August 8 • 2019 27
jn
— with hybrid tea roses, Asiatic and
Oriental lilies, hostas, gladiolas, astilbes,
75 different kinds of calla lilies and
more, bursting in joyous colors around
meandering walking paths.
“It took maybe five years from start to
finish,” Hoffman says. “But I was always
making improvements. After 10 years,
I’
m finally done. I was limited because
it’
s more of a shade garden — no areas of
my property receive the minimum eight
hours of sun to grow vegetables — so I
had to concentrate on shade to part-sun
flowers.
“I’
m not artistic at all,” Hoffman says.
“I have a hard time drawing a circle. But
this is my creativity. I enjoy getting my
hands dirty — my wife, Shelly, is always
telling me to go wash my fingernails.”
To satisfy his desire for vegetables,
Hoffman keeps a vegetable garden
at his Roseville store, the Road Show
(Hoffman previously owned the iconic
Tobacco Road locations throughout the
1970s).
“It’
s been very gratifying to start from
scratch, build it up and see beauty come
to form,” Hoffman says. “I walk out here
and think, ‘
Oh my God, is this beautiful.’
I love seeing all my hard work and labor
come to fruition. But mostly, I love the
beauty, peace and tranquility the gardens
bring.” ■
TOP TO BOTTOM: “We own the Road S
how, a
9,000-square-foot store,” Hoffman says. “We go to
Vegas often for buying trips and trade shows, and they
have a garden section where I always shop for myself.
That’
s where the giraffe came from.”; An Asiatic lily; An
Oriental lily; Hoffman added a Cape Cod-style walkway
with slab steps up to the front door; Rows of astilbes
and Shasta daisies. Hoffman’
s tips: Start with good dirt
and keep the weeds out, no matter how time-consum-
ing (his wife, Shelly, helps with that tedious job).