Tuesday, June 3, 2014

June 2014 Newsletter

Note from the President- Summer has finally arrived in the gardens.  Winter took its toll on Pace Gardens this year.  Two mature Japanese Maples with trunks too large to wrap your hands around are totally dead.  A multitude of other trees have major damage to them and may not survive the results of the winter wind and sunburn. 

Some plants suffered not from the actual cold but more from drowning during the spring thaw that lasted for weeks keeping the crowns of plants in soggy soil and at times under water.  One of the worst affected species was the Cypripediums.  I lost all but five varieties of Cypripediums and only three of those varieties bloomed this year. 

One thing good about the amount of snow last winter is the thermal insulation it gave to the plants below the snow line.  The Podophyllums, Polygonatums, Trilliums, and many other woodlanders fared extremely well and look great this year.
  
Our June meeting is at Campbell’s Greenhouse in North Branch.  I want to thank Gene Arms for organizing this meeting.  We will have our potluck, but we will not be allowed to bring plants into the meeting. 

We can also look forward to the July meeting at the Jessop’s who have “Music in the Garden” planned with Steve Prince.  This will be a treat you will not want to miss, so mark July 10th on your calendar. 
  
I look forward to seeing all of you at our June 12th meeting at Campbell’s Greenhouse in North Branch. 
Sincerely,
Glen

Next Meeting- Our next meeting will be on June 12th at 6:00 PM at Campbell’s Greenhouse 4077 Burnside Rd. North Branch, MI 48461   Ph. 810-688-3587.  We are going to have our potluck so don’t forget to bring your favorite dish to pass and a chair to sit in.  Please do not bring plants into the greenhouse.  If you have plants with you, leave them in your vehicle.
Directions- From our regular meeting place of the Mayfield Twp. Hall on Saginaw in Lapeer.  Turn right (North) onto M-24 and drive 8.5 miles to E. Burnside Road.  Turn right (East) and drive 6.2 miles to Campbell’s on the left. 

The EMHS T-shirt featuring Joseph Tychonievich's  Hosta Addiction self-test are $18.00 each for an EMHS Member and $20.00 each for a non-member.  Sizes available are L, XXL and XXXL.  
The proceeds from the sale of this shirt go to promote 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.

Hosta Stones- The hybridizer for 2014 is Hans Hansen and the plant is Hosta “Joy Ride”.  H. “Joy Ride” was introduced by Walter’s Gardens.  It forms a wriggly, broadly mounding mass of very wavy blue-green leaves accented with upright folded edges, grows to 16 x 36, and has 24 inch scapes of widely flared, tubular, light lavender flowers produced in midsummer.  
Also available are 3 Iron colored 2013 Hosta Stones featuring  "Indiana Bob" Balitewicz’s Hosta “Krugerrand” and 2 Brown 2012 Hosta Stones featuring Ron Livingston’s H. “Alakazaam” at the sale price is $30.00 for each stone.  In addition we have two Natural color 2011 Stones featuring Van Wade’s H. “American Halo” at $25.00 each.  All of the aforementioned stones are for sale on a first come first served basis.  If interested in purchasing any of these stones at the sale prices listed please call Cathy Hodgson at 810-664-8985.

Review the last meeting’s minutes on the blog.  We will vote to accept the minutes at the next meeting.

2014 Calendar of Events:  EMHS events are noted in bold print and
            other events are noted in italics.
June 12- Campbell’s Greenhouse in North Branch
June 11-14 AHS National Convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
June 20 - 22 Great Lakes Region Tailgate - Dayton OH area
June 28 Hosta Show and Sale at MSU, East Lansing
July 10-
Garden Meeting at The Jessop’s with
            “Music in the Garden” featuring Steve Prince
July 27 . Ed Elslager Hybridizers Group, Ann Arbor
Aug 14-
Garden Meeting at Diana O’Riordan’s
Aug. 24 Annual Meeting and Workday, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton
Sept 11- EMHS Plant Exchange at Pam Walmsley’s
Oct 9- Mayfield Twp. Hall, speaker Tony Reznicek 
Nov-
No Meeting
Nov. 2 Ed Elslager Hybridizers Group, Ann Arbor
Dec 11- Mayfield Twp. Hall, EMHS Christmas Party

This is the extra space that needs to be filled with your articles of information for EMHS.  Please give any information you want added to the monthly newsletter or the blog to Glen or email it to pacegardens@charter.net

Below are two articles reprinted from the Central Illinois Hosta Society courtesy of the AHS Newsletter Exchange

Summer Alert -Beware
___________________________________________

Most reference books on hosta will report that they are quite adaptable to dry shade conditions once they have become established. While this may be true, there is also a practical limit to most generalizations.

During the growing season the hosta rhizome or crown is building reserves that will be used the following spring. Large amounts of water are also required to replace the natural transpiration that occurs with the large leaves. If (as we typically do in the Midwest) encounter a prolonged spell of hot, dry weather, the rhizome will spend reserves to support the plant.

Ever wonder why a hosta appears OK at the end of the year, but appears much smaller and/or less vigorous the following spring, or (even worse) fails to reappear altogether the following spring? This is most likely the result of a decline in the crown mass the previous summer.

So what to do if we do encounter a typical Kansas City summer with day upon day of hot temperatures and extended dry spells? Avoid the stress by watering deeply at least once a week during the summer if we don’t receive any help from Mother Nature. Optimum moisture is reported between one and one and a half inches of water per week during the growing season. This is especially important if your hostas receive significant levels of direct sun exposure.

Watering time is also important. Watering in the morning will help discourage both slugs and fungal activity. Use of soaker hoses works well. When watering blue leafed hostas avoid overhead watering of the leaves which can slowly destroy the glaucous bloom (i.e. the waxy covering that makes a green hosta appear blue). Residual water droplets on any leaf which is followed by sun exposure can also result in leaf burn.
By Rob Mortko



Hostas that Tolerate Dry Shade
_______________________________________________

Dry shade can be the result of several different situations. The first scenarios that came to my mind were areas that couldn’t be reached by a water hose, gardens that rely on the limited availability of well water, and the areas directly under wide roof overhangs. I was reminded that hosta gardeners regularly experience dry shade conditions due to plantings under trees, most notably shallow rooted trees like maples.

Without amending the soil prior to planting and receiving average amounts of moisture, there may not be any hosta that will grow well year after year in dry shade. This article focuses on hostas that when grown in well prepared amended soil will tolerate dry locations, but not actually prefer this condition. A top dressing of organic mulch (garden compost, mushroom compost or well-rotted wood chips to name a few) will keep the soil cooler, retain moisture longer and reduce evaporation.

When hostas are grown under trees, possibly the most important factor is the type of tree itself. Oak and hickory trees (deep roots) are reasonable to grow hostas under, silver maples are not (shallow roots), at least not without daily care as Lou Holverson does in her wonderful garden. Kay Dye believes that the most difficult area to grow hostas in is anywhere in the vicinity of the outer edge of a tree’s drip line, no matter what type of tree, as their roots are most competitive in this area.

As far as hosta that will tolerate dry shade, Kay developed a list of good performers in her gardens using the following criteria:
§ They were growing in an area that either, is not watered or experiences periods of hotter sun conditions, causing the soil to dry out, even if they do get occasional water.
§ They maintain or increase in size from one year to the next.
§ They are not typically susceptible to crown rot.
§ They look good from August until first frost.

Below is her list, in no particular order. The majority of the following are large hostas. Possibly their tolerance to dry shade is due to a larger root system being more capable of extracting moisture from the soil. An interesting side note, Kay has not noticed any of these hostas form the fairy ring (center clump dieback).

Kay believes these hostas (listed below) actually prefer well drained to dry conditions.
Abba Dabba Do
Abiqua Drinking Gourd
Bright Lights
Choko Nishiki / On Stage*
Christmas Tree
City Lights
fortunei Albomarginata
fortunei Aureomarginata
Gold Edger**
Gold Regal
Gold Standard
Golden Waffles
Halcyon
High Noon
Invincible
June
Leola Fraim
Most of the Tiara Group
Mountain Snow
Nigrescens
Olive Bailey Langdon*
Permanent Wave
Prairie Glow
Sagae
Shogun
Sparkling Burgundy
Summer Serenade
Sun Power
Sweet Home Chicago
Tenryu
ventricosa
ventricosa Aureomarginata
Zounds*

**In Kay’s garden, this hosta has been susceptible to crown rot, but it made the list because it has proven to be “such a trooper in hot dry conditions”.
Keep in mind that the above is Kay’s thoughts based upon plants grown in her gardens. I am sure if you asked other gardeners, there would be some duplication of names, plus some additional names. Ray Wiegand (Ohio) states Sweet Susan, Undulata and Fortunei Albopicta survive in a real dry northern exposure under a roof eave. Additionally, I did find two references stating Jason and Katie will tolerate dry conditions.

Of course, there are no guarantees all of the above will tolerate the variable dry shade conditions in every garden.

Recapping, I think it is safe to say there are hostas that will tolerate dry shade, but to improve the likelihood of success, keep the following tips in mind:
§ Improving the composition of the soil, adding significant amounts of moisture retentive well-rotted composts is critical.
§ Use an organic mulch (not fresh) to retain moisture. It is important to pull the compost a few inches away from the base of each hosta to lessen the possibility of crown and/or petiole rot.
§ A consistent season long watering program will also improve your chances for success.

There are a couple pluses to gardening in dry shade. Slugs do not live in dry locations and the likelihood of crown rot and/or petiole rot is significantly less. Of course, most people would agree there are more severe negatives than positives. These include:

Hostas without sufficient amounts of water throughout the growing season are more likely to develop dry rot of the crown over the winter, resulting in much smaller hostas the following season and possibly the complete loss of others.

Competition for moisture and nutrients from shallow rooted trees is a constant challenge. Hostas grown under shallow rooted trees typically require more watering for optimum size increase. Keep in mind that tree canopies often prevents light rains from reaching the ground. In years of average or more amounts of rainfall, mature clumps of hostas can survive with no supplemental watering. Remember the advice of Bob Solberg; if you are not going to water - DON’T START, if you are going to water - DON’T STOP!

By Ray Rodgers, CIHS


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
Daniels, Marlene, Bottle Wind chimes.  810-664-8317gardenfairy50@aol.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
Moore, Dyane- Fairy houses  https://www.facebook.com/GardenArtAndMoore
Pickard, Carolyn- Daylilies, Hosta.   989-871-2873,robfamily5@yahoo.com
Salk, Pat/Bill Kapustka, Daylilies.  810-678-3519,daylilyabode@msn.com
Smith, Stan/Mary Lou, Concrete leaves, toad houses.  989-845-3455

Websites of Interest:
American Hosta Society-http://www.americanhostasociety.org/
American Hosta Society Convention Website-http://www.hosta2012.com/
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          Pam Walmsley
---no email---                          810-964-2311
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