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GREAT EXPECTATIONS central illinois hosta society www.cihshostaclub.org Debbie’s Dirt f you recall in last month’s newsletter, I was applauding the wonderful July temperatures we were experiencing which lasted well into midAugust. But it never fails, about the time schools start back up, we have extreme heat and humidity. I melt in these conditions so nothing gets done in my gardens. I am, however, extremely thankful for air conditioning. I What a wonderful time we had at our Bi-Annual Auction in August. Donna Cothrell and Shirley Metz, along with many helpers, did a fantastic job of planning and executing this event. Shirley even provided some unplanned entertainment when a frog jumped out of a plant she was holding. Let’s just say the frog wasn’t the only one who was jumpy. Thanks to all of you who came and participated. We so much appreciated the abundance of plants and garden art donated by our Society members and businesses for us to bid on. And bid, we did. This was another banner year thanks to our generous buyers. And even though I was out-bidded on the Fairy Garden house created by Don and Carolyn Jones, I am happy to know it is going to a lovely garden and will be well cared for by Michelle. Don’t forget to sign-up for the Banquet to be held on September 16 at Coyote Creek. Jeff Miller from Land of the Giants will be our guest speaker and will bring a hosta for each attendee. This will be our last meeting of 2014 and you won’t want to miss it. Keep digging in the dirt, September 2014 volume 20, issue 7 Our Next Meeting The Banquet Date: Tuesday, Sept. 16th Time: Cocktails & check-in 5:30 pm; dinner at 6:30 Place: Coyote Creek Golf Club, near Bartonville, 8201 West Lancaster Road, 309.633.0911 Cost: $35/person Our Annual Hosta Banquet will be held at Coyote Creek Golf Course, same as past two years. We will have hosta from Q &Z Nursery for everyone attending. The guest speaker will be Jeff Miller from Land of the Giants hosta nursery, in Melton Wisconsin. We visited this nursery last year on the Bus Trip. He will also be bringing plants to give away! Sign up at the meetings or contact Shirley Metz (263.7103; [email protected]) or Donna Cothrell (694.7648; [email protected]). Directions From I-474, take Route 24 through Bartonville Just past Keystone, turn right onto Pfeiffer Road and proceed up the hill Go past the high school and veer left onto West Lancaster Road, passing Oak Grove West School Coyote Creek, 8201 West Lancaster Road, is on the right Debbie McCollum, President 1 Another route: Go thru Bartonville on route 24 and Turn right onto Lamarsh Creek Road/Cameron Lane. You will cross Tuscarora Road and continue straight on Cameron Lane. Turn left at stop sign onto Lancaster road. Coyote Creek, 8201 West Lancaster Road, is on the right ______________________________ Hosta in the Spotlight Hosta ‘Empress Wu’ Honoring the only female empress of China, it is a true focal point for your garden! Growing up to 4' tall and 7' wide, Empress Wu is one of the largest hosta available! Huge, dark green, deeply-veined leaves of good substance can measure more than 1 1/2' wide and long. Pale lavender to reddish-violet flowers in midsummer, atop 5’ flower scapes. _______________________________________________________________ The Hosta Library If you would like to check out a magazine or book from the Hosta Library, see Ella Maxwell at a meeting or call her at 309.444.3758. ________________________________________________________________ 2014 CIHS Calendar If you are interested in opening your garden for a meeting in 2015, please contact Gloria Hicks, Jeanette Smith or a board member. September 16 Banquet Coyote Creek CIHS Garden Walk TBA Cihs Bus Trip TBA June 18, 2015 American Hosta Society Convention Raleigh North Carolina 2 Officers President Deb McCollum 309.361.4284 [email protected] Vice Presidents Gloria Hicks, Jeanette Smith 309.266.7761, 309.387.6549 [email protected] [email protected] Second Vice Presidents Shirley Metz, Donna Cothrell 309.263.7103, 309.694.7648 [email protected] [email protected] Third Vice President Deb Schoedel 309.256.0479 [email protected] Recording Secretary Sue Eckhoff [email protected] Corresponding Secretary Maggie Keesey 309.264.2253 [email protected] Treasurer Dan McConnell 309.360.4188 [email protected] To join: Central Illinois Hosta Society $10/year, form on back cover Midwest Reg. Hosta Society $20/2 years, Send dues to: Kristine James, Membership 523 E. Calhoun Street Woodstock, IL 60098 American Hosta Society $30 individual, $57/2 years $34 family, $62/2 years Send dues to: Sandie Markland AHS Membership Secretary Post Office Box 7539 Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 Rewarding Hard Work ____________________________________________ A rnold Palmer, the famous golfer, loves to work in his yard and garden. His father had been the head greens keeper at a golf course and growing up Arnold had fond memories of helping his dad. One day he was in the front yard working in his gardening clothes and wearing a large, well-used straw hat. A lady pulled up in a top of the line luxury nonEnglish speaking car. She said to Mr. Palmer, “you do very nice work, what do you charge?” He replied, “Oh I don’t get paid. I have an arrangement with the owners; if I do a good job I get to sleep with the lady of the house.” With that the inquisitive lady speed away. I went out early on the morning of the last garden walk we were on to do some last minute preparation. I put on a pair of dirty jeans and an old stained t-shirt fully intending to shower, shave and change clothes prior to the start of the walk. I never made it. Later that afternoon I was talking to someone answering their questions when a lady close by asked incredulously, “you live here?/!” I replied, “Ya, go figure” Anyway, enough stories and now to the point of this article. We work hard in our gardens. We do it because we enjoy it. We appreciate the work our fellow CIHS members do not only in their gardens but also for the organization and our community. So what better way to reward ourselves than with food, a knowledgeable speaker and of course a hosta or two. The banquet is a wonderful way to say thanks for another year, break bread with our friends and enjoy ourselves. We deserve it, we’ve earned it, so call right now and make your reservation and I will see you there. Enjoy your garden and the banquet By Dan McConnell, CIHS Treasurer Field Guide to Hostas Available The new, garden-friendly version of Mark Zilis’ hosta compendium is out. Here are some of the highlights of the new guide: Mark Zilis’ Field Guide to Hostas is a totally revised and expanded version of the immensely popular The Hosta Handbook (originally printed in 2001, and long out of stock). Inside the Field Guide to Hostas you will find: – 428 pages, this laminated soft cover ring bound book measures 7 1/2" by 8 7/8". – 272 hostas completely described, including the latest introductions, ones that are commonly seen, significant species, important breeding plants, and hostas with extensive sport families. – 2300 more hostas listed or described in lists of similar types, hosta sports, sport families and seedlings. – 1200 photos including ones of each main listing, sports, seedlings, hostas in the wild, companion plants, several problems, and more. – New views of hosta species with an examination of natural habitats and other plants associated with them in the wild and how all this relates to growing hostas in our gardens. – An Appendix comprised of charts that rate the compatibility of trees, shrubs, and vines with hostas in shade gardens, recommended companion plants for hostas, starter collections, and a list of patented hostas. – A thorough analysis of how to grow hostas, including a greatly expanded “Hosta Problem Solving Guide” detailing the characteristics, symptoms, prevention, control, and general discussion of each problem. – Updated discussion of hosta propagation, including a detailed look at tissue culture, mutation selection, and polyploid (tetraploid) formation. – A list of hosta facts and anomalies. 3 I’ve already taken it outside to play “match the tags” as the tree trimmers moved some tags while doing some major pruning. This will be a great guide to have at our plant auctions as hauling around the large tome is backbreaking! wonderful blanket of leaves was created just for them. Under this cover they build a network of freeways which takes them from the banquet table of your hostas to the playground where they invite their family, friends and neighbors to come enjoy the buffet. They laughingly announce that there is plenty for all. By Rebecca Boylan and reprinted from the Delaware Valley Hosta Society, late spring 2014 issue Cleaning the garden of weeds, old foliage and leaves in the fall reduces the chance of spreading disease. It also lowers the risk of vole destruction. It eliminates many of the hiding places for voles and slugs. A clean surface allows for the early spring treatment for slugs and provides easier access for fertilizer. Keeping the slug population low during fall and winter eases your battle for control during the growing season. Removing diseased materials lowers your risk of incurring trouble next year. For example consider the possibility of leaving plants and mulch contaminated with the fungus that causes southern blight. How much more likely you are to be plagued with it the following season. Notice! _______________________________________________ T here have been a number of requests for CIHS to develop a membership directory, like many other garden clubs. The board, concerned about sharing such information, has chosen to create a directory with names and phone numbers only. It will be distributed amongst the membership and not shared with any other group. If you wish to opt-out of the directory, please notify Kathy Allen, the Membership Chair. 309.645.7908 or [email protected] Balance the Scales _______________________________________________ Mike Pula (This article has appeared in several other local hosta society newsletters. The editors thought that our readers would find it informative at this time of year.) F all clean up time is just around the corner. Lately I have read articles dealing with how we should leave our hosta gardens for the winter. As in life there is no perfect way that can meet the needs of all. Some articles have been emphatic in the fact that leaving leaves on the garden is the thing to do. I agree with the idea that leaves offer protection for the plants during the winter months and that they also provide nutrients for the soil. They help keep the ground cool in the spring so that hostas are not as likely to emerge too early. This is good and I concur with those things. Other articles have dismissed this fact saying that it is better to remove all of the weeds and old foliage from the garden in the fall. At this time I wish to say, leaves may hold excessive moisture as well as fungi, both of which can be harmful to your hostas. The leaf cover provides space for a well-run hatchery for the proliferation of slugs. Leaving old plant foliage contributes to the spread of fungi and disease that may be present. My proclamation is that what works for one is not necessarily for the good of all. If you live in a vole infested area letting the leaves remain on the garden will just about guarantee your loss of hostas over the winter. Voles prefer to move and work in a protected environment. They believe that this 4 Once the garden is clean and ready for winter, a thin layer of clean new pine needles can be spread to offer some winter protection and diminish the washing of your soil. A thin cover of pine needles allows air to circulate over the ground. Though they offer some shade protection for your plants they are open enough to discourage the construction of vole freeways. Now that we have weighed the pros and cons you must balance the scales to meet the situation in your garden. Will the value of leaves in your garden outweigh the disadvantages that they may offer? By Mary Chastain, Lakeside Acres ___________________________________________ The Hosta Gardening Calendar Late Summer (Growth of buds for next year) lateAugust-September W ith the full extension of the flowering inflorescence, the growing tip, (meristem), of the hosta shoot is carried high into the air, at the end of the scape. New “dormant” buds now begin to form at the base of the scape that will go through cold dormancy and produce the new shoots and leaves of the plant in the next spring. Ideally, three buds are formed, but frequently less are formed by large hosta cultivars. In some early flowering hostas, these buds may produce a second growth of new shoots, leaves, flower scapes and more dormant buds the same summer, especially if they are grown in areas where the growing season is long, as in the Southeastern United States. Labeling: Place plant labels, temporary or permanent, with each new hosta. Bury a plastic label with the plant name in pencil in the same position for each hosta. Map garden if you are so inclined. Continued on page 5 White Oak Nursery Specializing in Hostas, Daylilies, Bearded Iris and Siberian Iris Please visit our website for an online catalog of offerings. We have 300 varieties of Hostas for 2015. CIHS Members are welcome to come view our offerings. Please call for an appointment and directions. White Oak Nursery Washburn, IL (309) 369-2065 [email protected] www.whiteoaknursery.com Light: Days begin to shorten, hostas begin to look tired. Nutrients: Fertilize newly planted hostas with 10-10-10 or a little slow release fertilizer. If some hostas make a few new leaves then liquid feed once in August. Pests: Check for voles moving into the garden. Check for foliar nematodes, again. Check the oldest leaves. If the deer still want your hostas, then at some point, open the gate and let them clean up the garden for you. Protection: Mulch newly worked areas. Propagation: Continue to divide hostas. Try to get them finished six weeks before the first frost. You can do it later but remember hostas do not grow roots over the winter. Water: Turn off the irrigation and put the hoses away. Lack of water will encourage dormancy. Of course, continue to water your new plantings. I use a watering can. Fun! Look for fall specials from your favorite hosta nurseries. Hostas planted in the fall will look a year older than the ones you buy next spring. Continue to plant new acquisitions. Start collecting seeds from early flowering hostas. By Bob Solberg 5 Central Illinois Hosta Society P.O. Box 3098 Peoria, IL 61612-3098 First Class Postage Check us out! www.cihshostaclub.org For information regarding dues or membership, contact Kathy Allen at 309.645.7908 or [email protected] Newsletter Deadline: 20th of the preceding month Submit items for publication to: Bob Streitmatter 309.264.4813 [email protected] CIHS Membership Form (please print) Name(s)___________________________________________________________ Address_____________________________________ City__________________ State___ Zip_________ Phone___________ E-mail________________________ How did you find us? Friend/Word of Mouth Website Newsletter Event/Presentation Facebook Newspaper (which one)__________________________________ Other________________________ Dues are $10/year: New Renewal Amount enclosed__________________ Make check payable to CIHS and mail check/form to: Central Illinois Hosta Society, P.O. Box 3098, Peoria, IL 61612-3098 6