2025 PGSU Garden Story: Sumner & Carol

For more than three decades, Sumner’s family has maintained homes in Kayenta—“the best desert community around St. George.” Today, Sumner and his wife, Carol, live in their home there, just down the road from his mother’s. The two generations share not only a neighborhood but a devotion to desert living.

Since 2013, Sumner has worked with his longtime Kayenta landscaper, Jesse, to shape the gardens. Together, they’ve developed microclimates that allow desert and adapted plants to thrive, carefully choosing species that complement the surrounding red rock landscape.

Some plants were sourced locally, others ordered from Arizona. Over the years, a few have been lost to natural mortality—or the appetites of hungry jackrabbits—but the gardens remain vibrant and evolving.

The Ecologist’s Perspective

Sumner brings a unique lens to gardening: he is both a former terrestrial and aquatic ecologist for the state of Utah and a landscape architect. His work in plant taxonomy and environmental studies informs his appreciation of how plants interact with their environment. But he’s quick to admit he’s not an avid hands-on gardener. Instead, he’s been wise enough to rely on trusted experts.

Chief among them is Bonnie Pendleton—“The Plant Lady.” For more than twenty years, Sumner’s extended family has leaned on her for design wisdom and maintenance management. With Sumner and Carol dividing their time between Park City and Kayenta,

Bonnie ensures the landscapes remain healthy and expressive. “The landscape is not static,” she reminds them. Plants outgrow their spots, water lines break, and weather can be unpredictable. Her steady hand keeps the garden flourishing.

Views Inside and Out

Some of Sumner’s favorite garden views can also be enjoyed from inside his home. Off the entry is an exquisite water feature by Scott Roundtree—a masterpiece discovered after a three-year search for the right art. Its design and craftsmanship are so precise that visitors might think the house was designed around it.

From the family room, there is a long exercise pool framed by desert plantings that explode into a "riot of color" each spring, and beloved family heirloom metal sculptures. Beyond the wall that frames the the property is a fantastic view the wide desert, red sandstone cliffs, and endless blue sky.

Surprises at Every Turn

Outside, visitors are greeted by a magnificent old cedar tree—a sentinel at the entry. Then after appreciating Sumner’s other favorite, the fascinating eclectic entry (don’t miss the doorbell!), they will find at every turn more desert plantings, sculptures (see large rusted metal ant by Carol’s brother), planters, and wall pieces. Carol’s own glass art creations are tucked carefully into the design, catching the light and adding unexpected bursts of color.

The back patio is its own work of art: a mason painstakingly cut stone using cardboard templates, leveled the road base, and pieced together a flawless “jigsaw puzzle” surface that has remained perfectly solid for more than a decade.

Garden Wisdom from Sumner & Carol

• Find your “Bonnie.” Seek out a trusted nursery professional or plant advisor who knows the local conditions.

• Be practical. Plan a garden that blends with your environment, not one that fights against it.

• Study your palette. Learn each plant’s full story—size, color, habits—and combine them thoughtfully.

• Look and learn. Pay attention to landscapes you admire, borrow ideas, and adapt them for your own space.

• Start strong. If you’re doing the work yourself, be ready—it’s no small effort. As Sumner says, “Eat your Wheaties.”