A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! THANK YOU FOR HELPING MAKE 2014 A GOOD YEAR FOR MISSISSIPPI VALLEY HOSTA SOCIETY 2015 DUES ARE DUE!!!!!

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1 Hosta Happenings December 2014 Vol. 17, Iss. 8 A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! THANK YOU FOR HELPING MAKE 2014 A GOOD YEAR FOR MISSISSIPPI VALLEY HOSTA SOCIETY 2015 DUES ARE DUE!!!!!

2 Mississippi Valley Hosta Society November 9, 2014 Meeting was called to order at 2:07 p.m. by president, Sally Stewart. She welcomed everyone and thanked them for attending. Secretary, Barb Cato: The minutes from the March and October meetings were printed in the November Newsletter. No amendments were made. Joe Schindler moved to approve the minutes and Kay Downing seconded the motion. Minutes were approved. Treasurer s Report, Jim Cato: The CD balance is $13,696.98, interest will be added in January. The checkbook balance is $8,028.84, prior to transactions at today s meeting. Mary Johansen moved to approve the Treasurer s Report and Liz Jansen seconded the motion and the report was approved. Old Business Solberg Plants: Dean Piatt reported that he had purchased 14 hosta for VanderVeer Park in an effort to add different varieties to our beds there. The plants are in the cold room at VanderVeer for the winter and will be planted next year in our Hosta Glade. Webpage/Facebook Page: Dean Piatt said that he is working on the Facebook and web site. He has posted some current events on the first screen. He has also moved the Like button on Facebook so that it is easier to find. He said we currently have five Likes on Facebook. He requested that any members who have Facebook, please Like our MVHS page. MVHS still has one of Zillis new book, Field Guide to Hostas for sell. The price is $ Please contact Sally Stewart if you wish to purchase it. Christmas Party: Reminder to sign up for the Christmas Party, December 5th. Call Teri Simmering or send a check to Jim Cato along with your menu choice. Chicken $20, Salmon or beef $25 per plate. New Business Today is the election of officers for The slate of officers are: President, Sally Stewart; Vice President, Mary Johansen; Treasurer, Sandra Jurgens; Secretary, Barb Cato. There were no suggestions from the floor to add nominees. Liz Jansen moved to approve the slate as it stands. Ron Simmering seconded the motion. Motion approved. Dues for 2015 are due. $7.00 for the year. Please mail payments to Jim Cato. Winter Scientific meeting is January 17, Speakers and Topics: Glenn Herold, Sedges and Grasses for the Shade; Ron Kuenster, Hybridizer s Perspective; Tom Micheletti, Hostas on the Small Side; Jeff Miller, When is Enough Enough?; Bob Solberg, The State of the State of Hostas; Mark Zillis, Hostas of the Year and their Originations. (continued on page 3) - 2 -

3 (continued from page 2,Minutes) Franc and Sally Freeman announced they had a male baby Alpaca born. His name is Patches. They shared photo s of the new arrival and Sally Stewart reported there are still some kittens in need of a home. Contact her if you are interested. Our next meeting will be held in February, It will be a potluck. Sally, President, will set a meeting for the new board to meet and plan the dates, speakers and activities for next year. If anyone has any suggestions please let one of the board know. Liz Jansen said she had sent a note to Carroll Schaeffer, who donated his wife s hostas to VanderVeer. Liz wanted him to know that she thought it was a nice addition to VanderVeer. Sally Stewart noted VanderVeer had been informed that the MVHS would not be maintaining this new hosta bed. The meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m. Today s speaker, Brian Ritter, Director of Nahant Marsh, gave a very interesting slide presentation and talk about the history of the Nahant Marsh area, it s inhabitants and plant life. He also talked about the opportunities to visit, attend educational events, and volunteer, as well as the goals for Nahant Marsh s future. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Cato Treasurer 2015 DUES ARE NOW DUE!! CAROLYN WILL BE SENDING OUT S SOON TO THOSE PEOPLE WHOSE DUES NEED TO BE PAID. DUES ARE STILL ONLY $7 A YEAR!!! Please send your check, made out to MVHS, to the new Treasurer, Sandra Jurgens, 1104 E. Dover Ct., Davenport, Iowa

4 WHAT IS HOSTA COLLEGE? from Potomac Hosta Club Newsletter Hosta College is an educational, interactive and fun place to find what s new for your garden, hosting some 500 gardeners from throughout the USA and Canada. It is also a place to buy hostas, their companion plants, hosta stones, books, garden tools, unique art and clothing. The College has been sponsored for over 20 years by the Great Lakes Regional Hosta Society and is held every year in March in Piqua, Ohio, at the Upper Valley Career Center. Participants gather on Friday evening and attend classes on Saturday. In 2014 the College offered 75 different classes held over sic periods, many of which were hands on and you either take home a plant or some piece of art work you made. Whether you are a novice or an experienced gardener, eclectic or traditionalist, enjoy lectures or hands-on experiences, you will find classes to fit your needs or intrique you. The 2014 registration fee was $55 for nonmembers of the Great Lakes Hosta Society, and this included a buffet lunch on Saturday and an evening banquet for an additional $20. In 2015 the Hosta College will be held on Friday-Saturday, March 20-21, and the class list will be released on January 1, For details on the 2015 event, check the website: For those of you who get cabin fever in March, this might just be the ticket to beat those winter doldrums and get an early peek at hosta spring! 2015 AHS Convention The American Hosta Society s convention for 2015 will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, from June 19-20, and hosted by Bob and Nancy Solberg of Green Hill Farm, Franklin, NC. The theme for the convention is Back to the Future. Tony Avent s Plant Delights Nursery is also in Raleigh. PLANTING HOSTA SEEDS by Rob The Hosta Guy Mortko (excerpt from article in Illinois Prairie Hosta Society s newsletter, Sept 2013) Did you by any chance save any seeds from your hosta plants this year? Following is some tips from the fellow who talked at our fall educational program: Chances are you have at least a few hosta bloom scapes that set seed. The seed pod will crack open in due time indicating the seed has matured. The seed is generally viable if it has turned black. But hostas do not obey the normal rules of genetics. You might think that if a variegated hosta is crossed with another variegated hosta then the offspring would be, for the most part, variegated; however, this is not true, or at least it is very, very rare. Hybridizers use streaked hostas as the pod parent for developing new variegated cultivars. These streaked breeding plants are somewhat unstable and command a relatively high market price. But with all that said, you can still have some fun germinating your own hosta seeds. Just realize that they will likely be a solid color even if originating from a variegated plant. Here are a few tips for starting seed which can be a great winter-time activity. The timing on starting seed is a variable with some folks starting in October or November, while others wait until February. Start seeds in flats with a clear plastic dome (or similar high humidity setup) Wash the flats and use a sterile soilless mix to minimize any potential fungal problems. Cover the seed lightly to a 1/8 to 1/4 depth. Germination typically occurs in days. Target an air temperature of about 75 degrees F. Heating mats can be used when working in cooler basement settings. Lighting is critical when gardening indoors (although not relevant to the actual seed germination process in this case). Use supplemental lighting (cool-white fluorescent tubes) to give hours of daily lighting following germination. Maintain the lights about 2 above the dome, or 2 above the plants once the dome has been removed. (continued on page 5) - 4 -

5 (continued from page 4, Planting Hosta Seeds) Never let the seedlings dry out. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Grow until the tops of the plants touch the dome. Then transplant (typically at the 2-3 leaf stage) and begin using a water soluble fertilizer. How much water soluble fertilizer you use will depend on how much you want to push the growth process. Before moving seedlings to the spring garden, don t forget to harden them off - from the Ontario Hosta Society newsletter: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From The Gardener s Perpetual Almanack December 30 Prepare your next year s seed list. My philistine of a husband often told with amusement how a cousin when asked when he expected to finish his garden replied, Never, I hope. And that, I think, applies to all true gardeners. Margery Fish - We Made a Garden 1956 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6 MVHS dues are $7 a year. Please make your check payable to MVHS (not Jim) and send to Sandra Jurgens, Treasurer, 1104 E. Dover Ct., Davenport, IA We offer 8 newsletters a year, reduced prices on hosta offerings, garden walks, first opportunity to buy plants at our annual hosta and companion plant sale and many other good opportunities. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AHS dues - The American Hosta Society offers participation in all national activities, including a convention, 3 issues of The Hosta Journal. D u e s a r e $ 3 0 / y r ; $ 5 7 / 2 y r s. F a m i l y memberships are also available at $34/yr and $64/2 yrs. Make check payable to AHS and send to Membership Secretary, Sandi Markland, PO Box 7539, Kill Devil Hills, NC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MRHS dues are $10/yr. Send your check to: Kristine James, 523 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL and please include your name, address, tel. no. and address. WHAT S HAPPENING! FEB 8 - MVHS Mtg - Bingo, Pot Luck Mississippi Valley Hosta Society 909 Mississippi Blvd. Bettendorf, Iowa