns home with samples to test for himself.
   
At home, he can sow his wild oats, so to speak. “There is always something new being introduced and I want to see what I can do with it,” he says. “Having this space has allowed me to really broaden my plant palate.”