Tri-State Tribune. Tri-State Hosta Society. President s Message. Roberta Chopko. The Newsletter of the Tri-State Hosta Society of NY, NJ, & CT

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1 Tri-State Hosta Society Tri-State Tribune The Newsletter of the Tri-State Hosta Society of NY, NJ, & CT Volume 2017, Issue 4 Inside this issue: January Meeting - Lunch & Learn Hooray for Hostas 3 American Hosta Society Convention in Philadelphia October Meeting - Photos Hostas Are More Than Just Interesting Leaves I am writing this on November 26. Thanksgiving is over, the flannel sheets are on the bed, the heat in the house has been on for weeks, yet there are still leaves on many of the trees in New Jersey and our Parrotia persica is still green! What is going on here?? Just a crazy end to another wacky weather year I guess. If you missed our October meeting you missed seeing a very entertaining speaker. Dave Wanninger, the Head Horticulturist at the Boerner Botanical Garden in Milwaukee, flew in to deliver a lively talk based on Jeopardy, the category being What Begins with President s Message the Letter H? I think the highlight of his presentation, though, was the taste testing of the various nuts he culled from the nut tree collection at the Boerner. He shelled nuts from at least 10 different hickory and pecan varieties and transported them in his carry-on, along with tasting cups and labels, so we could be educated and nourished at the completion of his talk. Dave knows a lot about hostas, but obviously he has a passion for all garden plants, especially trees! It was a unique (and delicious) presentation, enjoyed by all! Also, the members in attendance were surprised with some raffle plants being given away. This is going to be a bangup year for Tri-State, culminating in our 25 th Anniversary celebration on October 27, 2018, at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Though some of the details are still being ironed out, member Dave Obssuth will be catering this event, Hospitality Chair, Arlene Jeffery, has agreed to supply the paper goods and table decorations, Joan Naugle, one of our New Jersey Directors, will keep track of the RSVP s, a special speaker from Toronto has been booked, Alan Russell is taking care of Winter 2017 the gift plant we will be giving out, and who knows what else we might have in store? So make sure you put the date on your calendar. We will start the year, as usual, with our winter Lunch and Learn food fest on January 27 at the Frelinghuysen (details appear on page 2). The annual plant sale will be early this year, March 24, because of Easter, and the summer tours are being lined up. So far only June 30 in Poughkeepsie is official, but we will let you know as the other dates are confirmed. The AHS Convention is June in Philadelphia (details appear on pages 4-5) and we are once again presenting an informal hosta show named Hooray for Hostas on the weekend of July 13 (details appear on page 3). It looks like it is going to be a busy year for Tri- State so if your dues are up for renewal please send your check in to Membership Chair Gene Tappan. We would miss you and we wouldn t want you to miss out on any of the activities we have planned! Roberta Chopko

2 PAGE 2 TRI-STATE TRIBUNE VOLUME 2017, ISSUE 4 Lunch and Learn Meeting Saturday, January 27, 2018 at Noon Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, NJ Our annual cabin fever event in January, 2018 will once again focus on food and entertainment. As we did in previous years we will be expanding our palettes to include other stomach enticing dishes besides chili. Soups, stews, salads and side dishes were added to the offerings in the last few years and all contributions were devoured and well received. So once again this year we have expanded the menu and ask that you bring any of your favorite covered dishes to add to the table. Please bring a main course food item (chili, soup, chicken dish, pasta dish, etc.), or your favorite side dish (a salad, rice, beans, whatever) or your favorite dessert. As in previous years please bring your hot dish in an appropriate serving container such as a slow cooker, Crockpot, etc. and include a serving utensil as well. Extension cords will be available. If you are not a cook, but would like to contribute in other ways please remember that other food items are always appreciated, such as bread and butter, chips and salsa, fruit, beverages, etc. Paper goods will be provided as usual and prizes will be awarded in three categories, ENTREES, SIDE DISHES, and DESSERTS, after being judged and voted upon by those in attendance. So, come in out of the cold, be generous in your contribution, and join us. We had over 30 members in attendance last year despite the winter weather! In the Members Only portion of this meeting we are still seeking members who have brief presentations to offer on any garden topic. We are always delighted to be informed and/or entertained so please contact Joan Naugle at or Naugs@msn.com to let her know that you wish to be included in the program. Presentations need not be any longer than 15 or 20 minutes. Really bad weather will cancel this event so please call the Chopkos on if you are in doubt, but we are sure that Mother Nature will smile upon us once again. So come to another Tri-State food fest and enjoy! In Memoriam Tri-State mourns the passing o f l o n g t i m e m e m b e r Bob Lavigne who lost his 9-month battle with lung cancer and died on September 4, 2017, one month short of his 82 nd birthday. As our Co-Director for the State of Connecticut (along with his partner Jack English) for many years, Bob was an energetic supporter of all of our endeavors. As a retired art teacher he designed our logo and several promotional flyers, judged and chaired a number of our hosta leaf shows, came up with the name for our January food fest get-togethers, found beautiful gardens for us to tour in Connecticut, and graciously made himself available whenever we asked him to do anything on our behalf. Bob was a gentleman in the old-fashioned sense of the word and his kind and generous nature will be missed by all who knew him. We extend our deepest sympathies to Jack English who shared his vibrant life for the last 44 years. Skylands Gene Tappan and Dave Chopko continue to work on planting and maintaining the hosta garden at the Skylands Botanical Garden in Ringwood, NJ, with the goal of getting it designated as an American Hosta Society National Display Garden. With this goal in mind our Board has approved a $500 stipend to be used towards the purchase of plants, labels, and related materials. This amount will be reviewed each year and adjusted as deemed necessary. Gene is also collaborating with another volunteer at the Garden to update and replace the existing sign. The Board is also considering allocating additional funds to the new signage. AHS Join The American Hosta Society $30 Individual Due For 1 Year $34 Family Dues for 1 Year For Complete Details go to the AHS website

3 TRI-STATE TRIBUNE VOLUME 2017, ISSUE 4 PAGE 3 HOORAY FOR HOSTAS At the October meeting Roberta announced that the Board was in favor of holding another informal hosta show at the Arboretum this coming summer. When we last presented one, CELEBRATING HOSTAS, in the summer of 2014, it was a very successful event. Loosening the strict requirements of a formal AHS judged and sanctioned show proved to be less intimidating for many members, which resulted in greater participation. Over 300 leaves were submitted along with a table full of hostas in arrangements, troughs and containers! Everyone (except a few AHS sanctioned hosta show purists) was happy with this endeavor. We provided an educational venue for the Arboretum during the slow summer season, our members had fun and bonded during the event, and the attending public were impressed and informed. When asked for a show of hands at our fall meeting in support of doing another informal show this summer, an overwhelming number of hands went in the air. Our President firmly stated that she was not willing to take on another task a volunteer was needed to be in charge of this event. Thankfully one of our newer members, Mimi Carrington, volunteered to take on the job of managing and coordinating our informal hosta show this year! Though Mimi is new to the world of hostas, she has a lot of experience in handling more formal flower shows. She is excited to tackle this event and thinks this should be much easier than the kind of show she is used to, but though she is willing to take charge of this endeavor, she is expecting the help of many hosta elves among our members. Roberta has assured her that we can provide them, so when you are asked to help please do so. If you are not directly asked for help, Mimi will appreciate hearing from anyone willing to lend a helping hand, so please contact her at mimi99c@gmail.com. Whether you are planning to contribute leaves for the show in July or not, you can begin helping now, by saving clear glass bottles or containers with narrow necks that can be used as vases in the show. Remember, we are counting on you to help make this show a success! The weekend of July 13, 2018, has been reserved at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum for this event and the show has been given the name of HOORAY FOR HOSTAS. More details will follow as they become available, but in general, Friday July 13 will be a set-up day from 1-4 p.m. Set-up will continue on Saturday morning, July 14 from 9 a.m. to noon, and the show will be open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. that day. Sunday, July 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. will be set aside for clean-up. We also hope to have a few plant vendors present. So mark your calendars and get involved. AHS President s Wall of Honor Membership Renewal According to our membership records there are about 50 members who are due to renew this January. If you receive your newsletter via snail mail, and your mailing label says Paid until 2018, your renewal dues are due and there will be a remittance envelope included in this newsletter. If you receive an copy of the newsletter, and are not sure if you owe renewal dues, please contact Membership Chair, Gene Tappan, at genetappan@hotmail.com or by calling him at In either case, we are looking forward to your continuing membership. A renewal application may be found on our website, tristatehosta.org and you can mail your dues to: Gene Tappan 80 Ridge Road West Milford, New Jersey Congratulations to Gene Tappan, this year's recipient of the AHS President's Wall of Honor Award. Gene will also be accepting dues at the January meeting. Membership dues remain at $20 for 2 years, or $25 for 3 years.

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7 TRI-STATE TRIBUNE VOLUME 2017, ISSUE 4 PAGE 7 Hostas Are More Than Just Interesting Leaves Have you looked closely at the scapes, lately? by Jim Wilkins (Reprinted from the Mid-South Hosta Society newsletter and others in the Hosta Network) With each passing season I notice more and more the differences among hostas. Part of that skill has been acquired by looking at more than just the leaf. Don t misunderstand me. The most dramatic and significant impact of hostas comes from the leaves. However, by emphasizing the foliage, we may miss the subtle beauty and some fun. As a hosta society we honor the leaves. If one of our hybridizers were to create a hosta with a yellow or red flower, all of us would likely want such a plant. But if its leaf was not unique, it would not win an award in the seedling class at the cut-leaf show. Consider the scape Consider the flower scapes. Some are rigid and some arch. Some have orderly ridges. Some are very tall compared to the plant s height. Others may be so short as to have all or part of the blooming under the plant s foliage. Some plants have several flower scapes per division. The color of the flower scape often mirrors the color of the central part of the leaf and petiole. The hosta bloom Some hosta leaves have a waxy coat called bloom, which is what makes blue leaves blue and which, after time, may melt off and create dark green leaves. Have you noticed that flower scapes and even seed pods also have a bloom? The bloom on a scape persists long after the bloom on the leaf is gone. Flower scapes can also have red pigment. This can vary from a light stippling to an intense uniform color such as seen on H. Sparkling Burgundy. In some cases the purple color extends to the seed pods. This is the case with H. Purple Passion, making it a very striking plant when the seed pods are left on the scape. Several of my seedlings from H. Kikutii var. caput-avis have purple flower scapes. One of them has a very unusual modification; development of the purple appears to be photo (light) dependent. The portion of the scape below the foliage is green and that above the foliage is purple. Some flower scapes have leaves arising from them. These vestigial leaves or scape foliations can be very striking. They often mimic leaves that arise from the crown. Herb Benedict had once commented that they are often seen in young, vigorous plants, and become insignificant in established clumps. Splashed vestigial leaves can be a useful guide as to which flowers are apt to produce variegated progeny. We regularly talk about flower color, shape, size and fragrance. Other flower attributes might distinguish one hosta from another. Do most of the flowers arise from one side of the scape or are they regularly distributed around the scape? Do spent flowers readily drop off the scape or are they retained until they shrivel and desiccate? Are the flowers closed? This can be very beautiful because the flowers are not pollinated and seem to be retained longer before dropping off. Orientation of the individual flowers has great influence on the beauty of the bloom. Some flowers droop with their open end down, while others face straight out or even face up, making a more dramatic presentation. Remove the scape? Miss most of the interest! Some hosta growers remove their flower scapes just after they emerge, and miss most of the interest. Many hostaphiles remove their flower scapes as the last few flowers are spent. This, it is felt, puts more energy into the plant and promotes more rapid growth. It is also good to remove the scape unless you want to grow the seeds, before the seed pods ripen and the seeds are spread all over the garden. It can be difficult discriminating between a volunteer seedling and one of your prized hostas. By cutting flower scapes early, you will miss some beauty and interest in the seed pods. Some are a lovely dark purple, some are striped, some are gold, some are large, and some might have a waxy coat or bloom. Dr. Wilkins (a retired dermatologist) from Jackson, Michigan, is a past president of AHS ( ), a past International Registrar for the genus hosta, and recipient of the Alex J. Summers Distinguished Merit Award in Among the cultivars he introduced are Curtain Call, Fort Knox, Leading Lady, Spartan Glory. Ultraviolet Light and Wolverine.

8 Directions to the Frelinghuysen Arboretum Traveling NORTH on Route 287 Take Exit 36A Proceed East for 1/2 mile in the center lane of Morris Avenue to Whippany Road. Continue to the second traffic light; make a left turn onto East Hanover Avenue. Travel for 1/4 mile. The entrance to the Arboretum is on the left opposite the Morris County Library. Traveling SOUTH on Route 287 Take Exit 36 following the signs for Ridgedale Avenue. Bear right on the exit ramp. Proceed to the traffic signal and make a right onto Ridgedale Avenue. Proceed to the second light and make a right turn onto East Hanover Avenue. Travel for 1/4 mile. The entrance to the Arboretum is on the right opposite the Morris County Library. From New Route 24 Travel WEST to Exit 1A, 511 South, Morristown. Make a right, go under the Bridge and make a right onto East Hanover Avenue. Travel 1/4 mile. The entrance to the Arboretum is on the right opposite the Morris County Library. Directions and a map to the Frelinghuysen Arboretum can be found on the TSHS website. Visit the Tri-State Hosta Society website at: Tri-State Hosta Society Calendar of Events 2018 Saturday, January 27, Lunch & Learn meeting at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, NJ. Lunch at noon. Saturday, March 24, Members-only Plant Sale at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, NJ. Lunch at noon. June 20-23, AHS National Convention, Philadelphia, PA. Saturday, June 30, Garden of Scott VanderHamm, Poughkeepsie, NY Saturday, July 14, 2018 Hosta Leaf Show at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, NJ. (Open to the Public) Noon to 4 p.m. Other 2018 Garden Tours To be Announced Saturday, October 27, Fall Meeting at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, NJ. Tri-State s 25th Anniversary celebration. Speaker is Paul Zammitt. Tri-State Hosta Society Roberta Chopko 93 Intervale Road Boonton, NJ REMINDER: There will be a Board Meeting at 10 a.m. on the morning of our January 27 meeting in Morristown.