Famous gardener does great work in privacy of his home

Not many people have showy vines growing inside their home, but this is an unusual greenhouse. He has fragrant jasmine in bloom in early February and several of the columns in the greenhouse are covered with Creeping Ficus, a tropical vine related to rubber trees.

After seeing so much beauty inside what was once an ordinary subdivision home, I asked Lassig why he and his wife devoted so much time to growing these plants.

"It is glorious to be in love with horticulture," he said. "It is a disease that I will never recover from."

It is easy to see that it is not just his thumb that is green, but his blood is tinged also. This beautiful work of art is a tribute to the love and skill that he and his wife share as they garden both indoors and out.

Larry A. Sagers is a horticulture specialist for the Utah State University Extension Service at Thanksgiving Point.

Garden tips

Wasatch Community Gardens class, "Growing in Greenhouses Workshop Series," Tuesday, Feb. 21, 6-8 p.m., Mountain Valley Seeds, 455 W. 1700 South, Salt Lake City. Cost: $10 each. Register for all three workshops on consecutive Tuesdays for the discounted price of $25. Pre-registration required.

Fruit tree pruning: Learn the correct way to prune your fruit trees to improve crop production and breakage and damage. Includes USU Pruning Bulletin and handouts. Choose from five single classes at Thanksgiving Point. Feb. 16, 2-4 p.m.; Feb. 21, 2-4 p.m.; Feb. 21, 6-8 p.m.; March 3, 9-11 a.m.; March 3, noon-2 p.m. For registration and more information, please call 801-768-7443.

Budding and grafting class: Learn propagation techniques of fruit trees. These principles and techniques also apply to ornamental plants. Learn how to preserve old varieties or propagate new plants through asexual propagation. At Thanksgiving Point, Feb. 27. For registration and more information and to order rootstocks for the class, please call 801-768-7443.