10th Annual Artisan Market

Artisan Market Time is Here!

The 10th Annual Artisan Market at Hornbaker Gardens will take place on Saturday, September 16 from 10am to 4pm. We will be returning to our original layout where all the artists and the live music stage are set up in the grassy parkway area of the garden center. The art market will welcome 37 fine artists selling their original work in mediums including jewelry, pottery, painting, fiber, gourd art, mosaics, mixed media, metal art, photography, leather, woodworking, and fused glass.

The plans for the day include many delicious food and drink options. There will be August Hill wine, craft beer, and fresh-picked local produce from Hungry World Farm. Brakers’ Dozen, Ms. Mint's Pop Shop, Sisler’s Ice Cream, and Krazy Kernel Kettle Corn will have sweet treats. Lunch options will be available from Bernardi’s, Lucero's Taco Truck, Optimal Health and Maria’s Pizza. Free Admission.

Check out a sampling of work from some of our artists below!

View our events here

Fall Arboretum Walk

Join us Monday, October 2nd at 5:30 pm for a Fall Arboretum Walk! Dave Hornbaker will lead a stroll through our gardens, pointing out varieties of trees and shrubs that provide late season interest. The trees will be starting to show their fall color and, if we are lucky, we will end the evening by enjoying a gorgeous sunset over the prairie around 6:30 pm. This event is free. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. Don’t forget to allow some time to check out our fall plants, décor, and remaining perennials before the arboretum walk begins. We want to share the fall beauty of our gardens before we close on October 10th!

Hosta Dig

Every year we select hostas that are ready for division from our growing beds. We dig them, remove as much soil as possible, chop off the leaves, divide into sections and pot them up. We take care to sanitize our equipment throughout the process. This year we potted approximately 3,800 hostas from over 100 varieties! This project is a large undertaking for our crew. This is why we do our hosta dig in mid-summer, rather than the spring. Spring is the best time to divide hostas. However, anytime through late summer will give the plants a good start before the cold weather sets in. Our crew is busy getting everything ready for opening day and restocking our retail benches earlier in the season. Once we slow down from the spring rush, the crew has more time to take on this project.

The large scale of this project is also why we chop off all of the leaves. Removing the leaves makes the plants more manageable. We have also found that it does not set the hosta back much more than the transplant shock that occurs with the leaves left on. When we are finished potting, we put some plants back into our beds to grow for dividing again in the future. It doesn't take long for the hostas to send out new leaves. We appreciate our crew’s work to provide our customers with access to quality, Hornbaker-grown hostas!

Garden Projects

Once we got past the spring rush, our staff took on a couple of projects to revitalize some of the spaces around our property. We have been working on our entrance garden throughout this past season (pictured to the right). We know how important first impressions are. This garden is the first thing you see, so we wanted it to be as impactful as the rest of our gardens. Jane has been the leading force with her vision of this garden. She set out to create a space that highlights native plants and will be low maintenance. The perennials will fill in over time to reduce the need to weed, and the pollinators are already loving this space. We look forward to this garden greeting you with its bright color the next time you visit!

Over time we have changed what has been displayed in the area between our checkouts and the Hosta Ravine (pictured to the left). The rectangle benches in this space previously worked well for displaying plants, but as we have transitioned to keeping more garden décor in this area, the need for more flexibility became apparent. Our retail staff wanted the ability to make different sized groupings of bubblers and metal sculptures. The guys were able to open up this area by removing the benches and the wooden overhead structure. Of course, we also had to bring in some large flat boulders to further elevate items and add interest to the space. Finally, we added some places to sit and enjoy the shade while you shop.

Dave is a television star!

On Monday, August 28th, Dave and Katie (who does our marketing) went to KWQC studios to be on Paula Sands Live! Katie did the behind the scenes prep to make sure Dave was ready to shine with Paula Sands. The producers also found a segment from 1999 when Paula Sands visited with Rich and Kathy at the gardens. Check out both segments below, and let us know where you would like to see us featured next!

Click on the buttons below to view the videos!

2023 Paula Sands Live

1999 Paula Sands Live

Fall plants are here!

Pictured above are the perennial Chrysanthemums (hardy garden mums) starting to bloom. We also have New England Asters for perennial fall color. However, the wait for fall annuals is now over as well! Check out a sampling of plants that just arrived below. Come see us for all of your fall plant and garden décor needs!

View our Fall Annual Inventory Here