Lotsa lotsa hostas. Fairview Heights business sells plants, offers a beautiful place to visit
A few weeks ago, I visited a most beautiful place.
It was a glorious Eden – no snakes (at least, I didn’t see any) – that I didn’t even know existed until I received an email about it.
Hostas on the Bluff in Fairview Heights is owned by Erica and Brian Kniffin.
I met with Erica, who showed me around the property and introduced me to the goats and to Sophie, her border collie puppy.
Well now, a beautiful setting, goats and a dog? Heaven indeed!
A green, leafy paradise
The name “Hostas on the Bluff” is pretty straightforward. There are hostas. And they’re on a bluff.
And you can buy some for your own home. They sell some companion plants as well, including coral bells, day lilies and mangave, which is succulent hybrid of a manfreda plus agave.
The view from the bluff is amazing. On a clear day, you can see the St. Louis skyline from the patio deck.
The patio is at the edge of the bluff and has multiple picnic tables, a pergola and strings of lights that one can see through the trees at night from Illinois 157.
At the time of my visit, it was still pretty early in the season for hostas. While some of the plants were already growing in, others barely sprouted.
By now many more should be in their full, leafy glory.
Erica said more than 500 varieties of hostas currently are growing on the property. (I had no idea there were so many!)
She took me around the grounds for a closer look.
Hostas are planted all around the Kniffins’ house, on both sides of the walk paths, around the trees and along the patio and edge of the bluff.
They come in different colors and sizes, and the leaves vary in shape.
There are hostas in dark greens, light greens, yellows and blue sage. Many have leaves with two colors, and some have red in the stems.
Some plants are adorably little (minis) and others are huge (giants). Leaves are big, small, round, flat, curvy and heart-shaped as well as smooth, rippled, silky, shiny and matte.
Each plant has its own sign that includes the name of the variety, the name of the person that discovered it, the year it was registered and the mature size.
The signs, which are new additions this year, also include a QR code that will take you to an info page for that plant on the Hostas on the Bluff website. (It’s pretty cool.)
There are also icons on some of the signs. A sun means that variety is sun tolerant. A slug means the plant is slug resistant.
Plants named as Hosta of the Year have clip-on tags in addition to the regular signs.
The names themselves are a lot of fun to look at too.
Many of the plant names are pop culture references.
There’s Vulcan and Captain Kirk for the Star Trek crowd and Sister Act, Bogie and Bacall for the movie fans.
Other fun names include Mighty Mouse, Faded Blue Jeans, Pickle Barrel (with its satiny leaves) and Komodo Dragon.
Some plants are named after people.
There’s June, Dorothy Benedict and Emma Rose, which is named after Erica’s daughter Emma, 11.
The Emma Rose is unique to Hostas on the Bluff and has heart-shaped leaves in gold and chartreuse. It grows up to 33 inches high by 60 inches wide.
It was cultivated by Jeff Miller, who owned and operated Land of the Giants Hosta Farm in Milton, Wisconsin.
Erica said that Miller, who died in November 2021, helped the Kniffins get their business started.
Other varieties from Land of the Giants can be found on the bluff, including the Giantland Athletic Cup, Giantland Puckered Crevice and Giantland Ice Princess.
Land of the Giants is now run by Miller’s daughter, Ashley Miller, and her life partner, Pedro Moscoso.
Garden project to thriving business … with goats
Erica said she and Brian had no intention of starting a business.
In fact, it all started as a home garden project. And two hostas that belonged to Brian’s late grandmother, Honey.
Multiple plants were split from the two hostas and shared among family members over the years, according to the Hostas on the Bluff website.
The Kniffins eventually planted a few in the backyard of the house they moved into in 2009. This is the house that is now the site of their business.
Erica said that everything just took off from there.
The Kniffins started planning the business in 2016 and opened the following year.
The business is proving to be a real family affair.
Emma and her brother Andrew, 9, are at those ages when they’re starting to want to help, according to Erica.
Andrew learned that if he carries plants for the customers, he might make some money via tips.
This year, he hopes to have a lemonade stand, she said.
Also helping with the business are the goats.
The Kniffins have four goats: Nugget (the alpha goat), Hops (born on National Hops Day), June (named after most popular hosta) and Louie (in honor of St. Louis).
They help keep the hillside clear, said Erica.
At the end of the hosta season, when the plants die back and become dormant for the winter, the goats get to feast and clean up the grounds.
Guests can pet them and give them treats. (I got to!)
Erica said they’re excited to have animals. They also have three cats – shy Sampson; Linx, who loves people; and Spots, who thinks he’s a dog.
They’re mainly indoor cats but may wander outside now and then.
And they have Sophie, a border collie puppy that I could’ve played with all day. She was so cute!
All are welcome
Erica said they love when people come up to visit the grounds and like to keep things relaxed for their guests, wanting them to feel at home.
“We generally ask that people call before they come,” said Erica.
People are welcome to bring a picnic lunch and walk the garden paths. They can spend time enjoying all of the plants.
Erica said they don’t hover over guests but will answer any questions they may have.
She said family and friends have come to just hang out, read or nap.
Among the customers, many are spouses accompanying their wives while they shop for plants.
“I love our customers. Usually gardeners are really relaxed, chill people,” she said.
About Hostas on the Bluff
Hostas on the Bluff is located at 1601 Pleasantview Drive in Fairview Heights.
Hours are by appointment 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Hostas on the Bluff holds occasional open garden events, when all are welcome to visit without appointments. Follow facebook.com/Hostasonthebluff for these and other events.
To make an appointment or for more information, call 618-830-5929. Check it out online at hostasonthebluff.com.
