GREAT EXPECTATIONS. Our Next Meeting June 17, 6:30 pm Janet Stein s Garden 305 Maywood, Morton

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1 GREAT EXPECTATIONS central illinois hosta society June volume 20, issue 4 Debbie s Dirt What a treat to visit Connie Zuercher s gardens in May. It has been a few years since she hosted her first CIHS meeting and I enjoyed visiting again to see her collection of Beech trees and vast array of hostas and companion shade plants. It was a lovely evening and a well-attended meeting. It s always a delight to see so many of our long-time members, as well as, new members and guests. A special thanks to Barry, Bob and Ella who graciously addressed our hosta concerns. My question concerned the center clump dieback that I have seen with a number of my older hostas in the last few years. The advice I was given was to divide the clump and replant the healthy sections. I have since learned that this condition is known as Fairy Ring. If you happened to purchase Mark Zilis new Field Guide to Hostas, this problem is described in detail on page 370. Another problem many of us have experienced is a condition called stunting where a well-established plant suddenly shrinks in size from one year to the next. To prevent this from occurring, water, water, water and then water some more. The droughts we have experienced in the Midwest over the last couple of years have taken a toll on hostas and other plants. Furthermore, the severe winters we have encountered, especially the most recent one, has also been extremely hard on our beloved plants and trees. We will be sure to allow some time at the end of our monthly meetings to answer questions and discuss your concerns. So come prepared and don t be shy. Many of us benefit from the questions and answers we receive during our times together. I would like to know what kind of watering systems you employ as I am looking for something better than the overhead wand sprinkler which allows too much water to evaporate. By the time we meet on June 17 at Janet Stein s garden in Morton, the Solberg hostas will have arrived and be ready for pick-up; we will have taken our Bus Trip to St. Louis; and hopefully, all of your hard work in April and May will give way to beautiful gardens to be enjoyed and admired in June when hostas look their best. Keep on digging in the dirt, Debbie McCollum, CIHS President Our Next Meeting June 17, 6:30 pm Janet Stein s Garden 305 Maywood, Morton This is a garden you will not want to miss. Janet's artistic training and her sense of whimsy is reflected in this unusual garden. As you wander through Janet and Steve's garden, keep your eyes open for fairies that hide in the trees, under a log, or beneath a hosta. You will also come across the Alice in Wonderland Rose garden so do not be late. Janet's garden is a place for your imagination to run wild. Janet started her garden almost 7 years ago. The garden has been greatly expanded in the past two years. Unfortunately, the severe winter took a toll, as it did on many gardens, so she has replaced a number of plants this spring. The garden features 75 varieties of hosta, a collection of over 30 coral bells, and a growing number of hydrangeas, roses, irises, lilies, and other perennials. Janet hopes you enjoy her garden as much as she and her husband, Steve, do. June Plant Swap Please join us immediately following the June meeting for a plant swap. Anyone who would like to participate should bring a potted plant of their choosing. It can be something from your garden or something you have purchased. Please be sure to label plants. We will draw numbers to see who will go first. The plant you choose will be the one you take home. No stealing in this plant exchange (smile). Directions: Take I-74E to Lincoln (I155 S) exit. Go south to the Queenwood Road exit. Turn left onto Queenwood. Stay on Queenwood, through the 4-way stop sign. Turn left onto Robin (there is a sign for Brookside Estates on the corner). Robin dead ends at the end of the driveway. Janet's house (right side of a duplex) is on the inside corner of Robin and Maywood. Parking is available on Maywood and Robin. Notice: To provide adequate time for viewing Host Gardens, each Garden will be open to visitors ½ hour early at 6:00, while the meeting starts at 6:30 1

2 Hosta of the Month You can purchase tickets at the meeting! Hosta Hirao Majesty - A hosta from Japan which forms a large mound of bright green foliage with nice deep lavender flowers. It has shiny oblong leaves with dense clusters of flowers. Hosta May Forming a medium small clump, May is a gold leaved form of June. It has good substance and will stay golden if in more sun, but in shade it emerges yellow and turns chartreuse by late June. Hosta Granary Gold It forms a medium large mound of golden foliage that stays gold until mid-summer when it takes on a light green color. Hosta Ripple Effect A unique sport of June with long narrow wavy golden leaves with a narrow blue margin which sometimes jets into the center. Hosta Okazaki Special Also called Mikawa-no-yuki which means Snows of Mikawa. It is a medium mound which has long lance shaped leaves that have gray green color with white backs. Forms a nice fountain shaped clump. Hosta Veronica Lake A sport of Pearl Lake that has creamy yellow margins surrounding a blue green center. It is a small hosta that forms a nice mound that has outstanding flower performance. Garden Walk check it out! The Peoria Garden Club will be holding a Garden Walk on Thursday, June 12 th. Tickets are available at numerous locations throughout the community 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. June 7 Bus Trip Missouri Botanical Garden St. Louis June American Hosta Society Convention Cedar Rapids, IA June 17, 6:30 pm Janet Stein s Garden 305 Maywood, Morton June Midwest Regional Convention Green Bay, Wisconsin July 15, 6:30 pm Roth Daylilies 140 Roth Auction Road, East Peoria August 19, 5:45/6:30 pm Auction Freedom Hall 349 W. Birchwood Street, Morton September 16 Banquet Coyote Creek Officers President Deb McCollum debmccollum@gmail.com Vice Presidents Gloria Hicks, Jeanette Smith , jameskhicks@hotmail.com cjsmith119@gmail.com Second Vice Presidents Shirley Metz, Donna Cothrell , skmetz43@gmail.com dkcothrell@hotmail.com Third Vice President Deb Schoedel parttime94@aol.com Recording Secretary Sue Eckhoff gardenermom22@gmail.com Corresponding Secretary Maggie Keesey magskeesey@gmail.com Treasurer Dan McConnell drdtm@mtco.com 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 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

3 Member Survey Results T he Board very much appreciates the feedback that has been provided by those that completed the survey at the April potluck. There were some very good comments and ideas which will help the board when planning events and meetings. I would like to highlight a few comments and questions that were submitted. First regarding our March and April meetings (indoor) we received several good suggestions for speakers and topics. We also had a few members ask if the location of the meetings could be on the Peoria side of the river some years. The board would be very receptive to alternating between Morton and Peoria if a good facility could be found on the Peoria side. Freedom Hall in Morton has been a very good arrangement for us. Although it is a drive for some (myself included) it is convenient to the interstate. It has kitchen facilities and plenty of parking. The Morton Park District also arranges to set up and take down the tables and chairs (in whatever layout we request) as well as provide a movie screen when it is needed. Further, the rental fee is well below what we have found elsewhere. If anyone is aware of a similar location on the Peoria side please let one of the board members know and we can certainly see if it would work. We also had some great ideas and feedback regarding the garden meetings. Many of you wanted to see more "education/information" opportunities at these meetings as well as more information about the particular garden. We are going to try and work on both these areas and make the monthly garden visits even more enjoyable. Regarding the annual banquet the feedback was very positive. A few members felt that the current location (Coyote Creek Golf Course) was pretty far out of the way. Of course no matter where we locate an event it is going to be a longer drive for someone. However, we have chosen Coyote Creek the past few years for two main reasons. Their fees are much lower than some of the other options we have considered. Further, they have been very easy to work with in planning the event. I am sure we would look at other options if someone has an idea and the costs, food and service is as good as we have experienced at Coyote Creek. We also received some good feedback regarding the newsletter, web site and Facebook page. We will continue to provide good and useful information and communication through each of these mediums. The board strongly encourages all members to take advantage of not only the newsletter but also the web site and Facebook page. Finally, we really do appreciate the feedback that was given and encourage everyone to feel comfortable in making suggestions for meeting locations (indoor and gardens), speakers, topics and anything else that you think will improve the society's meetings and events. Auction Update! Mike Pula T he CIHS Board has decided to make some changes to the plant auction. After much discussion and conferring with other hosta organizations, the following changes will be made this year: The auction will be held indoors cool (non-sweltering), dry and well-lit. Fewer plants but they should be real goodies. A way to get more people involved and hopefully fun for all. I would encourage members to donate yard art, garden crafts, cool garden tools and gardening items anything for the garden With these criteria the auction will be held Tuesday, August 19th at Freedom Hall in Morton. Doors will open at 5:45 pm for viewing and the auction will start at 6:30 pm. The big change and hopefully the funnest part will be the plants. Q&Z Nursery will be providing about 30 first release plugs for our members to grow. We will need 30 people to volunteer to be plant growers for this first year experiment. The plugs will be available at the April 15th meeting. Ella Maxwell will be present to give us tips on growing these plugs until it s time to take them outside. Each volunteer will be given 2 plugs of the same mystery plant, one for them to keep and the other one to be auctioned off in August. Please grow your plugs in pots this first year so that we can maintain a diseasefree plant. No one will know the name or characteristic traits of their plants. At each meeting during the summer, volunteers will be asked for plant updates. Maybe some growers will be able to identify their plants as the summer wears on. There will be prizes to those who correctly identify their plants. In August we should have some great plants to auction. 3

4 A sign-up sheet will be available at the March meeting or if you are unable to attend the meeting, contact Shirley Metz or Donna Cothrell Good Luck to our Plant Growers! Summer Alert - Beware of the Drought Editor s note: I included these next two articles because the signs are pointing toward another dry summer I hope to be wrong. M ost reference books on hosta will report that they are quite adaptable to dry shade conditions once they have become established. While this may be true, there is also a practical limit to most generalizations. During the growing season the hosta rhizome or crown is building reserves that will be used the following spring. Large amounts of water are also required to replace the natural transpiration that occurs with the large leaves. If (as we typically do in the Midwest) encounter a prolonged spell of hot, dry weather, the rhizome will spend reserves to support the plant. Ever wonder why a hosta appears OK at the end of the year, but appears much smaller and/or less vigorous the following spring, or (even worse) fails to reappear altogether the following spring? This is most likely the result of a decline in the crown mass the previous summer. So what to do if we do encounter a typical Kansas City summer with day upon day of hot temperatures and extended dry spells? Avoid the stress by watering deeply at least once a week during the summer if we don t receive any help from Mother Nature. Optimum moisture is reported between one and one and a half inches of water per week during the growing season. This is especially important if your hostas receive significant levels of direct sun exposure. Watering time is also important. Watering in the morning will help discourage both slugs and fungal activity. Use of soaker hoses works well. When watering blue leafed hostas avoid overhead watering of the leaves which can slowly destroy the glaucous bloom (i.e. the waxy covering that makes a green hosta appear blue). Residual water droplets on any leaf which is followed by sun exposure can also result in leaf burn. By Rob Mortko Hostas that Tolerate Dry Shade D ry shade can be the result of several different situations. The first scenarios that came to my mind were areas that couldn t be reached by a water hose, gardens that rely on the limited availability of well water, and the areas directly under wide roof overhangs. I was reminded that hosta gardeners regularly experience dry shade conditions due to plantings under trees, most notably shallow rooted trees like maples. Without amending the soil prior to planting and receiving average amounts of moisture, there may not be any hosta that will grow well year after year in dry shade. This article focuses on hostas that when grown in well prepared amended soil will tolerate dry locations, but not actually prefer this condition. A top dressing of organic mulch (garden compost, mushroom compost or well-rotted wood chips to name a few) will keep the soil cooler, retain moisture longer and reduce evaporation. When hostas are grown under trees, possibly the most important factor is the type of tree itself. Oak and hickory trees (deep roots) are reasonable to grow hostas under, silver maples are not (shallow roots), at least not without daily care as Lou Holverson does in her wonderful garden. Kay Dye believes that the most difficult area to grow hostas in is anywhere in the vicinity of the outer edge of a tree s drip line, no matter what type of tree, as their roots are most competitive in this area. As far as hosta that will tolerate dry shade, Kay developed a list of good performers in her gardens using the following criteria: They were growing in an area that either, is not watered or experiences periods of hotter sun conditions, causing the soil to dry out, even if they do get occasional water. They maintain or increase in size from one year to the next. They are not typically susceptible to crown rot. They look good from August until first frost. Below is her list, in no particular order. The majority of the following are large hostas. Continued on page 5 4

5 Possibly their tolerance to dry shade is due to a larger root system being more capable of extracting moisture from the soil. An interesting side note, Kay has not noticed any of these hostas form the fairy ring (center clump dieback). Kay believes these hostas (listed below) actually prefer well drained to dry conditions. Abba Dabba Do Abiqua Drinking Gourd Bright Lights Choko Nishiki / On Stage* Christmas Tree City Lights fortunei Albomarginata fortunei Aureomarginata Gold Edger** Gold Regal Gold Standard Golden Waffles Halcyon High Noon Invincible June Leola Fraim Most of the Tiara Group Mountain Snow Nigrescens Olive Bailey Langdon* Permanent Wave Prairie Glow Sagae Shogun Sparkling Burgundy Summer Serenade Sun Power Sweet Home Chicago Tenryu ventricosa ventricosa Aureomarginata Zounds* **In Kay s garden, this hosta has been susceptible to crown rot, but it made the list because it has proven to be such a trooper in hot dry conditions. Keep in mind that the above is Kay s thoughts based upon plants grown in her gardens. I am sure if you asked other gardeners, there would be some duplication of names, plus some additional names. Ray Wiegand (Ohio) states Sweet Susan, Undulata and Fortunei Albopicta survive in a real dry northern exposure under a roof eave. Additionally, I did find two references stating Jason and Katie will tolerate dry conditions. Of course, there are no guarantees all of the above will tolerate the variable dry shade conditions in every garden. Recapping, I think it is safe to say there are hostas that will tolerate dry shade, but to improve the likelihood of success, keep the following tips in mind: Improving the composition of the soil, adding significant amounts of moisture retentive wellrotted composts is critical. Use an organic mulch (not fresh) to retain moisture. It is important to pull the compost a few inches away from the base of each hosta to lessen the possibility of crown and/or petiole rot. A consistent season long watering program will also improve your chances for success. There are a couple pluses to gardening in dry shade. Slugs do not live in dry locations and the likelihood of crown rot and/or petiole rot is significantly less. Of course, most people would agree there are more severe negatives than positives. These include: Hostas without sufficient amounts of water throughout the growing season are more likely to develop dry rot of the crown over the winter, resulting in much smaller hostas the following season and possibly the complete loss of others. Competition for moisture and nutrients from shallow rooted trees is a constant challenge. Hostas grown under shallow rooted trees typically require more watering for optimum size increase. Keep in mind that tree canopies often prevents light rains from reaching the ground. In years of average or more amounts of rainfall, mature clumps of hostas can survive with no supplemental watering. Remember the advice of Bob Solberg; if you are not going to water - DON T START, if you are going to water - DON T STOP! By Ray Rodgers, CIHS Save Your Coffee to Ward off Slugs!!! I f your hosta are eaten by slugs, have another cup of coffee and read this. Do not pitch your coffee grounds into the garbage. In fact, don t even dump your leftover coffee. Hosta gardeners and USDA have found that caffeine can repel and kill slugs and snails. If there were a perfect solution, there would not be so many slug remedies. Forget the beer, salt, flour, diatomaceous earth, copper collars and myriad other potions and pellets. Coffee may be the answer. First the repellent: In recent years, some success has been reported with the use of coffee grounds to ward off slugs. Now it is time to get serious and document results. Hence, in preparation for next spring, I am saving grounds, spreading them out and drying them under lights alongside my seedlings. Come March, I will mix the grounds with mulch in one of my hosta beds. Another bed will be caffeine-free for comparison. Continued on page 6 5

6 Now the killer: A study by the USDA Agricultural Research Service concluded that a spray solution of 2 percent caffeine is effective in killing slugs and snails. An experiment in Hawaiian greenhouses found that the spray to protect orchids killed up to 95 percent of the pesky snails. Another experiment showed that a growth medium treated with the 2 percent solution had only five snails, 30 days after the spray was applied. That is in contrast to 35 snails found in the planting medium that had been treated with the repellent metaldehyde. So, a snail size cup of joe can be lethal at least in the mollusk world. Snails in the USDA study writhed uncontrollably as the caffeine apparently damaged their nervous system. When we drink coffee, our heart rate rises. The more we drink, the perkier we get. However, our caffeine concentration (based on a cup of instant coffee) is only.05 percent What the USDA used was 40 times stronger. So if you mix a spray to murder mollusks, make that coffee stout. A note of caution: Test the solution on leaves before spraying the entire garden. You do not want to commit hosta homicide. Orchid leaves in the USDA study were not damaged but there was some yellowing of leaves in ferns, bromeliads and lettuce. You may want to only apply it to the soil. Adios Sluggo! Let us spray! By Larry Tucker, published in the Ontario Hosta Society Newsletter, winter 2002 Seasonal Hosta Tips for Summer!!!! June-July-early August (Period of bloom, seed setting and dormancy) Fertilization: Apply July 1, or weekly applications of liquid fertilizer until bloom. Also, fertilize once after dividing and replanting. Irrigation: Maintain soil moisture. Also, sprinkle leaves during heat of day to cool. Protection: Thin layer of coarse mulch to conserve moisture and keep crown cool. Division: August is the best time to divide and replant. Fertilize after replanting. Pests: July and August, begin watching for foliar nematodes on leaf blades, and isolate or destroy affected plants. Fungal diseases begin during summer. (Use Daconil every 10 days as needed) By Bob Solberg, Green Hill Farm Hosta Spotlight Hosta Gin and Tonic Green to chartreuse puckered leaves with a narrow streaking cream margins. It s a medium hosta, reaching in height. A long-time favorite, it seems to always perform well without fuss or it enjoys neglect. It is a 'William Lachman' seedling with pale lavender flowers. Below is a Cocktail-themed Hosta collection compiled by Don Rawson 'Appletini' 'Bailey's Cream' 'Beer Belly Blues' 'Bloody Mary' 'Cerveza' 'Champagne' 'Champagne and Caviar' 'Champagne Taste' 'Champagne Toast' 'Corkscrew' 'Corona' 'Cosmic Moonshine' 'Cranberry Wine' 'Crème de Menthe' 'Cupatini' 'Fernwood's Tequila Sunrise' 'Five O'Clock Somewhere' 'Frozen Margarita' 'Gin and Tonic' 'Grape Fizz' 'I'll Have Another' 'Indiana Moonshine' 'Irish Cream' 'Lakeside Mint Julep' List continued on page 7 6

7 White Oak Nursery Specializing in Hostas and Daylilies Internet and mail order only. Please visit our website for an online catalog of offerings. We have 150 varieties of Hostas for 2014 and will be adding an additional 100 varieties for We are giving away a copy of Mark Zilis' The Hostapedia, a $79.00 value. Orders totaling more than $50.00 will be eligible for the drawing to be held in June, White Oak Nursery Washburn, IL (309) hostas@whiteoaknursery.com 'Lemontini' 'Lime Twist' 'Limetini' 'Mai Tai' 'Margarita Moon' 'Margaritaville' 'Martini' 'Mint Julep' 'Mojito' 'Moonshine' 'Nightlife' 'Party Time' 'Redback Tavern' 'Rosedale Dandy Brandy' 'Rosedale Moonshine Delight' 'Salty Dog' 'Shady Lady Cocktail' 'Southern Comfort' 'Sparkling Burgundy' 'Spiked Punch' 'Spritzer' 'Stir It Up' 'Swizzle Sticks' 'Tequila Sunrise' 'Tiny Bubbles' 'Twist of Lime' 7

8 Central Illinois Hosta Society P.O. Box 3098 Peoria, IL First Class Postage Check us out! For information regarding dues or membership, contact Kathy Allen at or Newsletter Deadline: 20 th of the preceding month Submit items for publication to: Bob Streitmatter CIHS Membership Form (please print) Name(s) Address City State Zip Phone How did you find us? Friend/Word of Mouth Website Newsletter Event/Presentation Facebook Newspaper (which one) Other 8 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