GREAT EXPECTATIONS. Debbie s Dirt. Our Next Meeting. central illinois hosta society march volume 21, issue 1

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1 GREAT EXPECTATIONS central illinois hosta society march volume 21, issue 1 Debbie s Dirt S PRING IS COMING I promise. As I m writing this article, it s mid-february and we are experiencing another week of cold temps and strong winds. Burrrrrr. But, hopefully, by the time you receive this newsletter, signs of spring will be all around us. I can t wait to see all of you at our March meeting please mark it on your calendar now. Our first vice-presidents, Gloria Hicks and Janette Smith, have planned a FUN evening you won t want to miss. And there will be lots of door prizes. So be sure to sign in when you arrive. In addition, these gals have arranged some great gardens for us to visit this summer and you don t want to forget our potluck feast in April. And it s not too late if you would like to be a host garden for this year s Hosta Garden Walk on June 13. Contact John Machens if you re interested. Our annual bus trip on June 27th this year will take us to Champaign where we will visit some great venues including the new AHS Hosta Display Garden at the U of I, as well as, plenty of garden shopping along the way. So with the garden season soon to be upon us, I need to pick up my pace and get all those winter projects finished so I can head outside when that warm weather finally hits us. I don t have to make out a garden to do list this year I didn t get last year s list finished LOL. through our shared loved of hostas. Till it s time to dig in the dirt, Debbie McCollum, President Our Next Meeting March 17, 2015 Freedom Hall 349 W. Birchwood Street Morton, Illinois Program: Favorite Things, from the Board!! It is March 17 th, St. Patrick's Day, and our first meeting of the season. We will not be serving green beer, but Board members will be serving up their favorite gardening tips-everything from their favorite gardening tools to ways to enhance your garden and great ideas to make gardening easier. There will be lots of door prizes. You won t want to miss it! Directions: From interstate 155 take the Birchwood Exit, east, into Morton. The Birchwood Exit is the first exit south of the I-74 and I-155 junction. Morton Park will be off to your left and the building is at 349 W. Birchwood Street Be sure your membership dues are paid up so you don t miss a single activity that has been planned for this The Board and I are looking forward to another exciting season of serving you and our community 1

2 Hosta of the Month Due to the complexity and uncertainties of forcing hosta this early, we will have a program, centered around cool garden-related prizes, furnished by the board. Notice! We will be voting to amend the CIHS Constitution. Members can view the proposed changes to the Constitution on the website, and clicking on Constitution on the lower left side of the homepage. Discussion and voting on the proposed changes to the Constitution will be held at the May (Potluck) Meeting. 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 CIHS Calendar If you are interested in opening your garden for a meeting in 2015, please contact Gloria Hicks, Janette Smith or a board member. March 17, 2015 Favorite Things from the Board Freedom Hall 349 W. Birchwood Street, Morton April 21, 2015 Master Gardener Program Freedom Hall 349 W. Birchwood Street, Morton May 19, 2015 Mary Malson s Garden 422 Northern Oaks, Groveland June 13, 2015 CHS Garden Walk June 16, 2015 Janette Smith s Garden 248 Whispering Oaks, Groveland June 18-20, 2015 American Hosta Society Convention Raleigh North Carolina June 27, 2015 Bus Trip to Champaign/Urbana July 9-11, 2015 Midwest Regional Hosta Society Convention Dubuque, Iowa July 21, 2015 Nancy Scott s Garden 1128 E. Fairoaks Avenue, Peoria August 18, 2015 ICC Landlab, Hosta Garden CIHS Banquet TBA Officers President Deb McCollum debmccollum@gmail.com Vice Presidents Gloria Hicks, Janette 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: Barbara Schroeder, Treasurer 1819 Coventry Drive Champaign, 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 It s Show Time! R emember all the fun we had with our last show, in 2010? Or at the National Convention in 2006? I really hope that you do, so that you ll participate and encourage someone you know to join us on June 21st. It is time to get serious about those extra special hostas that you have been watching. Maybe you would like a little advice about how to get started. Here are a few suggestions. Simply put, these are the things that the judges are looking for in order to score your entries. The leaf color and pattern compared to the perfect specimen of that hosta in the judges minds are the most valuable, worth 25 points out of the 100-point total. The remainder of the points are then awarded based on the leaf matching the registered form, size, texture, and substance of the leaf, and the condition and grooming of the leaf (that s your job). In selecting your leaves, look for the most mature leaves on the specimen with the truest color and even pattern and of course without any obvious flaws. Remember that you should try to choose the best typical leaf, not the one that might be the most interesting. This is especially true with variegated leaves. In most cases, that means look for the most even pattern (symmetrical) you can find. Also, think about the hostas that might be a little more unusual to help your chances to be the best in that class. It s a fine line: if the judges have never seen the hosta, they might have a hard time seeing how outstanding your leaf is, but then you can trust that the judges have seen a lot of hostas. Recognize also that there are still some wellknown hostas that aren t registered; these all get lumped into one class, making that a difficult division to win. You may want to look up the registered information on the American Hosta Society s website, scroll down for show classification list. You ll need this class information when you register your leaves, and it s much easier to match them up in advance rather than at the show. If you re not sure, there will be a registry book (or laptop with internet access) available, and show assistants to help you. As well, you are invited to bring in brand new (unnamed) hostas, either sports or seedlings. This can be one of the most exciting parts of a Hosta Show. You know we have some excellent hybridizers in our midst! Now that you ve chosen the perfect leaf, wait until at least the night before to cut it. Handle it as little as possible. Cut the petiole as long as possible. Treat your leaves like cut flowers and stand them immediately in water so that they can absorb it. You may want to dunk them in cool water for a few minutes to pre-clean them. Keep their cut ends in water until the show. A good way to travel with them is in a cooler. For this show we have a limit of 25 entries per person, but that s a lot of hostas to clean and prepare! Specimen cleanliness is the first attribute that a judge notices. Take care to properly clean leaves of all exhibits prior to entering them in the show. An entry should have no dirt or other debris, insects, or spider webs anywhere on the leaf surface or on the petiole. Pay particular attention to the point where the leaf meets the petiole where trash often becomes lodged. Carefully wash the leaf in cool water but do not scrub. A very mild dish detergent may be used to help dislodge dirt from the leaf surfaces. Often on smooth surfaced leaves, you only have to gently swish the leaf in the water and the dirt falls off. On leaves with quilted surfaces, you may use a moistened cotton swab (Q- Tip), small soft paint brush, or a cotton ball to remove dirt from the valleys and creases. Be very careful not to damage the leaf surface in any way. Be sure to rinse leaves if detergents are used to clean them. Blue leaves are especially hard to clean and prepare for show because the delicate glaucous coating on the leaves is easily damaged. Be very careful when cleaning those blue leaves. On blue leaves with very rough surfaces, it is almost impossible to remove all the dirt without causing damage. The judges would prefer a little dirt than damaged surfaces in this case. Don t forget the other divisions. You may enter container-grown hostas that are grown alone and centered in the pot (Division II), or troughs (Division III) as long as hostas are the predominant plant. At the show there will be members to help guide you through the entry and final grooming with cotton swabs and balls in hand for last-minute cleaning. Allow yourself several minutes per entry (at least 10 if you re new at this); plan to finish by 11:30 on Saturday, as judging starts promptly at noon. It is up to you to fill out the entry cards, with the proper judging section, division and leaf classification. Continued on page 4 3

4 Tip: please bring return address labels, two per entry, if you have them. This saves you the trouble of writing it (twice!) on every entry card. It is very important to stick to the schedule. Please do not come late! The show will stay on display through Sunday, so if you want your leaves you will need to come back for them at take down on Sunday. All ribbons will be saved for all awarded members just in case you can t return to pick them up. Mailing envelopes for your ribbons will be provided when entering. Hosta Shows are a terrific time to build club membership. We ll be giving the public a good opportunity to see how diverse and beautiful our favorite perennial is. Don t miss this chance to show off your beauties! It s not too late to get involved in putting on the show either. We can never have too much help. By Eva Jones and reprinted from the Delaware Valley Hosta Society newsletter, late spring 2014 issue. Editor s note: This article was originally printed in DVHS June 2008, newsletter. That year it was awarded best local society newsletter article at the AHS convention. I have updated it for reprint. Who Was Florence Shaw? F or many years, controversy has swirled in the hosta world regarding the real origins of the late Paul Aden s hostas. From the late 1970 s on into the mid-1990 s, Mr. Aden introduced and promoted many great hostas that helped make the genus the superstar shade garden plant that it is today. Such hostas as Sum and Substance, Blue Angel, Zounds, Sun Power, Fragrant Bouquet, Golden Waffles, Love Pat, Great Expectations and many dozens of others were routinely attributed to his hybridizing prowess. Until 1997, registration of hostas did not require that an originator s (hybridizer s) name be provided, just the registrant s name. Mr. Aden took advantage of that and properly listed himself as the person registering the hostas he introduced. He also certainly led people to believe that he was the hybridizer although he was careful never to definitively say he was. As his hostas gained immense popularity, he gained fame. Everyone in the hosta world knew who Paul Aden was and most admired him immensely. However, there were a few knowledgeable hostaphiles who did not share that admiration and rumors abounded over the years as to the origin of his cultivars. Mr. Aden gardened on a relatively small lot on Long Island, New York which likely could not have supported a hybridizing program capable of producing all the fantastic hostas that he registered and introduced. Also, his reluctance to share parentage information and his demonstrated lack of basic hosta hybridizing knowledge led many to question just where the cultivars really originated. Over the years, the controversy grew as a small but dedicated group of hostaphiles continued to challenge Mr. Aden s vague explanations. Finally in 2012, AHS took on the challenge to find some definitive answers with the formation of the AHS Cultivar Origination Commission to study the origins of Aden hostas. Commission members already knew the likely origins of some of his cultivars such as H. Fragrant Bouquet, Fragrant Blue, Pizzaz, and So Sweet which have been attributed to Kevin Vaughn by many for years. It was common knowledge that Mr. Aden had helped himself to a number of Kevin s seedlings from his mother s garden while he was away in college. As the commission began digging further into the origins of other Aden plants, another name popped up. The name was Florence Shaw. Just who was Florence Shaw? Mrs. Shaw and her husband lived on a multi-acre estate called Birchwood in Weston, Massachusetts, an exclusive suburb of Boston. She was a consummate plant lover and, being a woman of means, she was able to amass an impressive collection of rare plants including very rare (at the time) hosta species and cultivars. According to the commission s findings, she conducted an extensive hosta hybridization program unknown to all but a very few. She became quite ill in 1973 and died in According to people who knew of her hybridizing program, she produced many stunning seedlings but she registered none herself. A few of them were registered and attributed to her by AHS after her death. Most of these carried the Birchwood prefix in the names. Some of her very best seedlings were taken without permission from her garden during her lingering illness and possibly after her death. Continued on page 5 4

5 Soon afterwards, many plants looking very similar to her most prized seedlings appeared in the Aden garden. As a result of information obtained during its investigation, the commission was able to definitively determine that 16 cultivars that Aden had named, registered, and introduced were indeed Florence Shaw s originations. Among these were such blockbusters as H. Big Mama, Big Daddy, Blue Angel, Blue Cadet, Blue Umbrellas, Fascination, Golden Waffles, Love Pat, Sum and Substance, and Zounds. The commission further found that many other Aden introductions were likely also the originations of Mrs. Shaw but it did not have enough evidence to support having them listed under her name as the originator. So now we know. Florence Shaw was one of the foremost early hybridizers of hostas in the 20th century and perhaps the greatest. Certainly she was the greatest hybridizer that no one knew about until now! Ironically, the commission found that, were it not for Paul Aden acquiring, registering, introducing, and promoting her plants, many of them would probably have been lost forever. For that, credit is due him. However, Mrs. Shaw s magnificent contributions to the genus Hosta, which Mr. Aden worked so diligently to credit to himself only, have finally been brought to light and, with that, a great wrong has now been righted. For more detailed information about Florence Shaw, Paul Aden, Kevin Vaughn and the commission s findings, please check out: Hosta Library web site The Paul Aden Story by Bill Meyer AHS 2012 Online Journal Paul Aden, International Man of Mystery by Bill Meyer AHS 2012 Online Journal Origins of Paul Aden s Registrations by AHS Cultivar Origination Commission AHS 2013 Online Journal Summing Up: Origin of H. Sum and Substance by Warren Pollack AHS 2013 Online Journal Origins of Paul Aden s Registrations Final Report by AHS Cultivar Origination Commission By Harold McDonell; reprinted from the Georgia Hosta Notes, the January 2015 newsletter of The Georgia Hosta Society Hosta Spotlight!! T he American Hosta Growers Association has selected the elegant and imposing Hosta Victory as its 2015 Hosta of the Year. A tissue culture sport of H. nigrescens Elatior, this hosta may not at first catch your attention when it is just a small non-descript plant with a narrow cream edge to the leaves. However, be patient and provide plenty of room when planting this giant-to-be. Victory will grow and grow and grow until it becomes a massive upright mound of very large and thick shiny heart shaped light green leaves with prominent creamy white margins. It may approach a width of up to 5 and be tall. Walters Gardens accurately describes a mature specimen of Victory as a triumphant accomplishment that commands attention in the landscape. Stunning is another word often used to describe this magnificent hosta. As with all AHGA Hosta of the Year selections, Victory is widely available at reasonable prices and is a good performer, even here in the south. If you have the space to accommodate just one huge spectacular hosta, consider saving it for this handsome hunk Winter Scientific Meeting Overview E ach January, the Midwest Regional Hosta Society sponsors a day long workshop in the western Chicago suburbs called the Winter Scientific Meeting. It is really more about education and catching up on the latest news in the world of hosta than anything scientific. Holly O'Donnell, from Illinois Prairie Hosta Society wrote the following summary of the daylong event that was held on January 17, 2015 in Naperville, Illinois. No snow, no ice, and temperatures above freezing a great day for the WSM! This year a location change brought the meeting to the Northern Illinois University Conference Center in Naperville. Continued on page 6 5

6 At the end of the meeting, attendees agreed that this was a positive change. Hopefully, the new location can be the same for next year's meeting. This year's topics and speakers included: The State of the State in Hostas With a nod to the upcoming State of the Union speech, Bob Solberg discussed the ramifications to Hostadom of the recent closures of both Q & Z Nursery and Shady Oaks Nursery. Hosta Sports, When is Enough Enough? Using 'Sagae' and 'Blue Mouse Ears' sports as examples, Jeff Miller questioned the introduction of so many similar sports. Hostas on the Small Side Tom Micheletti discussed the care and maintenance of small and mini hostas. Sedges and Grasses for the Shade Glenn Herold considered grasses that can thrive in the shade while adding texture to the hosta garden. Hybridizer's Perspective Rod Kuenster, noting his love of streaked hostas, shared the history of his involvement in hybridizing and tips to newbies. Hostas of the Year and Their Origins Mark Zilis reviewed the American Hosta Growers Association selections of the past 20 years and some possible future winners. Throughout the day, the Hosta Seed Silent Auction was conducted in three different sessions. This year it consisted of over 300 seed packets donated by members and raised over $1300! Plan on joining us in In the words of Bob Solberg, Hostas are supposed to be fun. Let's keep the party goin!!! Written By Barry Ankney, White Oak Nursery and CIHS Webmaster 2015 AHS Convention Back to the Future!!!! Nancy and Bob Solberg would like to invite you to come visit beautiful North Carolina next June and have nothing but fun at the 2015 American Hosta Society National Convention. It will be held in Raleigh, NC, June at the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown. Our theme is "Back to the Future". We plan to combine the friendliness and simplicity of the conventions in the 90's while focusing on the future of hostas and hosta gardening. The Scientific Session will be a view of the best unnamed seedlings from hybridizers all over the world. There will be a containerized competition for seedlings and sports in the Hosta Show also, and the tour gardens will demonstrate the latest in hosta container gardening which is taking the South by storm. And yes, we have buses for everyone, because it is "greener" and for our tours they just make good sense. Tour Gardens On Thursday evening we will visit Tony Avent's Plant Delights Nursery and Juniper Level Botanical Gardens. The nursery and extensive gardens are renowned for their diversity of rare plant material including many new hybrids produced as part of their research mission. On Friday, we will visit 5 local residential gardens including David Spain's nationally known moss garden. On Friday our lunch stop will be at the North Carolina State Farmers Market in Raleigh. In addition to the wide selection of produce available from North Carolina, (it should be peach season), there are many interesting plants for sale also. You will enjoy a gourmet box lunch and then snack your way around the market testing the free samples. On Saturday morning, the buses will take you to Green Hill Farm in Franklinton, owned by Nancy and Bob Solberg, which is one of the leading sources of new hostas. Scientific Session We plan to have an old fashion Scientific Session, Thursday afternoon, rather than a series of lectures. The topic will be the "Future of Hostas" and hosta hybridizers everywhere are invited to send Bob Solberg, (HostaBob@gmail.com) a photo of their three best unnamed seedlings along with a description, parentage, etc. They will then be presented in a PowerPoint presentation as a group, alphabetized by hybridizer. Hybridizers who attend the convention will be allowed to answer questions as time allows. Hosta Show As is the custom we will put on the Hosta Leaf Show. Not only will we have the display of leaves and the artistic division but also a containerized seedling and sport contest, (Division VII). Here is another chance for hybridizers to show off their newest creations. Check out the information on the Hosta Show page. Continued on page 7 6

7 Auction Saturday afternoon we will have our annual auction open to the public. It usually features new hostas, rare hostas, and large hosta clumps as well as other hosta related items. It is also entertaining and educational so please save a little room on your credit card for Saturday afternoon purchases. Things to Do North Carolina is a wonderful place to visit; it is called "Variety Vacationland". From the mountains to the coast there are memorable sights to discover and enjoy. Finally, there will be the usual meetings, judging clinics and an Awards Banquet on Saturday night. We will also provide a list of public gardens and nurseries that you can visit before or after the convention on your own. For more information, go to the Links page. Nancy and I hope you will plan to extend your stay here and make a vacation out of your trip. We promise you a different look at hosta gardening, here in the South, maybe a little more practical or maybe just a little more tropical. So bring your flip flops and we'll do the driving. Remember, it's all about having fun!!! Hope to see you there 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 CIHS Members are welcome to come view our offerings. Please call for an appointment and directions. Open Garden Days June 6, 7, 13, and 14, Noon to 4 P.M. White Oak Nursery Washburn, IL (309) hostas@whiteoaknursery.com 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