GREAT EXPECTATIONS. Debbie s Dirt. Our Next Meeting. central illinois hosta society april volume 20, issue 2

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1 GREAT EXPECTATIONS central illinois hosta society april volume 20, issue 2 Debbie s Dirt A s you recall, last month when I was writing my Dirt we had just received another 5 of snow. And, although Spring officially arrived on March 20, the local meteorologists are predicting more snow for the last Tuesday in March. Seriously, have we not had enough? One nice thing about the record-breaking snowfall we received this past winter is that most of us experienced cabinfever and couldn t wait to get out to our first 2014 CIHS Monthly Meeting. What a great turn-out we had: 60+ people! It was great to see so many familiar faces. I personally met 3 new people that night; a couple who has been in the club for a number of years that I had didn t know and a first time visitor who said she would be coming again. I hope you took the opportunity to meet someone you didn t know. And if you didn t, be sure to extend a friendly greeting at our next meeting. Our very own, Ella Maxwell, gave a delightful and entertaining presentation on What Makes a Great Hosta? Making the A List, a reprise of Bob Solberg s lecture from the 2013 Winter Scientific Meeting. If you are just starting out or have been collecting hostas for a long time, I m sure there were some names she mentioned that you will need for your garden. Thanks again, Ella. It s always such a pleasure to glean insights in to your vast array of knowledge and gardening experiences. Our April 15 meeting will be our Annual Potluck at the Freedom Hall in Morton. Bring a dish of your choice to serve (and perhaps the recipe also) to share. The club will provide the fried chicken, table service and drinks. There s always plenty of tasty food to choose from and savor. Our featured speaker will be Beth Haag, guest speaker and horticulturist for the Washington Greenhouse. She will be discussing What s New for 2014 including new plant introductions, fads and trends, and the 10 hot colors for the season. on this particular Sunday afternoon, my husband managed to coax me out to the garage to help put away the outside Christmas decorations. It was only this past week that the dirt had thawed enough that I could remove the decorations from the pots. Ok, so I guess you can blame me for all the snowfall because I was still displaying my sign Let It Snow Sorry! A friend of mine recently observed the following sign at a landscape business IT S FINALLY SPRING AND I AM SO EXCITED I WET MY PLANTS!!! LOLJ Looking forward to digging in the dirt, Debbie McCollum, President Our Next Meeting April 15, 6:30 pm, Potluck Freedom Hall, 349 W. Birchwood Street Morton, Illinois Speaker: Beth Haag presents What s New for 2014 The meeting will be the Annual Potluck at the Freedom Hall in Morton. Bring a dish of your choice to serve (and perhaps the recipe also) to share. The club will provide the fried chicken, table service and drinks. There s always plenty of tasty food to choose from and savor. Our featured speaker will be Beth Haag, guest speaker and horticulturist for the Washington Greenhouse. She will be discussing What s New for 2014 including new plant introductions, fads and trends, and the 10 hot colors for the season. 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 Hopefully, when we meet again in April you will have had plenty of opportunities to work in your yards and gardens. Even though it wasn t on my agenda to work outside 1

2 What are you thinking? As your CIHS board, we want know what you are thinking and what presentations & programming you want to see at meetings. Mike Pula will develop a survey to be passed out at potluck meeting Hosta of the Month Due to the complexity and uncertainties of forcing hosta this early, we will have some cool, garden-related prizes& maybe some hosta 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, Jeanette Smith or a board member. April 15, 6:30 pm, Potluck Speaker: Beth Haag Freedom Hall 349 W. Birchwood Street, Morton May 20, 6:30 pm Connie Zuercher s Garden 1448 W. Birchwood, Morton June American Hosta Society Convention Cedar Rapids, IA June 17, 6:30 pm Janet Steen s Garden 305 Maywood, Morton Bus Trip TBA, St. Louis 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 Banquet TBA 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 Auction Update! 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 (nonsweltering), 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 disease-free 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. A sign-up sheet will be available at the March meeting or if you are unable to attend the meeting, contact Shirley Metz (skmetz43@gmail.com) or Donna Cothrell (dkcothrell@hotmail.com). Good Luck to our Plant Growers! Shelly Baldini s Chocolate Cake Grandma's Salad Dressing Cake Editor: There were a number of requests for this recipe, served at our last meeting. Cake 1 1/2 cup Sugar 3 cup Flour 6 tbsp. Cocoa 3 tsp. Baking Soda 1/8 tsp. Salt 1 1/2 cup Kraft Mayonnaise 1 1/2 cup Hot Water 2 tsp. Vanilla Directions: Mix sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl. Add mayonnaise, hot water and vanilla; mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for minutes. Mocha Frosting 4 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar 1/2 cup Cocoa 1/3 cup Softened Butter 1/4 cup Strong Coffee or more Directions: Mix together all ingredients. Add more coffee as needed for right texture and taste. P.S. I spread leftover frosting between graham crackers for a tasty treat. It's a big hit! Hosta Calendar Spring (foliage emergence, March- April -early May) A s the ground warms under spring s ever increasing light intensities, the dormant buds of the hostas begin to swell and break through the mulch, looking like bullets coming out of the ground. The small bud scales that protect the true leaves open and recurve allowing a cigar-shaped flush of usually three to four leaves to emerge well above the ground. Soil temperature and moisture seem to effect the timing of the emergence of hostas the most. In very dry winters the emergence of hostas will be delayed unless the garden is irrigated. Continued on page 4 3

4 As the new hosta leaves expand, ample water is also needed for them to gain maximum size. Labeling: Check for lost labels and replace as needed. Light: Full sun, moderate intensity. Usually no shading necessary. Nutrients: Apply slow release fertilizer (e.g. Osmocote, Nutricote, organic fertilizers) or granular fertilizer around clumps as the hostas emerge. If you only use a liquid fertilizer, then apply weekly beginning as the first leaves start to unfurl. Pests: Begin slug control before hosta leaves emerge. The slugs will be active on warm nights before the hostas will. Try to limit their populations before they hide in the hosta foliage. If early attacks by deer are a problem, spray a repellent. Little is needed at this time but it may need to be repeated every 10 days as the hostas enlarge. Stay on vole patrol. Protection: Finish your spring clean-up of fallen branches, old hosta foliage and scapes. Last chance to mulch. Pull mulch away from emerging hosta shoots to reduce the risk of petiole rot, especially if hardwood bark is used as mulch. Protect from late freezes with frost cloth, nursery pots, boxes, lightweight bed sheets or newspaper. Hostas with unfurled leaves can be protected by covering with mulch. Propagation: Hostas may be divided in half or quarters as they begin to emerge. Be prepared to provide them with extra water and care as they will have oversized leaves for their recently reduced root system. New roots will not begin forming until the first set of new leaves are almost fully expanded, several weeks after division. Save drastic division for late summer. Water: Keep the soil evenly moist. Fresh hostas are mostly water; make sure plenty is available as they expand. Beautiful spring days with bright light, low humidity and brisk winds dehydrate new hosta leaves quickly; do not be afraid to irrigate generously. Fun! This is the best hosta season of the year! Go out several times a day and watch your hostas spring from the earth. You can almost see them grow! Count the number of new shoots and calculate how much your hosta investment has increased. A one division hosta purchased for $25 last fall, with its three new shoots, has now tripled in value to $75. Drag you neighbors over to see your hostas do their magic act. This is the time of year when everything is right in the hosta world. Go to a local hosta meeting. By Bob Solberg, reprinted from the Midwest Regional Hosta Society Newsletter, Fall 2012 You Can Make More Plants By Dividing Your Perennials H erbaceous perennials - as opposed to woody kinds - are commonly divided for three reasons: to control size, to rejuvenate plants and to make more plants. The best time to divide perennials varies with the different plant species. Here are guidelines from Iowa State University Extension & Outreach. ASTER Aster spp. divide every 2 or 3 years in spring. ASTILBE Astilbe spp. divide every 3 or 4 years in spring. BABY s BREATH Gypsophila paniculata Division is difficult. Carefully divide in spring or late summer/early fall. BASKET-OF GOLD Aurinia saxatilis divide in late sumer/early fall. Basket-of-gold also can be propagated by stem cuttings in spring or late summer. BEE BALM Monarda didyma divide every 2 or 3 years in spring. BLANKET FLOWER Gaillardia divide in spring. BLAZING STAR Liatris spp. divide in spring. BLEEDING HEART Dicentra Best done in spring, but also can be Divided in late summer/early fall. BUTTERFLY WEED Asclepias tuberosa a taproot makes division difficult. However, butterfly weed is easily propagated by seeds. CHRYSANTHEMUM Chrysanthemum x morifolium divide mums every 2 or 3 years in spring. COLUMBINE Aquilegia spp. Many species and varieties are short-lived. Division is difficult, carefully divide in late summer. CORAL BELLS Heuchera spp. divide in spring or late summer/early fall. COREOPSIS Coreopsis spp. divide in spring or early fall. CORNFLOWER Centaurea spp. requires division every 2 or 3 years in spring. DAYLILY Hemerocallis spp. divide in spring or late summer/early fall. DELPHINIUM Delphinium spp. usually short- lived, division is seldom necessary. EPIMEDIUM A fall division. If you absolutely must dig and divide, make sure to dig a large clump with the 4

5 largest root ball you can keep intact. Then replant or pot up ASAP and make sure it is watered well. HARDY GERANIUM Geranium spp. divide in spring or late summer/early fall. HOSTA Hosta spp. can be left undisturbed for years. If additional plants are desired, divide clumps in spring or late summer/early fall. IRIS, BEARDED Iris hybrids divide every 3 to 5 years in July or August. IRIS, SIBERIAN Iris sibirica - divide after blooming in early summer. LILY OF THE VALLEY Convallaris majalis a rapidly spreading ground-cover. Divide in spring. LUNGWORT Pulmonaria spp. divide in spring after plants have flowered. OBEDIENT PLANT Physostegia virginiana Plants spread rapidly. Divide plants every 2 or 3 years in spring. ORIENTAL POPPY Papaver orientale divide when plants die back in med to late summer. ORNAMENTAL GRASSES Spring is the best time to divide ornamental grasses. Also can be divided in late summer/early fall. PEONY Paeonia hybrids - Peonies are long- lived and can be left undisturbed for many years. If additional plants are desired, divide clumps in September. Side note from editor - peonies do not like to be disturbed. It will take several years to come back.) PERENNIAL SALVIA Salvia hybrids divide plants in spring. PHLOX, GARDEN Phlox paniculata divide every 3 or 4 years in spring or late summer/early fall. PURPLE CONEFLOWER Echinacea purpurea divide every 3 or 4 years in spring. SHASTA DAISY Leucanthemmum x superbum tends to be short-lived. Divide plants in spring. SPEEDWELL Veronica spp. divide in spring or late summer/early fall. SPIDERWORT Tradescantia virginiana Spiderworts are rapidly spreading plants. Divide every 2 or 3 years in spring. STONECROP Sedum spp. divide in spring. YARROW Achillea spp. Many of the yarrows spread rapidly. Divide every 2 or 3 years in spring. HOSTAS BY THE BAY Green Bay, Wisconsin June T he Green and Gold Hosta Society of Northeast Wisconsin invites you to take a leap to your calendar and reserve the dates to join us for the convention. The lineup of activities for the three days include tours of six outstanding private gardens, an auction of Hostas of all colors, some will be our team colors of green and gold. Seminars will be quarterbacked by local and nationally recognized Hosta experts. An afternoon tour of the Green Bay Botanical Garden followed by a supper tailgate party will serve as a kickoff to the Hosta Auction back at the hotel. If you don t score at the Auction, there will be 10 vendors available throughout the convention to offer a wide selection of new and old favorites of hosta plants, conifers and yard art. You might want to take a chance at the raffle table where the Hosta Trophy of your dream awaits you. The leaf show winning entries will be displayed for all to see. An optional tour to Door County for a fish boil is available. Contact the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center at (920) and be sure to mention MHRS Convention to get the special rate of $99.00 per night, plus tax. You will be assured a room for the convention. A breakfast buffet each morning is included. For the latest details, schedules and updates go to Reprinted from Hosta Happenings, newsletter of the Mississippi Valley Hosta Society; originally from Quad City Times Newspaper and Iowa State University Extension 5

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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 Home for sale at 409 W. Pinto, Edelstein - Near Cat Mossville. No need to plant a garden, it already exists! Hostas, Japanese Maples, and much more. 3 bedroom brick ranch on park like 1.7 acre wooded lot. Additional features include 3 full baths, 2 car garage, fireplace, walkout basement, newer flooring and newer air. One year home warranty and all appliances plus riding mower and yard vacuuming machine included. Only $219,900. Contact Jessee Dye, managing broker, at Newcastle Realty, Agent owned property. 7

8 Central Illinois Hosta Society P.O. Box 3098 Peoria, IL First Class Postage Check us out!!!! If your mailing label says 2013, it is time to pay dues. This will be your last newsletter. You can pay dues at the next meeting or fill out the membership form and mail it. Remember, dues are $10/year. 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 8 Dues are $10/year: new renewalamount.enclosed Make check payable to CIHS; mail check and form to: Central Illinois Hosta Society, P.O. Box 3098, Peoria, IL