Tri-State Tribune. Tri-State Hosta Society. President s Message. The Newsletter of the Tri-State Hosta Society of NY, NJ, & CT. Inside this issue:

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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 2012, Issue 4 President s Message Winter 2012 Inside this issue: January Meeting - Soup & Such Growing Hostas from Seeds Growing Hostas from Seeds: Q & A The magnitude of the annual fall cleanup was intensified this year as we dealt with two storms that hit us back to back. Somehow we never seem to remember that fall always follows summer and winter is never far behind. I had just begun the annual raking, blowing, and bagging of leaves when Stormaggedon hit us on October 29. We lost power at 7 p.m. and spent the rest of the night under the covers and in the dark, listing to the howling winds and the sound of transformers exploding all around us. Thankfully no limbs or trees landed on the house, but once it was safe to venture out in the morning we surveyed the damage to our garden. After last year s freak storm on Halloween, we were prepared for the worst. But it looked like last year s storm did enough damage to our trees, leaving little for Mother Nature to destroy in our yard this time around. The only major issue was removing the neighbor s 80 foot hemlock that snapped in half and landed on our side of the fence. It really didn t look that big when it was upright, but it took us (Roberta, the neighbor and myself) three days to cut it down, chop it into smaller pieces and haul it to the town dump.six loads in the pickup truck in total! Miraculously it m i s s e d t h e p i n k Rosabella dogwood on its way down, but the Maackia wasn t so lucky. It lost half of its limbs. I left what remains of the tree standing, but we ll have to wait until spring to see what it looks like when it is leafed out. The garden fared better than we did. We were without power for eleven days and after showering at friends who were more fortunate than ourselves, and staying at a hotel in Pennsylvania for a couple of nights, we headed south (again), to our nice warm house in Ocean Isle, NC. An unexpected, but much appreciated vacation. We stayed there for a week and escaped the nor easter that hit New Jersey a week later. It is interesting to note that despite all of our technological advances, we are all too frequently reminded that Mother N still remains in control (or out of it, depending on your point of view). I hope everyone else successfully rode out both storms, faring no worse than we did. I can t wait for next year. Hopefully this isn t a trend. I was very glad to see that the impending storm did not deter many of our members from attending our meeting on October 27. Our guest speaker, Leo Blanchette, was both entertaining and informative. He was warmly received and generously donated several plants that were auctioned off to those in attendance. Thanks to all those who joined in the bidding! Roberta and I were extremely flattered and honored to be nominated as Tri-State s first recipients of the American Hosta Society s President s Wall Award for our contributions to the successful functioning of our local society. Thanks to all those who voted for our nomination to receive this Award. It is nice to know that our efforts are appreciated. Our next meeting on January 26, 2013 will once again be for Members Only to get in out of the cold, to eat, and to share your interests and information. The details will appear later in this newsletter, but all those who are planning to attend are encouraged to (See Message - Page 3)

2 PAGE 2 TRI-STATE TRIBUNE VOLUME 2012, ISSUE 4 Tri-State Officers President Dave Chopko daveroc2@aol.com Past President Kathie Sisson kcsisson@aol.com Vice President Mikky Lockwood dosankomom@comcast.net Treasurer Ernie Jeffery Piermont Avenue Hillsdale, NJ erniethehostafarian@yahoo.com Membership Gene Tappen Ridge Road West Milford, NJ genetappan@hotmail.com State Directors New York George Rasmussen joanras@optonline.net Dhanu Sannesy usannesy@hvc.rr.com New Jersey Barry Weissman regulatorymavin@yahoo.com Connecticut Jack English & Bob Lavigne napoleon4@optonline.net Auction Director Dave Chopko daveroc2@aol.com Recording Secretary Madhuri Mukherjee mukherjeem@wpunj.edu Sunshine Secretary Emilie Cullerton oxfordwalt@aol.com Newsletter Editors Roberta Chopko daveroc2@aol.com Amy Cichocki amycichocki@msn.com Tri-State Webmaster Amy Cichocki REMINDER: Photographers Always Needed None of our regular garden photographers can attend all of our indoor meetings or summer garden tours, so the newsletter editors would be very appreciative if members would remember to bring their cameras along and share whatever photos they take at any Tri-State event. Please contribute your digital photos with us by sending them to: amycichocki@msn.com. Flower Shows We will once again be participating at flower shows in Connecticut and New Jersey. If you are available to help out at our booth at the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show in Hartford from February 21-24, please contact John O Brien at We also need volunteers to man our booth at Springfest in Augusta, New Jersey on Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17, If you are willing to help out please contact Roberta at daveroc2@aol.com or Both shows afford us the opportunity to talk about our favorite plant as well as promoting membership in the Tri-State Hosta Society. They provide a significant source for gaining new members and we would appreciate your help. Join The American Hosta Society $30 Individual Dues for 1 Year $34 Family Dues for 1 Year Membership includes 3 issues of THE HOSTA JOURNAL Join online at: Or send a check payable to: The American Hosta Society c/o Sandie Markland AHS Membership Secretary P.O. Box 7539 Kill Devil Hills, NC contact: AHSMembershipSecretary@charter.net

3 TRI-STATE TRIBUNE VOLUME 2012, ISSUE 4 PAGE 3 contribute a short presentation on any garden topic. Please contact Mikky Lockwood at dosankomom@comcast.net, or if you have something you d like to add to this program. I hope to see many of you in January! Dave Chopko President s Message (Continued from Page 1) Dave and Roberta Chopko receiving the AHS President s Wall Award from Mikky Lockwood at the October meeting. TSHS Membership Renewals Just a reminder that membership renewals are due in January. For those who are still receiving a printed copy of the newsletter, please check your mailing label. If it says 1/2013 that means your renewal dues are due. If you are unsure whether your dues are due, and you receive an ed copy of the newsletter, you will receive an reminder. Please send renewal dues of $25.00 (for 3 years) or $20.00 (for 2 years) to our Membership Chair: Gene Tappan 80 Ridge Road West Milford, NJ Gene will also be accepting membership renewals as well as new memberships at the meeting on January 26, Leo Blanchette was our guest speaker in October. His topic was Perennials for the Shade. Leo Blanchette giving a demonstration on division of polygonatum during the October meeting. Thanks to our members Mikky Lockwood and Barry Weissman for the photos used in this newsletter.

4 PAGE 4 TRI-STATE TRIBUNE VOLUME 2012, ISSUE 4 Join Us For Soup and Such Meeting Saturday, January 26, 2013 at Noon Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, NJ Our annual cabin fever event in January will once again focus on food and fun this year. The voices of the non-chili eating members have been heard, though, and we are expanding our palettes to include other stomach pleasing dishes besides chili. So please bring your favorite soup to be entered in the SOUP category or anything else (including chili if you wish) to be entered in the SUCH category. 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. But remember that cold dishes, including salads, appetizers, beverages, and desserts to be shared will also be welcomed warmly (pun intended). Paper goods will be provided as usual and prizes will be awarded in both the SOUP and SUCH categories, after being judged and voted upon by those in attendance. 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 Mikky Lockwood at dosankomom@comcast.net or to let her know that you wish to be included in the program. 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 join us! A Recipe for Friendship by Joanne Acabbo 1. Take two people with common interests. 2. Mix together with love and understanding. 3. Stir in a sense of humor and a lot of compassion. 4. Bake for a lifetime...and enjoy the fruits of your labor knowing that you both have made a remarkable concoction that will last forever! HELP! HELP! HELP! We are still seeking volunteers to host a summer garden tour in New Jersey next year. Every garden is worth sharing and our members are always grateful for the opportunity to tour another member s garden and get some ideas to implement in their own garden. Please consider sharing your garden with us and contact Barry Weissman, our New Jersey director, at regulatorymavin@yahoo.com or We are also seeking a garden host for our annual picnic, usually held the first Saturday in August. You provide the garden, the members provide the side dishes, and Tri-State provides everything else, so please contact the Chopkos at daveroc2@aol.com or if you willing to host the summer picnic in 2013.

5 TRI-STATE TRIBUNE VOLUME 2012, ISSUE 4 PAGE 5 Now is the perfect time to start thinking about planting all those hosta seeds that you collected in your garden this fall. Since the subject has been covered so well elsewhere, we have decided to reprint the following articles culled from the newsletters of two other local hosta societies: There are as many ways of sowing and growing hosta seeds as there are ways to take a photograph. As with taking pictures most systems work but the end result can be very different. What does nature do? In late fall or early winter, the seedpods ripen on the scape. They usually turn light brown and then dry out and become crisp. Then they split three ways exposing the neat double rows of seeds in each pod. The seeds begin to fall out but not all at once. Some seeds are eaten by birds, some remain attached to the pod for several weeks, if not months. Those that fall drop fairly close to the mother plant. They fall to the ground but sometimes they fall on wet ground, sometimes dry, sometimes frozen. Sometimes they fall on snow. Those that are not eaten eventually drop to the surface of the ground and, as the soil warms up, many of them will germinate. In six to eight weeks you will have lots of tiny hostas. So what can we do to help nature, to germinate many more seeds and to have resulting seedlings located where they can be observed carefully over a period of time? The seeds should be harvested in late fall. It is not impossible to harvest some today [i.e., February] if there are still seedpods on dormant hostas in your garden. Clean the seeds and put them in a paper bag or envelope to dry. Then they can be stored in the refrigerator until sowing time. This is not absolutely necessary but at least you will know where to find them and your spouse is likely to keep reminding you to plant them. The seeds can be planted in the ground or in a seed flat out of doors. If you would like to do it that way, you really need to wait until the soil has warmed up in the spring. Growing Hostas from Seeds by Mike Shadrack (Courtesy of the Western New York Hosta Society, reprinted from the February 2012 edition of their newsletter, Hosta la Vista.) of the soil and either cover them with a very thin layer of very fine potting compost or gently push each seed just a little way into the soil. I use a cocktail stick but a sharp pencil point or the tip of a plant label will do. Mark carefully the area in the yard where you have planted the seed so that you don't forget and dig them up or weed them out. Cover the flat with a proper clear plastic seed tray cover or with a clear plastic bag. This is to create a microclimate above the seeds and to prevent the potting compost/soil from drying out. You now have a choice to make. Do you allow nature to take its course or do you speed it up? Obviously the seeds planted in the ground will be at nature's mercy, but there are many ways to raise the seeds planted in flats. If the weather has warmed and the last chance of frost has gone the flat can be put outside where is will get a few hours morning sun. The flats can also be put in a cold frame. Indoors the process of growing hostas from seeds can be accelerated. The flats can be put under lights. White fluorescent tubes are fine. The tube should be about an inch above the top of the cover. The lights can be left on for 24 hours or put on a time switch so that they are on for 14, 16, or 18 hours. Although you have created a microclimate above the seeds by using a cover you will need to make sure that the seeds and the seedlings do not dry out. After ten to fifteen days you should begin to see tiny green shoots. One of these might be the next H. 'Niagara Falls'. Keep the lights on, make sure they do not dry out and watch them grow. In about ten weeks there will be three or four leaves on each seedling and it will be time for the next stage the first cull and potting on the remainder. If you want to plant them in a seed tray indoors, it can be done anytime from today [February] until April. Whichever way you choose to do the same planting suggestion applies. The potting soil or seed compost needs to be fine and damp. The garden soil should be sieved. It should be an inch to an inch and one half deep. Sow the seeds on top

6 PAGE 6 TRI-STATE TRIBUNE VOLUME 2012, ISSUE 4 Growing Hostas from Seeds: by David Teager Q&A (The following is based on a Q&A that David Teager, editor of the Delaware Valley Hosta Society newsletter, prepared some years ago.) Q. Can I grow Hostas from seeds? A. Yes, but...first recognize that very few hostas will come true from seed (look like the parent plant). It is especially important to recognize that seeds produced by variegated hostas will almost never grow into variegated plants. You can, however, produce a large number of attractive plants in a short time. (Most hostas will bloom by their third year from seed.) Q. What hostas DO come true from seed? A. Self-pollinated flowers of plants that are true hosta species (H.venusta, H. kikutii), or single-color selected cultivars of species ('Elegans', 'Tiny Tears') will produce seedlings that will be very close in color and size to the parent plant. Check the heritage of your hosta to see if this applies. Q. What will hosta seedlings from other hostas look like? A. Most will be plain green, although a variety of leaf shapes and sizes is possible. Most hostas carry the latent trait for gold leaves, so some seedlings may be yellow or gold. If the hosta has "blue" leaves in its heritage, then some seedlings may produce the waxy coating that makes "blue" leaves. Q. How do I get variegated seedlings? A. There is always a small possibility that a seedling may mutate to a variegated form. But for true variegated seedlings, it is essential that the pod parent (female plant) be a streaked variegated plant. Usually the variegation on these plants is unstable, and this instability is passed to the offspring. Streaked offspring will usually quickly stabilize as a single colored or variegated form. Q. What about fragrance? A. Fortunately, fragrance is a trait that can be passed on from either parent. Unfortunately, because plantaginea (the ancestor of all fragrant hostas) blooms in the evening, its pollen and ovaries are ripe for use at the wrong time of day to make cross-pollination an easy task. Some of the newer fragrant cultivars, which bloom at more typical times, could be easier to use for breeding new fragrant hostas. Q. Do all hostas make seeds? A. No, some hostas are effectively sterile, setting seeds extremely rarely. Of these, 'Undulata' types and 'Lancifolia' are well-known. 'Fortunei' types (including 'Francee', 'Minuteman', 'Hyacinthina', and 'Gold Standard') are weakly fertile, rarely producing viable seed. On the other hand, 'Sieboldiana' and 'Tokudama' types are extremely fertile, producing abundant seed. H. ventricosa has a special fertility; because the plants are tetraploid they can actually set seed without being pollinated; as a result the babies always look like the mama. In between are most cultivars, many set seed easily, but some are essentially sterile or set seed only with great difficulty. Q. How do I know if my seeds are self-pollinated or cross-pollinated? A. Hosta flowers are only open for one day, so they are engineered to be self-pollinated (the pollen is ripe at the same time the pistil is ripe to accept it). So unless you protect the flower from self-pollination, most of the seedlings will be self-pollinated. Natural hybridization (cross-pollination) by busy bees is possible, of course, depending on what and how many other hostas are blooming at the same time. To ensure cross-pollination, however, it is necessary to transfer the pollen yourself while at the same time preventing insects from pollinating the flower first! This generally involves flower surgery, such as physically removing flower parts so that bees have nowhere to land.

7 TRI-STATE TRIBUNE VOLUME 2012, ISSUE 4 PAGE 7 Growing Hostas from Seeds: (Continued) Q&A Q. How do I know when my hosta seeds are ready to pick? A. Under most conditions, hosta seed pods require 1 3 months to ripen after blooming. The pods first swell after the bloom falls off, then eventually turn from green to brown and split open, spilling the black seeds. Mark Zilis says that most seeds are ready 30 days after pollination, even before the pods split. The seeds have a small papery "wing," and so can fall several feet or more from the plant. In order to catch them, you may want to make a small bag from nylon hosiery, perhaps, tying it around the pod to catch the seeds while still allowing the pod to dry naturally. When the pod splits, you can empty the seeds and then sift through them to save only the seeds and not any extra material that might harbor fungus. Allow the seeds to dry for a few days, then store them in an airtight container (you can freeze them if desired; they'll keep for decades). The seeds do not need additional ripening, but can be planted immediately. New York Summer Tour New York Botanical Garden We are currently negotiating with our member liaison at New York Botanical Garden to hold our New York Summer tour there on Saturday, June 1. We will be given a personal tour of the hosta garden that complements the new Azalea Garden, a site to eat the lunch you have brought, and time to tour some of the other gardens on your own. HOWEVER, we will be required to pay a reduced entrance fee (probably about $15 a person), and a parking fee. We can also look into the possibility of hiring a bus departing from New Jersey, but before we spend any time investigating bus rates, etc., we would like to know how many of you would be interested in participating. Members were surveyed at the October meeting and many hands were raised in favor of this outing, but whether you responded to this survey or not at the October meeting please communicate your thoughts to the Chopkos at daveroc2@aol.com. Mainly, would you be willing to pay to play? Thanks! AHS Convention Milwaukee, WI June 13-15, 2013 For more Information, go to the AHS website: Addresses A continuing reminder. In an effort to go green and to save on printing and postage expenses, we are now ing the newsletter to those who are interested in receiving it that way. To date, about 75 of our members have opted to receive our newsletter via , and from the comments we have received, they are very happy that they have made the switch. If you would be willing to receive your newsletters electronically, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE HAVE YOUR CORRECT AND CURRENT ADDRESS. (Several of the electronic newsletters or announcements sent out recently were returned to us, so please remember to notify us when you change your address). Kathie Sisson at kcsisson@aol.com or katailsgarden@gmail.com to make sure that we have your current address. Remember that an electronic version of the newsletter will be received sooner than one sent in the mail and will be in full color all the time!

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 2013 Saturday, January 26, at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Soup and Such at noon. February 21-24, CT Flower Show - Hartford, CT. March Springfest Flower Show - Augusta, NJ. Saturday, March 30, at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Lunch at noon. Members Only Annual Plant Sale. June 7-9, First Look June 13-15, AHS National Convention, Milwaukee, WI. Saturday, October 26, Guest Speaker to be announced. Tri-State Hosta Society REMINDER: There will be a Board Meeting at 10 a.m. on the morning of our January 26 meeting in Morristown. Roberta Chopko 93 Intervale Road Boonton, NJ Garden Tours To be Announced