Irvin Etienne is the curator of herbaceous plants and seasonal garden design at Newfields, a 152-acre campus in Indianapolis with art galleries, performance spaces, world-class public gardens, and a nature park. Irvin has been a frequent contributor to Fine Gardening, sharing his horticultural expertise through informative articles such as A Bright Idea for Spring Containers, Big and Bold Plants for the Back of the Border, and Bring It In!, a primer on overwintering all kinds of tropical plants. In this episode he delves into the path that brought him to horticulture, the lessons he has learned from decades of gardening in public, and some of the (many) plants that earn their keep in his home garden.

Irvin’s Indiana garden includes an intriguing array of tropical plants, such as ‘Flaming Kabobs’ canna.

Digging and storing hundreds of tender plants in late autumn keeps Irvin busy for many weeks, both at work and at home.

Planting layers of bulbs in plastic nursery pots is an easy way to plan ahead for a spectacular spring display.

Irvin’s Indianapolis garden didn’t exactly blend into the surrounding neighborhood.

Another view from the Indianapolis garden

Moving to the country has allowed Irvin to grow even more of the plants he loves, such as ‘Pretoria’ canna.

‘Holy Grail’ hardy hibiscus pairs smoky dark foliage with smoldering red blooms.

Plants like ‘David Howard’ dahlia with dark foliage keep the garden interesting, even when not in bloom.

‘Day Dream’ canna is another dark-leaved beauty.

Photos: Irvin Etienne and Carol Collins