April 2012 Newsletter

Note from the President- The 2012 growing season is beginning.  Many of our early spring flowers have already bloomed and are gone for the year and many others are weeks ahead of schedule.  This year’s weather pattern is different than anything we have experienced in our lifetimes.  Of all the people I have talked to nobody can recall a winter as mild as this past winter and nobody can remember a March with temps in the high 80’s.  I have already had to mow my lawn and it is still March!

                Now we are getting another cold snap.  We are forecasted to have frost and/or freezing temps nearly every night this week and many plants are going to be at risk of damage or death.  All of my Hosta have growth spikes already above ground and a lot of them have leaves unfurling.  All of the Japanese Maples and Dogwoods have broken dormancy and are at their most vulnerable state.  If a freeze kills all the leaves of a Japanese Maple just as it is leafing out in the spring it will often kill the entire tree.  Some of the smaller plants and trees can be protected with frost blanket, an inverted flower pot, bed sheets, or even a few layers of newspapers laid over the plant.  Just be sure that the leaves are not touching plastic as 32 degree plastic touching a leaf will burn the leaf. 

                Our speaker for the April meeting is Doug Beilstein, President of the American Hosta Society.  Doug is an accomplished Hosta Hybridizer with 40 registered varieties including Bailey’s Cream, Cup of Grace, and King of Spades which are plants that we have made available to our membership.  Don’t miss this opportunity to meet and talk with the President of the American Hosta Society.

                Hosta College was great fun again this year.  I will not mention the EMHS Members that attended because inevitably I will forget to mention somebody, but let’s just say that we had a fair number of people to represent EMHS.  All of us brought home a plant or two (some of us brought home many more) and a good amount of new knowledge.  For those of you that have never gone to Hosta College, you have no idea of the fun you are missing out on or the amount of knowledge you are passing up.  This event is also where EMHS unveils the new EMHS Hosta Stone every year.  This is one of EMHS’s primary fund raisers and all offers for help at the Sales Table are appreciated.  This year we sold 55 Hosta Stones. 

I want to thank all of you for your thoughts and concerns for my health over the past few months.  I am not 100% and may never be, but I am back doing most of what I want to do.  I am thanking my lucky stars as my surgeon told me I was a simple fall away from becoming a quadriplegic.  What I have learned from my ordeal is that not all aches and balance issues can be blamed on old age; if something seems wrong, go to a doctor and have testing done to find out a true cause.  Again, thank you all for your cards, calls, and inquiries.

Sincerely,
Glen

Next Meeting- Our next meeting will be on April 12^th, 2012 at 6:00 PM at the Mayfield Twp. Hall in Lapeer.  This is our regular meeting place located at 1900 N. Saginaw Lapeer, MI next to Stiles Cemetery (just south of the point of M-24 and Saginaw Rd.).  Networking will begin at 6:00 PM, refreshments will be served at 6:30PM, and the meeting will start promptly at 7:00PM.  The speaker for this month will be Doug Beilstein, President of the American Hosta Society.   The speaker will begin promptly at 7:00 PM, please be in your seat and ready for the presentation before he begins speaking. 

Refreshments- Over the years our refreshment time has turned into a potluck, so as to not break the precedence already established we ask that you bring your favorite dish to pass to add to the table of plenty.  The club will provide the flatware, plates, cups, napkins, and coffee. 

Hosta Stones- The 2012 Hosta Stones featuring Ron Livingston’s 2008 introduction H. “Alakazaam” are for sale with more in production.  The regular member cost for this year’s stone is $30.00 for Natural and $5.00 more for colored.  Non-member price is $35.00 for Natural and colors $5.00 more.  Call Cathy Hodgson at 810-664-8985 to place your order.  At the April meeting there will be one each of Green, Iron, Brown and Black for sale. 

Membership Dues- If you have not yet paid your 2012 EMHS Membership dues please do so by sending your $5.00 check made out to EMHS, to EMHS Treasurer Mary Smith.  Dues are to be paid by the April meeting.  Mary will have the most up to date printout of the membership list at every meeting if you need to check on your membership status.

2012 Calendar of Events:

April 12^th at Mayfield Twp. Hall, speaker- Doug Beilstein, President AHS

May 10^th at the Hanner’s, Hands on paper-crete class.  Nominal fee and registration required.

June 14^th at The Vrable’s in Chesaning.  Member Garden Tour

June 13^th-16^th- Nat’l Hosta Convention in Nashville, TN

July 12^th at the Major’s in Goodrich.  Member Garden Tour

August 9^th- at Barb Hunter’s in Lapeer.  Member Garden Tour

September 13^th at the Hodgson’s in Lapeer.  Annual Plant Exchange

October- No meeting scheduled

November- No meeting scheduled

December 6^th or 13^th (date to be set) at Mayfield Twp. Hall, Annual Christmas Party

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 is $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: Mary Smith, EMHS Treasurer, 3431 Swaffer Rd, Millington, MI 48746

EMHS Board of Officers:

President                      Glen Pace                   

 pacegardens@charter.net         989-244-4029

Vice-President             Carolyn Pickard          

 robfamily5@yahoo.com            989-871-2873

Treasurer                     Mary Smith                 

brooktrout@tds.net                  989-871-9833

Secretary                      Marlene Daniels          

gardenfairy50@aol.com           810-664-8317

Past President               Mark Hanner              

mhanner@aol.com                   810-631-4292

Fund-                           Mick and                    

Raising                         Cathy Hodgson

cehodgso@hotmail.com 810-664-8985

Jan/Feb 2012 Newsletter

Note from the President- I want to let you know that this newsletter is going to be very short and to the point and without the normal information you would find in the EMHS Newsletter.  This is all due to the fact that I am experiencing some rather serious health issues at this time and will most likely confined to home for the next 10-12 weeks.  The EMHS Board is being kept informed of my condition and will keep the membership updated as needed.  I will not be able to attend the Feb 9^th meeting.

If you need to contact me personally please do so by emailing me at pacegardens@charter.net

Please send in your Annual Plant Sale Orders to Glen as soon as possible.

Next Meeting- will be on February 09, 2012 at 5:30 at the Mayfield Twp. Hall in Lapeer. This is our regular meeting place just south of the point of M-24 and Saginaw Rd. (north of the cemetery on Saginaw Rd.).  Refreshments will be served at 5:30, Presentation at 6:30, and business meeting at 7:15. 

Jan Everson will be presenting her photographs of the 2011 American Hosta Society Convention Tour in Boston, MA.  Be sure to bring a note pad to take down the names of plants you will see in this presentation.    

Hosta Stones- The 2012 Hosta Stones featuring Ron Livingston’s 2008 introduction H. “Alakazaam” are in production.  The regular member cost for this year’s stone is $30.00 for Natural and $5.00 more for colored.  Non-member price is $35.00 for Natural and colors $5.00 more.  Call Cathy Hodgson to place your order.

There are also a few more of the discounted Hosta Stones available.  There are four 2007 in Iron and two 2008 in Black at the discounted price of $10.00 each. 

We still have one 2011 Hosta Stone in green available for the regular 2011 price of $30.00. 

For any information on Hosta Stones or to place an order, call Cathy Hodgson at 810-644-8985.

We hope to see you at the February 9^th meeting!

Recipe everybody wanted

Pineapple Casserole

from Glen Pace

2 cans Pineapple tidbits in Natural juice

3/4 C Cane Sugar

5 Tbs. Flour

3/4 – 1 C Mild Cheddar Cheese

1 sleeve Club Crackers

1 stick Butter melted

 

Drain the 2 cans of Pineapple reserving some of the juice

Place all pineapple in a 9 x 13 baking dish

Mix the 5 Tbs. of flour with the 3/4 C of Cane Sugar

Sprinkle the mixture over the pineapple

Evenly sprinkle the Mild Cheddar over the flour sugar layer

Crush the Club Crackers and sprinkle over the Cheddar layer

Drizzle the melted butter over the cracker layer

Drizzle 8-10 Tbs. of the reserved Pineapple juice evenly over the top

Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cracker layer is nicely browned. About 40 minutes but don’t worry if it takes an hour.

December 2011 Newsletter

Next week, Thursday December 1^st at 6:00 PM is our annual Christmas Party. Details are below.

THE EMHS 2011 Christmas Party will be held on December 1^st, 2011 at the Mayfield Township Hall 1900 N. Saginaw in Lapeer at 6:00 PM. This is our regular meeting place for the cold months and is just south of the point of Saginaw and M-24 (the building north of the cemetery). For those wishing to help decorate you can arrive as early as 5:00 PM. 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. If 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.

Special Plant Raffle- There will be a Ginkgo biloba “Troll” at the December meeting. Origin; Johann Wieting; from a tree in Krefeld, Germany. Among the smallest of the ginkgo selections, ‘Troll’ develops into a tight rounded form. The familiar fan shaped leaves are smaller than typical and densely packed along unusually thick stems. Choice and new this fine selection is among the best dwarf ginkgo’s to emerge on the market. 3’ x 3’. Ginkgo trees make great container plants that are totally hardy in our zone 5 climate.

This plant will go home with somebody the night of the Christmas Party as long as enough tickets are sold to cover the cost of the tree. Tickets will only be sold before the meeting starts and again just before the drawing. Be sure and get you tickets for your chance to take a “Troll” home for the Holidays.

Save in your “Favorites”- Searching for the latest EMHS Newsletter in your mail file is never an easy task. Please save the EMHS blog web address in your “favorites” so when you cannot remember the date, time, or place of the next meeting you can simply go to the blog and get the information.

Name Badges- The business that makes our name badges is not able to print in the metallic gold like the original name badges were printed in. During our EMHS Board meeting in October we tried to contact the original printer but we were unable to get a current phone number. After some discussion we decided that I would work on a new name badge. I will work on a couple of prototype formats and present them to the membership in the spring. We will vote on which one is liked best and then order new name badges for those who either don’t have a name badge or want the new one.

New Secretary Elected for HHG- Below is a revised note received from Joanna Kovalscik.

I have been elected as Secretary for The Hosta Hybridizer Group, so if you have anyone that would like membership details, they can contact me at jo43@tds.net. The first meeting of 2012 will be June 2nd. As soon as I have details regarding the speaker, I will let you know.

This is another group that may possibly be misunderstood. People may feel that because they do not hybridize that they are excluded from being a member. Not so! We have several members who simply appreciate hostas and enjoy learning more about them. Membership is open to anyone who is interested in hostas whether they are just beginning their hosta journey or have many years of experience. We meet three times per year at Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor--June, July, and November. We trade breeding stock, exchange seedlings, swap seeds, and listen to awesome speakers. In July we have a seedling contest and an auction--tons of hosta fun! I encourage all of our EMHS members to join.

The attached 2012 American Hosta Society Auction announcement just came in from Don Dean. I thought you might want to make the info available to our EMHS members. Some folks may desire to contribute plants or seeds to the auction. Donations are most welcome and much appreciated. Let's rally 'round and support the AHS!

Also, for those who are American Hosta Society members, the 2011 On-line Journal will be published on the internet on Thanksgiving Day. AHS members received their 2011 password in the March edition of The Hosta Journal (Volume 42, Number 1), page 5, and can navigate to the OLJ from the AHS website on Turkey Day. :o)

It is my concern that many of our EMHS/AHS members are not aware of the On-line Journal. I know that some members had no idea that the convention issue of The Hosta Journal had been replaced by the OLJ. It would be great if we could give it a little press.

Additionally, non-members can now enjoy the 2010 OLJ which has been made available to the public on the home page of the AHS website. Hosta collectors and hybridizers will find a wealth of information here accompanied by wonderful full-color photographs of our favorite shade plant.

http://americanhostasociety.org/

Have a glorious Thanksgiving, and I will see you in December!

Joanna

Thanks to Pam Walmsley- Pam sold 17 Hosta Stones from our excess inventory to members of the Genesee County Master Gardeners. This helped deplete the excess inventory that Cathy and Mick have been storing for years. THANK YOU PAM!

Hosta Stones- The 2012 EMHS Hosta Stone is in production. Cathy and Mick will give an update at the December meeting.

We still have 28 Hosta Stones that are on sale for the reduced price of $20.00 each. The sale stones are from 2005, 2007, and 2008. There are also two 2011 natural stones and one 2011 Iron colored stone left which remain at the regular price. These would make great gifts. If interested please contact Mick and Cathy Hodgson at cehodgso@hotmail.com .

Hosta College, March 16-17, 2012- Plans for Hosta College 2012 are well underway. It is in the same great easy to get to location, nestled up to I-75 in Piqua, Ohio. The building itself is undergoing some major renovations which will need to be adjusted to but the activities remain the same.

Friday night, March 16th there will be a lot going on and as always it is a great chance to visit with friends and to shop. After a long winter of hosta withdrawal it is the perfect place for hosta and plant-addicts. There will be growers selling plants and the book store will be open.

There are a couple of date changes this year that you should be aware of:

Registration dates for HC:

Teachers and Board Jan 6 at midnight

Members Jan 13 at midnight

Others Jan 25 at midnight

Registration closes Feb 1 at midnight

This year’s attendance fee will be $42 which includes lunch on Saturday. It is a real educational bargain.

Plan to come for a great way to start the 2012 gardening year.

AHS National Convention- The 2012 AHS National Convention will be June 13-16, 2012 in Nashville, TN. The Convention is always a great way to learn more about Hosta, see friends from other states, and buy the newest Hosta available. For more information you can go to the Convention Website at; http://www.hosta2012.com/

SVHS Plant Sale- Saginaw Valley Hosta Society has voted to open their 2012 plant sale to members of EMHS. Glen will present more information about this at the December meeting.

2012 Calendar of Events:

January- No meeting scheduled

February 9^th at Mayfield Twp. Hall, Jan Everson with slide show of the 2011 Nat’l Hosta Tour

March- No Meeting, Hosta College in Piqua, Ohio on March 16th & 17th

April 12^th at Mayfield Twp. Hall, no speaker scheduled at this time

May 10^th at the Hanner’s, Hands on paper-crete class. Nominal fee and registration required.

June 14^th at The Vrable’s in Chesaning. Member Garden Tour

June 13^th-16^th- Nat’l Hosta Convention in Nashville, TN

July 12^th at the Major’s in Goodrich. Member Garden Tour

August 9^th- No meeting place set. Member Garden Tour

September 13^th at the Hodgson’s in Lapeer. Annual Plant Exchange

October- No meeting scheduled

November- No meeting scheduled

December 6^th or 13^th (date to be set) at Mayfield Twp. Hall, Annual Christmas Party

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 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 is $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: Mary Smith, EMHS Treasurer, 3431 Swaffer Rd, Millington, MI 48746

EMHS Board of Officers:

President Glen Pace

pacegardens@charter.net 989-244-4029

Vice-President Carolyn Pickard

robfamily5@yahoo.com 989-871-2873

Treasurer Mary Smith

brooktrout@tds.net 989-871-9833

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

Oct/Nov 2011 Newsletter

Note from the President- EMHS is at the end of another year of great meetings. We have had speakers from out of town as well as out of state, opened our meeting with a special speaker to other clubs, visited member’s as well as non-member gardens, offered our members the opportunity to buy Hostas at lower than retail prices, gathered to clean the gardens of Pat Carson (member that died this year), and had wonderful friendships renewed as well as made new friendships. Each one of the EMHS Members should be proud of our club as a whole and I wish to thank all of you for another year of EMHS growth and friendship.

I would like to thank all of the members who hosted meetings at their homes this year. We were treated to some beautiful gardens as well as gracious hosts. Also, I want to thank all of the people who donated plants and artwork to our monthly door prize drawings and raffles. Your generosity is very much appreciated. The raffles have been very successful and have been key in raising money used to provide speakers for the spring meetings and helps defray the costs of plates, flatware, cups, table cover, sending the newsletter to those that do not have email, and other costs that the club incurs.

The EMHS Board Members held their annual meeting on 9/27/11. At this meeting we discussed multiple subjects and set most of the meetings for next year. Below you will find the 2012 calendar with the dates, and meeting places listed. Please note that there are a few holes in the calendar. These spaces need to be filled, so consider hosting the meeting in August and/or suggesting a topic for the April meeting.

Cathy and Mick Hodgson are trying to obtain a 2012 Hosta Stone to bring to the Christmas Party. The hybridizer featured this year is Ron Livingston. They are making an order for stones to take to Hosta College in Piqua, OH in March. Those people planning to attend Hosta College are asked to help Mick and Cathy out at the EMHS Hosta Stone sales table. Please contact Cathy and Mick if you are willing to help at the table and/or transport stones to Ohio. Thank you to all 2011 volunteers for your dedication to EMHS and the Hosta Stone Fund Raiser.

Our last meeting for 2011 is our annual Christmas Party. This will be a potluck dinner. As always, the club will provide the ham, the Refreshment chair will bring the table service (table cover, plates, flatware, and cups), and each member is asked to bring their favorite dish to pass. We will also have the gift exchange again this year. You can read more about this further down in this newsletter.

Thank you again EMHS Members for a wonderful year of being your President of this fine group of people.

Glen Pace
EMHS President

THE EMHS 2011 Christmas Party will be held on December 1^st, 2011 at the Mayfield Township Hall 1900 N. Saginaw in Lapeer at 6:00 PM. This is our regular meeting place for the cold months and is just south of the point of Saginaw and M-24 (the building north of the cemetery). For those wishing to help decorate you can arrive as early as 5:00 PM. 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. If 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.

Vice-President’s Notes- The annual Board Meeting of the Eastern Michigan Hosta Society’s Officers was held on Monday, September 27, 2011. In discussing the direction we wish to take the organization, the officers agreed that they are pleased with meetings and activities as they are currently being presented, but would value feedback from the membership. We also felt that one area that could be expanded is that of sharing hosta-related information such as AHS Membership information, MHS Membership information, and websites for Hosta growers, etc.

Another way we can learn is to share experiences and/or questions with each other at the meetings or in the newsletter. Do you have a question regarding any phase of hosta growing, hybridizing, diseases, pests, etc.? Chances are others in our club have the same question. You are invited to e-mail your experience or question to our President at pacegardens@charter.net who will print your experience in the newsletter or ask a subject knowledgeable EMHS member to answer the question then add the topic to the meeting agenda for presentation at a meeting.

Also, some of our members are tuned in to what is going on in the hosta world outside our immediate area. Sharing this information would give EMHS club-members the opportunity to be informed, plan to attend functions outside EMHS, and most of, to learn. Any such news should be brought to the attention of our President who will provide time in the agenda for the sharing of this information or publish it in our monthly newsletter.

We are looking forward to what next year's meetings will produce. This is an excellent opportunity to become better "hosta educated."

Sincerely,

Carolyn Pickard
EMHS Vice-President

Member News- Maria Rowland’s mother passed away earlier this month. Please keep Maria and the family in your thoughts.

2012 Calendar of Events:

January- No meeting scheduled

February 9^th at Mayfield Twp. Hall, Jan Everson with slide show of the 2011 Nat’l Hosta Tour

March- No Meeting, Hosta College in Piqua, Ohio

April 12^th at Mayfield Twp. Hall, no speaker scheduled at this time

May 10^th at the Hanner’s, Hands on paper-crete class. Nominal fee and registration required.

June 14^th at The Vrable’s in Chesaning. Member Garden Tour

June 13^th-16^th- Nat’l Hosta Convention in Nashville, TN

July 12^th at the Major’s in Goodrich. Member Garden Tour

August 9^th- No meeting place set. Member Garden Tour

September 13^th at the Hodgson’s in Lapeer. Annual Plant Exchange

October- No meeting scheduled

November- No meeting scheduled

December 6^th or 13^th (date to be set) at Mayfield Twp. Hall, Annual Christmas Party

Websites of Interest:

American Hosta Society 2012 Convention

http://www.hosta2012.com/

AHS Hosta Library Website-

http://www.hostalibrary.org/

American Hosta Society-

http://www.americanhostasociety.org/

Michigan Hosta Society Website-

http://www.hostahappenings.com/

Eastern Michigan Hosta Society blog-

http://easternmichiganhostasociety.blogspot.com/

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 is $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: Mary Smith, EMHS Treasurer, 3431 Swaffer Rd, Millington, MI 48746

EMHS Board of Officers:

President Glen Pace

pacegardens@charter.net 989-244-4029

Vice-President Carolyn Pickard

robfamily5@yahoo.com 989-871-2873

Treasurer Mary Smith

brooktrout@tds.net 989-871-9833

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