Eastern Michigan Hosta Society

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

February 13, 2020 Meeting Minutes

The Meeting – was held at Mayfield Twp. Hall

Networking -5:00PM doors open, setup refreshments, sign in and pay dues.

Refreshments – The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM by President Glen Pace, everyone enjoyed a wonderful potluck.

Business Meeting – The meeting was called back to order by Glen Pace at 6:48 PM

Approval of Minutes – there were no corrections to the minutes from the December 12, 2019 meeting. Bruce Pollard made a motion to accept the minutes and it was seconded by Cathy Hodgson. The membership voted to accept the December 2019 meeting minutes.

Treasurer’s Report – Barb Hunter, treasurer stated that we had a beginning balance for December 2019 of $XXX.xx, a total income of .xx and expenditures of $XXX.xx leaving an ending balance of $XXX.xx. January 2020, we had a beginning balance of $XXX.xx, total income of $XX.xx, and expenditures of $XXX.xx leaving an ending balance of $XXX.xx. Robin Bratton made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report and it was seconded by Dyane Moore. The membership voted to accept December 2019 and January 2020 treasurer’s report.

2019 IRS filing – on 01/09/2020 the IRS filing was completed. The review committee will be going over the books. Mark Hanner, Barb Hunter, Bruce Pollard, and Deb Brown will be setting a convenient time for them to complete the audit.

Donation to VoTech – in honor of Jim & Lorraine Jessop for college students going into Agriscience/Horticulture program in college EMHS donated $500.00. This was a one –time donation to the VoTech Agriscience/Horticulture Scholarship Fund.

Proposal for scholarship – Mark Hanner made a motion for the Jim & Lorraine Jessop Scholarship Fund to become an annual donation, as long as we are bringing in $500.00 annually from our monthly fund-raisers and plant sales. After the membership discussed the proposal, Dyane Moore seconded the motion, the membership voted to accept the proposal for the scholarship to become an annual donation.

EMHS Plant Sale 2020 – Cathy Hodgson is taking orders for the plant sale tonight. Plants will be $10.00 each and they are Hosta L.S. Paisley Print, Hosta Diamond Lake, Helleborus Wedding Crasher. The plants will be delivered at the April meeting.

Notice of change in Calendar of Events – May meeting has changed, we will not be going to Melvyn Corner’s greenhouse, and instead, we will be going there on July 9, 2020. At this time we do not have a speaker for our May meeting. We will update you as soon as possible.

Summer meetings – We still need volunteers to host the May, June, August meetings. Glen encouraged members that have never hosted a meeting to consider the opportunity to share their garden with the membership explaining that we all learn something from every garden no matter how new or small the garden.

Hosta College – is being held on March 20 & 21 in Piqua, OH. The EMHS board decided at their October board meeting to give away paid registrations to the 2020 Hosta College for any member that HAS never been to Hosta College. The member would be responsible for the additional class fees as well as their own travel expenses and lodging.

Election of Officers - President and Treasurer Election is held on even years. President Glen Pace asked if anyone was interested in volunteering for either of these two positions, there were no volunteers for either position. Glen and Barb offered to continue in their current respective positions for the next term.

Next Meeting – is April 9, 2020, and will be held at the Mayfield Twp. Hall. Aaron Strouse will be our speaker for the meeting. Remember there will be no meeting in March.

Presentation – Mark Hanner, Tender and Hardy Succulents for Northern Gardeners.

Adjourned – Pat Maitland made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 PM

Respectfully submitted

Marlene Daniels

Secretary

Monday, January 20, 2020

EMHS February 2020 Newsletter

Note from the President- Eastern Michigan Hosta Society is celebrating its 25^th Anniversary this year. The very first meeting of EMHS was on May 11, 1995. To commemorate our 25^th year the EMHS Board voted to purchase a gift for each member so they can celebrate with us. We will unveil the gift at the February 13^th, 2020 meeting. To receive your gift, you must be a member in good standing and you must attend the meeting so you can sign the register acknowledging that you received you gift.

Looking out the window today makes me think that maybe winter has arrived to Mid-Michigan. We have been very fortunate this season as far as snow accumulation and temperature goes, but this weekend and the beginning of the week is proving that one can never guess what is going to happen when it comes to Michigan’s weather. The single digit temperatures are hard on the vegetation that is not covered with snow because the dormant stems essentially freeze dry from the cold and winds. Thank goodness we got several inches of snow before this cold snap arrived.

The worry with our Hosta this time of year and even more-so before the ground was totally frozen is the voles that eat the crowns of the plants. I had a clump of Hosta Komodo Dragon that had a base of over two feet in diameter that was totally killed by a family of voles working on it throughout the winter. The next spring, I could find the clump, but there were no growth tips and the plant never did sprout and eventually the old roots just withered away. If you have plants that were fine one fall and never sprouted the next spring you can rest assured that you have voles. There are many control methods that can be searched on the internet to try to eradicate these pests from your gardens.

Don’t forget that you can pre-order your plants from the EMHS Annual Plant Sale at the February meeting. The Fund-Raising Committee will have order blanks at the meeting and will have a display poster that describes each of this year‘s offerings.

To kick-off the 2020 season, Mark Hanner will be our speaker for the February meeting. Mark has a cool greenhouse, lighted racks indoors, and numerous gardens all containing his collection of succulents so he has prepared a presentation on “Tender and Hardy Succulents for the Northern Gardener”. This presentation will give a glimpse into the world of succulents that are available to us. Even if you have never grown succulents in your garden you may find that there are some that will pique your interest in this unique family of plants.

See you at the February 13^th, 2020 meeting.

Sincerely,
Glen Pace
EMHS President

Next Meeting- “Tender and Hardy Succulents for the Northern Gardener” presented by Mark Hanner on February 13, 2020 at the Mayfield Twp. Hall, 1900 N. Saginaw, Lapeer, MI 48446. This is our regular meeting place located just south of the point of M-24 and N. Saginaw, (the driveway just north of the Cemetery).

The time schedule for the evening is;
1700- Open doors to Hall for Networking
1800- Welcome and Introduce Visitors
Dinner Served

1900- Presentation

2000- Break
2015- Business Meeting

Review the December 12th, 2019 Meeting Minutes on the blog. We will vote to accept the minutes at the February 13, 2020 meeting.

2020 EMHS Calendar of Events “?” denotes need for topic, speaker, and/or place
Meeting Dates- Places- Speakers/topic

Jan – no meeting

Feb 13- Mark Hanner- “Tender/Hardy
Succulents”, at Mayfield Twp. Hall

Mar 20 & 21– Hosta College – no meeting

April 09- Aaron Strouse, “Unique Michigan”
at Mayfield Twp. Hall

May 14- Mayfield Twp. Hall, ?_________________

June 11- Member Garden Tour, ?______________

July 09- Member Garden Tour, ?______________

Aug 13- Member Garden Tour, ?______________

Sept 10- Plant Exchange, Suncrest of Lapeer

Oct 08- at Mayfield Twp. Hall

Nov 12- Annual Board Meeting, Whitey’s in Davison

Dec 10- Christmas Party, Mayfield Twp. Hall

Note about the October Meeting- Chris and Connie Green have had to cancel their program scheduled for October. I received the following note from Connie.
“Due to unforeseen travel and health issues that have arisen we have decided to cancel our scheduled Amaryllis talk with your club for October. Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you. We wish you a blessed year ahead!”
Connie Green

Hosting a Summer Meeting- We need volunteers to host our summer meetings. I will have a sign-up sheet at the next meeting if you are willing to open your gardens to our group and host one of the summer member garden meetings.

Hosta College 2020- is being held on March 20^th & 21^st in Piqua, OH. I sent out the flier for Hosta College on January 20, 2020 so all members would have the most current information about this gathering of Hosta enthusiasts. I have also posted the information on the EMHS blog. At this event you will learn, buy plants, and have a great time with friends new and old.

At the Oct 2019 Board Meeting it was decided that EMHS would give away paid registrations (you will be responsible for your own transportation, lodging, and any additional class fees) for Hosta College 2020 on March 20 & 21, 2020.

We also decided we would pay for email membership to MHS for EMHS members interested in joining MHS. Please let Glen know if you are interested in becoming an email Member of MHS. (This means you get an email newsletter, no snail mail)

Name Badges- If you need one of the new EMHS name badges, please put your printed name on the sign-up sheet at any meeting or you can email Glen with your request. Glen will try to have your name badge at the next meeting.

Comments to the EMHS blog:  I am mentioning blog posting to let you know that your comments to the blog can be published too. All you have to do is go to the EMHS blog at http://easternmichiganhostasociety.blogspot.com  and comment to a blog posting which will alert me that you have made a comment. Once I deem the comment valid for publishing, I will okay and it will automatically be posted. Please note that I cannot edit or spell check your comments, all I can do is to publish, ignore, or delete your comments. All comments will be screened by me to deter any vulgarity or inappropriate comments being published to the EMHS blog.    Glen

Club Members selling Hosta or Related Products-
Please call or email to set an appointment before visiting
Brown, Deb- Aeroponic Tower Garden.
     505-379-9100, www.debbrown.towergarden.com
Hanner, Mark/Becky- Pottery.
     810-631-4292, mhanner@aol.com
Hunter, Barb- Hosta, Daylilies, Pond supplies.
     810-664-7531, baha@chartermi.net
Lisik, Phil/Ginger-Hosta, Daylilies, other plants.
     989-642-5772, lisik46@yahoo.com
Pickard, Carolyn- Hosta.
     989-871-2873, robfamily5 @yahoo.com

Websites of Interest:
American Hosta Society- http://www.americanhostasociety.org/
American Hosta Society Convention Website-   http://www.americanhostasociety.org/Activities/Conventions.htm
AHS Hosta Library Website- http://www.hostalibrary.org/
Michigan Hosta Society Website- http://www.hostahappenings.com/
Eastern Michigan Hosta Society blog- http://easternmichiganhostasociety.blogspot.com/
Hosta College Website- http://ihostohio.com/portal/glhc/

Hosta Society Membership info-
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 27948
Michigan Hosta Society, Dues are $15 per household for up to two people, good for 2 years. Make checks payable to: The Michigan Hosta Society and send to; Michigan Hosta Society, 2509 Wembly Lane, Troy, MI 48084-1280
Eastern Michigan Hosta Society, Dues $5 per year per household, Make check payable to EMHS and mail to: Barb Hunter, EMHS Treasurer, 316 Davis Lake Rd. Lapeer, MI 48746

EMHS Board of Officers:
President                   Glen Pace
  pacegardens@charter.net    989-244-4029
Vice-President             Becky Hanner
  BGHanner@aol.com             810-631-4292
Treasurer                    Barb Hunter
  baha@chartermi.net            810-664-7531
Secretary                     Marlene Daniels
  gardenfairy50@aol.com       810-664-8317
Past President             Mark Hanner
  mhanner@aol.com               810-631-4292

Fund-Raising Mick and Cathy Hodgson
cehodgso@hotmail.com 810-664-8985

Hosta College 2020

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

December 12, 2019 Meeting Minutes

The Meeting – was held at Mayfield Twp. Hall in Lapeer.

Networking – 5:00 pm, set up Pot Luck, Meeting sign-in, Gift Exchange sign-in, and Decorating
the Hall for the Holiday Party.

Meeting – the meeting was called to order by President Glen Pace at 6:30 pm. New member Chet Kobylas introduced himself. The membership enjoyed a wonderful potluck dinner.

Business Meeting – Followed the Potluck.

Approval of Minutes – there were no changes to the September 12^th, 2019 meeting minutes. A motion to accept the minutes was made by Steve Balabon and seconded by Dyane Moore. Membership voted to accept the September meeting minutes as written.

Treasurer’s report – Barb Hunter, EMHS treasurer, stated for October we had a beginning balance of $00.00, a total income of $00.00, and expenditures of $00.00, and an ending balance of $00.00.
For November we had a beginning balance of $00.00, a total income of $00.00, and expenditures of $00.00, with an ending balance of $00.00. A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report as stated was made by Mark Hanner and seconded by Bev Kobylas. The membership voted to accept the treasurer report.
Overlooked was the September Treasurer’s report which is as follows; The beginning balance was 00.00 with a total income of $00.00, expenditures of $00.00, and an ending balance of $00.00.

Calendar of Events for 2020-
            Jan- no meeting
            Feb 13- Mark Hanner, Succulents,
at Mayfield Twp. Hall
            March- Hosta College on 20^th and 21^st in Piqua, OH
            April, Aaron Strouse, Unique Michigan,
at Mayfield Twp. Hall
            May 14- Field trip to Melvyn Corner’s Nursery
(date may change)
            June 11- Member garden tour, need volunteer
            July 09- Member garden tour, need volunteer
            Aug 13- Member garden tour, need volunteer
            Sept 10- Plant Exchange at Suncrest of Lapeer
            Oct 08- C&C Green, Lily Bulbs, at Mayfield Twp. Hall
            Nov 12- EMHS Board meeting at Whitey’s in Davison
            Dec 10- Christmas Party at Mayfield Twp. Hall

Summer Member Garden Tour Meetings- We need volunteers to host the June, July, and August meetings. Glen encouraged members that have never hosted a meeting to consider the opportunity to share their garden with the membership explaining that we all learn something from every garden no matter how new or small the garden.

Hosta College- Will be held in Piqua, OH on March 20^th and 21^st.
The EMHS Board, at their Oct 10^th meeting decided that EMHS would give away paid registrations to the 2020 Hosta College for any member that has never been to Hosta College. The member would be responsible for the additional class fees as well as their own travel expenses and lodging.

Election of Officers- President and Treasurer elections is on even years. Glen asked for volunteers for the two positions. There were no volunteers. Glen and Barb have offered to continue in their current respective positions for the next term.

Thank you- Glen thanked each of the EMHS Board members for their hard work that comes with their positions and for their dedication to EMHS.
   Glen also thanked Jan and Ken Zawisa for their work in setting up each meeting’s potluck and cleaning up after each meeting.
   This year’s speakers and members that shared their gardens for the summer garden meetings were mentioned and thanked.

The membership was thanked for their dedication to EMHS and their kindness to our visitors
as well as the donations made to the monthly door prizes/raffles and the fantastic potlucks.

2020 Plant Sale- Cathy Hodgson from the Fund-Raising Committee presented the plant choices made for the 2020 Plant Sale. She further stated that a sale flyer and order sheet will be made and emailed out to the membership when compilation is completed.

Announcements – Barb Hunter suggested that EMHS make a donation to the Votech Agri science/Horticulture Scholarship Fund in honor of Jim and Lorraine Jessop. Bev Kobylas explained the guidelines that were set for the students applying for this scholarship and questions from the membership were answered.
  Rob Trott made a motion for EMHS to make a one-time $500.00 donation to the fund. The motion was seconded by Paulette Johnson.   The membership voted unanimously to make the donation.
   The new rules for the Mayfield Twp. Hall were announced by Barb Hunter.   The main change being that we are responsible for cleaning the Hall after the meeting.   Members were asked to please help clean up after the meeting.

Next meeting – February 13^th, 2020 at Mayfield Twp. Hall. Mark Hanner will be the speaker and present “Tender and Hardy Succulents for Northern Gardeners”.

Gift Exchange- The anonymous exchange of gifts was made by drawing numbers.

Adjourned – Steve Balabon made the motion to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Glen Pace

EMHS President

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

December 2019 Newsletter

Eastern Michigan Hosta Society
December 2019 Newsletter

Note from the President- Our early snowfall made it difficult to accomplish the fall clean-up that we all like to get done before the ground freezes, but the recent warming trend has helped a little so at least a few things have gotten done. Today I was able to plant the seeds I received from the 2019 Trillium_L Seed Exchange as well as to take a few pictures of what is interesting in the garden. The Hamamelis virginiana (American Witch Hazel is in full bloom today,

the Rohdea japonica is showing off its red berries,

and my seedling from Helleborus niger ‘Josef Lemper’ which has bloomed reliably in November/December for the past four years (sometimes under the snow) is blooming.

This one is a true Christmas Rose.

We have a couple of speakers planned for the 2020 season and are in the process of verifying dates for them. Aaron Strouse has just emailed a confirmation of the April 09,2020 meeting and will present "Unique Michigan". Chris and Connie Green are going to be the speakers for the Oct 2020 meeting and will present “Lily Bulbs” the program that was originally scheduled for this past October. Per our vote at the September 2019 meeting we will hold the 2020 Annual Plant Exchange at Suncrest in Lapeer. If any of you have suggestions of speakers you would like to hear, please let any of the Board Members know so that we can try to secure a date to have them do a presentation to the club.

EMHS is closing the 2019 year with the Annual Holiday Festivities and Gift Exchange on December 12^th, 2019 at the Mayfield Township Hall in Lapeer, MI 48446. This is our biggest potluck of the year so please bring your favorite dish to pass and plan on having a lot of Holiday fun. The details of the event are covered later in this newsletter.

I want to thank all of the people who donated plants, crafts, and other items to the raffle and door prize drawings. The monthly raffle drawings are one of the fund raisers for EMHS and the door prize drawings are an added bonus for members and visitors attending the meetings.

The Fund-Raising Committee of the Mick and Cathy Hodgson and Gene Arms have done a fantastic job organizing the Annual Plant Sales and have already made the selections for the 2020 sale. Hopefully all EMHS Members are enjoying the Gift Plant that came with this year’s Annual Plant Sale. Thank you, Mick, Cathy, and Gene, for your work on the Plant Sale project.

EMHS Members that shared their gardens with the group for the summer meetings are the best! We all learn something from every garden we get to visit and hosting a meeting is a great way to let our members see what you can teach the rest of us.

Next, I want to thank all of the people that brought food for the potlucks throughout the year. One of the things EMHS is known for is the fantastic potlucks at the monthly meetings and this year was no exception.

Another thank-you goes out to the EMHS Board. This dedicated group of members continues to direct the entire group in an onward and upward fashion. At our annual Board Meeting, we discuss the plans for the next year which takes a number of hours, but we ask you, our members, to share your thoughts and ideas of what you would like to see planned for future meetings of EMHS. At every meeting, we ask if there is any other topics of discussion, this is your chance to share your ideas or you can tell any Board Member so your thoughts can be shared.

Per the EMHS by-laws 2020 is the year for elections for the Board positions of EMHS President and Treasurer. Barb and myself have both agreed to stay on in our respective positions for the next two years but ask that anybody interested in running for the positions of President or Treasurer please notify any EMHS Board member of your interest. Elections will take place at the May 09, 2020 meeting.

Lastly, I want to thank you, our members, for being the kind, helpful, sharing people you are toward each other and especially to our visitors. Because of this, our club continues to grow and with that growth comes the ability to contract new speakers which in turn assists us in our “Purpose” which is, to promote the interest of hostas and shade gardening; to extend horticultural education and activities to its members and the community.

See you at the December 12^th meeting,
Glen Pace
EMHS President

Next Meeting- The Annual Holiday Festivities on December 12, 2019 at the Mayfield Twp. Hall, 1900 N. Saginaw, Lapeer, MI 48446. This is our regular meeting place located just south of the point of M-24 and N. Saginaw, (the driveway just north of the Cemetery).

The time schedule for the evening is;
1700-   Open doors to Hall for Decorating
1800-   Networking, set-up refreshments, Sign-in
1830-   Welcome and Introduce Visitors Dinner Served
1915- Business Meeting
1945    Gift Exchange

This annual event is always a lot of fun and a great way to end the year for the club. The Club will provide the meat (ham) and table set-ups. We do ask that everybody bring a dish to pass as this is our biggest potluck of the year.

We will be doing the gift exchange as we have done in the past. If you are interested in exchanging gifts, all you have to do is bring a wrapped non-gender-specific gift with a value of $10. All the gifts will be laid at the front of the room and during the party we will call names from the sign-up sheet of the people who brought gifts. When your name is called you go pick out a gift. Nobody is required to bring a gift for the exchange, but if you do not bring one please understand that you will not be able to place your name on the list to pick one out. This is the only way to assure that all people who bring a gift will receive one.

Review the September 12th, 2019 Meeting Minutes on the blog. We will vote to accept the minutes at the December 12, 2019 meeting.