Saturday, November 20, 2010

November 2010 Newsletter and Christmas Party

We have been very fortunate this year. Here it is the week before Thanksgiving and we have not had any snow accumulation. We are still able to go out and work in our gardens to get small jobs done before the ground freezes. Today I went out and cleaned all the leaves off the lawn and from around the pond again. Once that was finished I planted a specie Paeonia and moved some other plants.

All the dead Hosta leaves were cleaned out of the beds last week and now we have seven bags of yard waste to go out to the garbage for next week’s last yard waste collection. I strongly suggest that all Hosta leaves are thrown out in the garbage instead of putting them in your compost as if any of the plants have Hosta virus “X” or root nematodes it may be able to be transmitted to other plants unless your compost gets hot enough to kill them. Since we have such cold winters I would not want to rely on any compost getting hot enough to kill the virus or nematodes.

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 the extra money needed for the bus trip last summer, helping to defray the costs in getting Bob Solberg here last October, and to help pay for our monthly meeting costs. The money is used for you, our members.

Cathy and Mick Hodgson are trying to obtain a 2011 Hosta Stone to bring to the Christmas Party. They have already ordered stones to take to Hosta College in Piqua, OH in March. The dates are March 11th and 12th. 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 all 2010 volunteers for your dedication to EMHS and the Hosta Stone Fund Raiser. The stones were going to be dropped as EMHS’s primary fundraiser because it was being left up to Mick and Cathy to transport all of the stones to Piqua, Ohio every March then transport all the stones inside to the sales booth. There was just no way could that amount of work be demanded of any two people. Thank you again for volunteering………...you saved the stones for another year!!!

THE EMHS 2010 Christmas Party will be held on December 9th at the Mayfield Township Hall 1900 N. Saginaw in Lapeer at 6:00PM. This is our regular meeting place for the cold months and is just south of the point of Saginaw and M24 (the building north of the cemetery). For those wishing to help decorate you can arrive as early as 5:00PM. 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 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 numbers from the sign-up sheet of the people who brought gifts. If your name is called you go pick out a gift. Nobody is requested 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 way, all people who bring a gift are assured they will receive one.

I hope to see all of you at the Party.

Glen

2011 Calendar of Events
December 9th, 2010- Annual Christmas Party/Potluck
January 2011- No Meeting
February 17th- Jan Everson presenting a slide show of the 2010 Nat'l Convention
March 11-12th- Hosta College in Piqua, OH
March 17th- Clayton Oslund presenting "The Shady Garden" (first time speaker in our area)
April 14th- Grey Gitzen presenting a slide show on Hellebores
May 12th- Mark Hanner presenting a slide show on Japanese Maples
June 9th- Garden Meeting at the home of Jerry and Bernadette Perrou in Clio
July 14th- Garden Meeting at the home of Carolyn Pickard in Millington
August 11th- Garden Meeting at the home of Dyane Moore
September 8th- EMHS Plant Exchange at the home of Pam Walmsley in Grand Blanc
October 2011- No meeting scheduled
November 2011- No meeting scheduled
December 2011- Annual Christmas Party/Potluck, date to be announced

EMHS Officers:
President Glen Pace pacegardens@charter.net 989-244-4029
Vice-President Carolyn Pickard (no email) 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

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Meeting Dates 2010-2011

The Eastern Michigan Hosta Society meets the second Thursday of the month from 6:00 PM until 8:30 PM in Lapeer (unless otherwisw posted) at the

Mayfield Twp Hall
1900 N. Saginaw
Lapeer, MI

2010-2011 Meeting Dates are as follows;

December 9th, 2010- Annual Christmas Party/Potluck
January 2011- No Meeting
February 17th- Jan Everson presenting a slide show of the 2010 Nat'l Convention
March 11-12th- Hosta College in Piqua, OH
April 14th- Grey Gitzen presenting a slide show on Hellebores
May 12th- Mark Hanner presenting a slide show on Japanese Maples
June 9th- Garden Meeting at the home of Jerry and Bernadette Perrou in Clio
July 14th- Garden Meeting at the home of Carolyn Pickard in Millington
August 11th- Garden Meeting at the home of Dyane Moore
September 8th- Annual Plant Exchange Meeting at the home of Pam Walmsley in Grand Blanc
October 2011- No meeting scheduled
November 2011- No meeting scheduled
December 2011- Annual Christmas Party/Potluck, date to be annonced

Friday, September 24, 2010

Thanks to EMHS and SVHS

Hello EMHS and SVHS Members,
I wanted to take the time after getting home tonight to write and thank the boards of EMHS and SVHS as well as the members and guests that attended the Bob Solberg presentation. I am sure that each of us learned something tonight and a bunch of us also added some new plants to our collections.

A special thank you goes out to Mark Hanner for coming up with the idea and making the call to Bob Solberg to set up this presentation.

The raffle was a fun experience for a number of people as well. Donations were from; Glen Pace, Bob Solberg, Phil Klimowicz, and Bevie & Mark Schmidt from the Cadillac area.

Hopefully this will not be the last time for a joint club venture like this. Please let your board members know what you thought about tonight’s meeting so future plans can be made.

Again, thank you for a great meeting,
Glen Pace
EMHS President

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

September 23rd meeting update

This update is to announce and remind members of both the Eastern Michigan Hosta Society and the Saginaw Valley Hosta Society of the Bob Solberg Presentation on September 23rd, 2010 at 5:00PM at the Mayfield Twp. Hall in Lapeer, MI.


Speaker- Bob Solberg
Presentation Topic- Mini Hostas and Growing Hostas in Containers

This presentation is a joint venture of EMHS and SVHS to provide its members and guests with a fantastic speaker and the opportunity to obtain some new Hostas for their gardens.

Bob Solberg is the owner of Green Hill Farms in Chapel Hill, NC and has been hybridizing Hostas for many years. Bob’s introductions include; Baby Blue Eyes, Barbara May, Blueberry Tart, Coconut Custard, Cody, Cookie Crumbs, Corkscrew, Cracker Crumbs, Crumb Cake, Deane’s Dream, Final Summation, First Frost, Fried Bananas, Frozen Margarita, Ginsu Knife, Guacamole, Machete, Margie’s Angel, Midnight Moon, Nate the Great, Orange Marmalade, Plug Nickel, Ray of Hope, Roller Coaster Ride, Sharp Dressed Man, Spinach SoufflĂ©, Sun Worshiper, Tiny Bubbles, and Tongue Twister. He will be bringing Hostas to sell before the presentation so plan on arriving before refreshments are served to get your pick of sales plants.

Hosta Sales- 5:00PM- 6:00PM

Refreshments Served- 6:00PM- 7:00PM

Presentation begins promptly at 7:00PM

PLEASE contact Glen Pace at pacegardens@charter.net or 989-244-4029 if you plan on attending so the Hall can be set up for the proper number of people.

Driving Directions from the intersection of I-75 and M-46, take M-46 East 26 miles to M-24 South (Mertz Rd.). Turn Right (South) and drive 24.9 miles to the point of M-24 and N. Saginaw Rd. and turn left onto N. Saginaw. It is the driveway just before the cemetery on the left.

If you prefer to take the expressway from the point above, drive South on I-75 31.6 miles to the I-69 East interchange (exit 117A) toward Port Huron. Drive 22.6 miles to M-24 North (exit 155). Turn Left (North) onto M-24 and drive 4.5 miles to the point of M-24 and N. Saginaw Rd. Turn Right onto N. Saginaw, it is the driveway just before the cemetery.

We hope to see all EMHS/SVHS members there,

Glen Pace
EMHS President

September 2, 2010 Meeting Minutes

The meeting was held at Pace Gardens in Clio, MI

Networking and Touring The Gardens 5PM- 5:30PM

Refreshments served 5:30PM- 6:00PM

Called to Order at 6:05PM by President Glen Pace
Everybody welcomed to Pace Gardens and to the EMHS Annual Plant Exchange

Solberg Presentation- Mark Hanner reviewed the plans for the Bob Solberg presentation on Sept 23rd, 2010 at 5:00PM at the Mayfield Twp. Hall in Lapeer. The Saginaw Valley Hosta Society will be meeting with us at this meeting.

Raffle- tickets sold and drawing done. The raffle netted $156.00 for future club activities. Thank you, Glen Pace, Mark Hanner, Mick and Cathy Hodgson, and Barb Hunter for the donations.

Plant Exchange- More than 150 plants were donated to this year’s plant exchange. Each paid membership left the meeting with at least three plants.

New Members- Venisure Davenport, Jerry Hennessy, Phil Klimowicz, and Michelle Porter joined EMHS at this meeting.

The meeting was not adjourned by the members, but by a higher power, Mother Nature at 7:30PM.

Next Meeting will be on September 23rd, 2010 at 5:30PM at the Mayfield Twp. Hall in Lapeer, MI

Respectfully submitted,

Glen Pace

EMHS President

Saturday, August 14, 2010

September 2010 Newsletter

Note from the President- September marks the end of our Hosta Season and in the near future we get to look forward to months of cold weather. Planning for changes you want to make next year is a good past time.

I want to thank Carol Leonard for hosting our August meeting. Carol’s gardens are beautiful and her donation of a bottle tree is appreciated (especially by Barb Hunter) almost as much as her graciousness as a hostess.

A big thank you also goes out to Richard and Maria Rowland for the donation of the beautiful glass garden sculpture, Judy Lamphere for the glass flower garden piece, as well as all of who donated plants for door prizes. It is your generosity that makes the door prize drawing so much fun.

I look forward to seeing you at our September 2nd Meeting at Pace Gardens in Clio. This is our annual plant exchange and will be a lot of fun for every member in attendance.

Glen

Next Meeting- Our next meeting will be September 2nd, 2010 at Pace Gardens, 2426 Delwood Dr. in Clio, MI 48420 Ph 810-687-2512.

Directions;
From North or South take I-75 to exit 131 (Montrose/Clio exit), turn East and drive 5.5 miles to Bray Rd. Turn Left (North) and drive 1.3 miles to Delwood Dr. Turn Left (West) and drive to the forth house on the left.
From the East or West take I-69 to I-75 and go North. Then follow the directions above.

This meeting is our annual plant exchange. This is a favorite meeting amongst the membership as it gives us the opportunity to go home with a selection of new and different plants. Last year we went through the names a number of times for people to go pick out another plant from all the plants donated. The more plants we have donated the more times we can pick names from the jar, so bring lots of Hostas or companion plants to donate for the drawing. We do ask that you do not bring any invasive plants such as Bishops Weed (Aegopodium), Lily of the Valley, Houttuynia (Chameleon plant), etc. A good Rule to follow is; if you have more of it than you know what to do with, we probably don’t want it in our gardens. Networking will start one hour earlier (5PM) because of shortened daylight hours. Meeting will start promptly at 6PM.

Bob Solberg- EMHS has contracted Bob Solberg for a presentation on September 23rd, 2010. This presentation will be at the regular meeting place of The Mayfield Twp. Hall located at 1900 N. Saginaw in Lapeer. It is the first building north of the cemetery and is just south of the point of Saginaw and M-24.

Bob will be speaking on Mini Hosta and Growing Hosta in Containers. He will also be bringing plants to sell.

We will start gathering at the hall at 5 PM to allow time for people to purchase Hosta before the presentation. We will serve refreshments at 6 PM and the presentation will begin at 6:30.

The Saginaw Valley Hosta Society will be joining us for the presentation, so I am asking that all EMHS members bring a dish for the refreshment table.

We are anticipating a large turnout and look forward to sharing a presentation with SVHS. We all share a common interest and this is a great opportunity to share a speaker with both groups.

Directions from Saginaw area;

Take I-75 South to I-69 East (Exit 117A). Drive 22.6 miles to Exit 155 Lapeer/M-24. Turn Left (North) onto M-24 and drive 4.5 miles to N. Saginaw Road. Turn Right (South) on M-24 (this is a point and the turn will be sharp) and drive 0.4 miles to the Mayfield Twp. Hall on the left. The EMHS sign will be at the driveway.

Allergic Reaction- one of our members had an allergic reaction to food at one of our meetings. We are asking that anybody bringing refreshments please note on the food if it contains any common allergens, i.e. nuts, sugar substitute, dairy, etc. This should prevent this from ever happening to any of our friends again.

Illness in our membership- Barb Hunter was taken to the hospital and has now been released. Please keep Barb in your thoughts and prayers. We wish her the best for a speedy recovery.

EMHS Officers:

President   Glen Pace pacegardens@charter.net 989-244-4029

Vice-President   Carolyn Pickard  (no email) 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      cehodgso@hotmail.com
Organizers       Cathy Hodgson    810-664-8986

Meeting Minutes August 5th, 2010

The meeting was held at the home of Carol Leonard in Leonard, MI


Networking and touring the gardens 6PM-6:30 PM

Refreshments 6:30 PM- 7:15PM

Called to order at 7:15 PM by President Glen Pace

Thanks given by Glen Pace to Pat Salk and Bill Kapustka for the meeting held at their home last month and them dealing with the bad weather and still providing a wonderful place to hold the meeting. Thanks also given to Carol Leonard for hosting this meeting.

Bus Trip to Ohio- Mark Hanner gave a short synopsis of the Bus Trip to Ohio and the places visited during that trip. All attendees had a wonderful time on this trip. We will consider doing this trip in the future.

Applewood Tour- Glen Pace gave a synopsis of the Applewood Tour. 25 people attended this outing. We will consider doing this tour again.

Allergy Reaction- Glen asked that people bringing dishes for the refreshments please mark them if they contain common food allergens, i.e. nuts, sugar substitutes, dairy, etc. One of our members had an allergic reaction after a meeting and this would hopefully alleviate the issue from occurring again.

Bob Solberg- Presentation will be at Mayfield Twp. Hall on September 23rd at 5PM. Bob will speak on Mini Hosta and growing Hosta in containers. He will be bringing plants for sale. SVHS is giving EMHS $200 toward the cost of the presentation and will be invited to join us. All EMHS members are to bring food for refreshments as the SVHS members will be travelling a long distance to get to the meeting.

Raffle- Raffle ticket brought in $125.00. Thanks to Richard and Maria Rowland for donating the glass sculpture and Judy Lamphere for donating the glass flower. 

Door Prize-  The door prize drawing was held and many went home with new garden treasures.  Thanks to Carol Leonard for the bottle tree and all others that donated plants as door prizes.

Next Meeting- September 2nd at Pace Gardens. Our annual plant exchange. Members to bring plants for the exchange. Meeting will begin at 6PM instead of our regular 7PM. Networking will begin at 5PM.

Meeting adjourned 8:00 PM

Sunday, August 1, 2010

August 2010 Newsletter

Note from the President- This newsletter will be short and to the point. I want to apologize that the newsletter is coming out so late. I had been so busy with the Applewood Tour and trying to keep my own gardens watered that the time escaped me and I am now doing the newsletter on a weekend when I should be in bed trying to get sleep for my shift at the hospital.

Our meeting last month at Pat Salk and Bill Kapustka’s was a wet meeting for sure. They got some much needed rain the day of our meeting and although some people had to seek shelter in their cars and wait for the rain to let up so they could make it to the barn, we had a great turnout.

Pat and Bill’s gardens are beautiful! Those of you that missed the meeting missed out seeing some fantastic Hosta specimens.

A big thanks goes out to Mick and Kathy Hodgson for the gift of a Hosta cell to kick off another growing contest.

The raffle was very successful and the club more than covered the cost of the plants and made some more money to help with our future speakers fund.

Mark will give an update of the Ohio Bus Tour at the next meeting, but from what I have seen those of us that couldn’t make it really lost out.

The Applewood Tour was a great success with 25 people touring the Mott Estate.

Dates to Remember-
August 22- Fall workday and auction at Hidden Lake Gardens
September 2- EMHS Meeting, Annual Plant Exchange at Pace Gardens in Clio
September 23- Bob Solberg Lecture about mini Hostas at the Mayfield Twp. Hall. The Saginaw Club is going in with us on this venture and we will have a large meeting turnout. Bob will be bringing plants to sell at this meeting so we will be starting the meeting at 5 PM.

Next Meeting- Our next meeting will be at the home of Carol Leonard. The address is 1660 Fox Knolls Road, Leonard, MI 48367 Ph 586-752-7360. Directions to get there from the corner of M-24 and I-69;

South on M-24 for 14.3 miles
Turn Left at E. Burdick St and drive 0.3 miles
Continue onto Lakeville Road 5.8 miles
Turn Right at N. Rochester Road and drive 1.1 miles
Take the 2nd Left onto Brewer Road and drive 1.4 miles
Turn right onto Fox Knolls and it will be 0.3 miles to 1660 Fox Knolls Rd with the house being on the left.

We hope to see everybody at the meeting on August 5th. We will use our usual times; 6 PM networking, 6:30 PM Refreshments, and 7 PM the meeting will start. There will be another raffle of two more of the Streaked Hosta I purchased from Bob Axmear of Hosta Library fame. I will also donate another one of the mature Hellebores from my own collection.


EMHS Officers:
President Glen Pace pacegardens@charter.net 989-244-4029
Vice-President Carolyn Pickard (no email) 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 810-664-8986

Respectfully submitted,
Glen Pace
EMHS President

Monday, July 26, 2010

Vice President's report on Ohio Bus Trip

Our condolences to those who were unable to attend the bus trip to Ohio. We wish you could have shared this great experience.

Our first nursery stop was at Wade and Gatton Nursery where we were greeted by the owner, Mr. Van Wade. He personally took us on a short walking tour of the gardens around his Victorian family home. He graciously took some of our members on a golf cart tour of the Hosta and Daylily beds laid out in the hills and valleys a short distance from the house. We found some interesting Hosta and perennials in his polyhouses. Also, a few shrubs were seen being loaded back on the bus. After some cool refreshments in the shade, we were each given a free plant and were back on the bus for a short ride to Troyer's Dutch Heritage Restaurant. The buffet style meal was delicious and a few folks found some items in the bakery section to satisfy their sweet tooth.

The next morning found us in Mr. Peter Ruh's garden. What a treat to be in the presence of such a leader in the Hosta World! He and his wife gave personal tours of the wooded grounds. We learned a little history of Mr. Ruh's life in the nursery business and details about his unusual trees and plants. Their hillside "back yard" is a series of terraced gardens held in place by rectangular blocks of cement forming low walls. Cement retaining walls were used throughout the woodland garden. After some Hosta shopping, we boarded the bus looking forward to lunch at the home of Mr. Jon Soucek.

The current drought was evident in Mr. Soucek's garden. However, even with the plants not at their best; we enjoyed this yard landscaped with Hosta and a variety of conifers. Mr. Soucek opened his air conditioned home to these hot, weary travelers who thoroughly enjoyed the meal he prepared. After devouring brats and hamburgers, we settled in the back yard for an auction of some unusual and rare Hosta. Then, back on the bus.

Our last stop was a Hostaholic's delight! At Cahoon's Nursery our bus parked next to a marquee welcoming the Eastern Michigan Hosta Society. Eager to get inside the nursery, we impatiently gathered around our greeter who announced that we would receive a 20% discount on cold drinks and ice cream. Then, immediately sought out the rows and rows of Hosta. Some in our group even checked out the trees and shrubs. We were impressed with a bank of mature nicely mulched Hosta which were displayed with the name tags. Equally impressive was the cheerful and helpful staff. With the bus loaded with plants and our billfolds considerably lighter, we headed for Lapeer, MI arriving on schedule at 7:00 PM.

We owe a huge "thank you" to Mark and Becky Hanner for all of the work they put into organizing this trip. Everything ran like clockwork. Good job Mark and Becky!

Submitted by Carolyn Pickard, Vice President EMHS

Monday, July 19, 2010

Applewood Estate Tour this Thursday, July 22nd

The Applewood Estate Tour is this Thursday July 22nd from 10:00-11:30. Since we start the tour at 10:00, we can plan to start meeting in the parking lot at 9:30. The Tour will begin at the entrance by Mott Community College Lot K. The golf cart for those unable to walk the tour will be at the entrance gate.

Directions are as follows;
From the North or South- Take I-475 to Robert T. Longway Blvd and turn to the EAST. At the first traffic light east of I-475 make a right turn. A large black and yellow sign directs you to Applewood Estate parking. The entrance gate is directly across from the parking lot.

From the East or West- Take I-69 toward Flint. Get onto I-475 North and take it to Robert T. Longway Blvd. Turn to the EAST. At the first traffic light east of I-475 make a right turn. A large black and yellow sign directs you to Applewood Estate parking. The entrance gate is directly across from the parking lot.

I will be in the parking lot at 0930 to greet you. The Tour guides will be at the Estate Entrance Gate.

I will see you this Thursday morning.
Glen Pace
Cell- 810-247-4582
Home- 989-244-4029

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Soil Mix Recipe submitted by Steve Balabon

1 bag 2.2cuft. Peat Moss Medium Pure Tourbe de Spheigue
1 bag 2cuft. or 56L Premium Pine Bark 100% organic #302
1 bag 1cuft. Mirclegro Garden Soil (flower/veg.continuous release plant food)
2 bags Topsoil Earthgro 40# bag Natural Choice

The amounts above will make 2 batches.
Mix 1/2 of Peat Moss with 1/2 bag Pine Bark and add 1/2 of
Mirclegro Garden Soil and 2 bag Topsoil Earthgro
Blend all together.
Makes a wheel borrow full . Makes for easy handling..
I use a 10'x10' plastic tarp for blending.
Can add more Topsoil or Mirclegro Garden Soil to the blend (for your preference)
This was a recipe somewhat given at one of our meetings by a guest speaker.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Bus Trip to Ohio on July 17th

The bus trip to Ohio to Van Wade's and a couple of other places is coming up quick.  Parking will be at Lapeer East High School, 933 S. Saginaw on Saturday July 17th beginning at 7:30 with departure at 8:00 sharp.  If you have any questions please call Mark Hanner at 810-631-4292.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Confirming Membership List

Marlene, Mary, and I are trying to eliminate excess spending of EMHS money. This project was initiated at the first 2010 meeting, by asking all members new and old to make out a new application form so we could update our files. We have found out that this did not eliminate the problem and we are still sending snail mail (as well as email) newsletters to people that we do not have an application form for. Some of these people are long standing members of the club and if they have not paid dues or made out an application we know it is an oversight. For this reason Mary is going to make a list of all people that have made out a new application. At the meeting on July 15th at Pat and Bill's I will read that list aloud. If your name is not called we will be asking you to talk with Mary and/or Marlene at the meeting to resolve the issue.


We are also asking that anybody with email to please let us email the newsletter to cut down on ink, paper, envelopes, and stamps. We are using a full book of stamps for each mailing and would like to cut down that cost if possible.

Please help us by confirming your membership status at the meeting on July 15th.  If you will not be at the meeting that day, please confirm by emailing me at pacegardens@charter.net .

Thank you for your cooperation,
Glen

Thursday, June 17, 2010

July 2010 Newsletter

Note from the President- I want to thank Joanna Kovalcsik for hosting our first summer meeting of 2010. Joanna’s gardens were beautiful, the weather was perfect, the food was fantastic as always, and seeing our Hosta friends was a great treat as well.

I also want to thank Jim Vrable and Rob Canning for donating the Hosta for the raffle at our last meeting. That raffle netted the club $111.00 to use towards speakers, outings, door prizes, and other EMHS activities. Thanks also go to Barb Hunter and Becky Hanner for being our ticket sellers at the meeting.

All of the donations of door prizes are greatly appreciated. You make a lot of people happy with your thoughtfulness.

I have set the date of July 22nd for our tour to Applewood Estate. We will plan to meet at the Estate at 9:00AM to avoid being in the sun during the hottest part of the day. It will also have us released in time to do other things that day. We have to have at least 10 people in our group for the guided tour. This outing is free. All you have to do is drive yourself to Flint or find a ride with another person going. If you are interested in attending this EMHS outing please contact Glen at pacegardens@charter.net to verify you will be going. I will update the status at our next meeting.

Cathy and Mick will order more 2010 Hosta Stones as they are ordered. If you are interested in purchasing a 2010 Hosta Stone with Stuart Asch’s “Seducer” on it, please contact them at cehodgso@hotmail.com

It is also time to think about the EMHS Annual Plant Exchange scheduled for Sept 2, 2010. Divide your plants now and they will have time to bulk up before the meeting in Sept. This meeting is a favorite with a lot of nice plants in the Exchange. Any Hosta or other companion plant is welcome. Remember, no Bishop’s Weed, Lily of the Valley, or other plants that have taken over your gardens should be exchanged. Please don’t burden others with your noxious weeds.

Pat is doing better so she and Bill will be hosting our July meeting. Hope to see you there.

Glen

Next Meeting- Our July meeting will be at the home of Pat Salk and Bill Kaputska, 1945 Dryden Rd. Metamora, MI 48455 (Ph) 810-678-3519. Pat and Bill will open their gardens at 3:00PM for those wishing to arrive early to view the Daylilies in bloom. Networking will begin at the regular time of 6:00PM, refreshments will be served at 6:30PM, and the meeting will start at 7:00PM. Pat and Bill ask that you bring your own chair.

From Lapeer- take M24 South to Dryden Rd. (County Road 62), turn Left (East) onto Dryden and drive 2.5 miles to the house.

From East or West- take I 69 to M 24, turn South and drive 5.5 miles to Dryden Road. Turn Left (East) and drive 2.5 miles to the house.

Refreshment Committee for July- is Marilyn Balabon, Ann Oprea, and Sue Karp

EMHS Bus Trip to Ohio- Mark says that there are still seats open on the bus for anybody wanting to join in on the trip. You can view the blog’s May Newsletter for the complete itinerary. Call Mark at 810-631-4292 or email him at mhanner@aol.com for more information.

Dates to mark on your calendar-

June 19- MHS Garden Walks Tour in Marshall, MI (Battle Creek area)

June 23-26 – AHS National Convention in MN

July 10- MHS Hosta Cut Leaf Show and Plant Sale at MSU

July 15- EMHS Meeting at Pat Salk and Bill Kapustka's in Metamora

July 17/18- EMHS Bus Tour to Ohio (Van Wade's and another nursery)

August 5- EMHS Meeting at Carol Leonard's in Leonard, MI

August 22- Fall workday and auction at Hidden Lake Gardens

September 2- EMHS Meeting, Annual Plant Exchange at Pace Gardens in Clio

EMHS Officers:

President Glen Pace  pacegardens@charter.net  989-244-4029

Vice-President Carolyn Pickard (no email) 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 Organizers
Mick and Cathy Hodgson cehodgso@hotmail.com 810-664-8985

EMHS Meeting Minutes June 3, 2010

Meeting was held at the home of Joanna Kovalcsik

Refreshments- were served at 6:30PM

Meeting called to Order at 7:05 by Glen

Bus Trip- Mark Hanner gave an update on the July 17th bus trip to Wade and Gatton and other Ohio Nurseries. 24 people have signed up and more seats are available.  People will meet at Lapeer East at 7:30 AM and the bus will leave at 8:00AM.

Hosta Stones- Cathy and Mick Hodgson will be ordering more 2010 Hosta Stones as they are ordered.  Please contact them if you want to order one.

Applewood Estate visit- Don Mosher talked about visiting the Mott’s Applewood Estate. Glen to decide on date and send out email to verify members interested in going and set up the date/time. We must have at least 10 people go to have a guided tour.

Raffle- Jim Vrable donated 5 streaked Hosta and Rob Canning donated Hosta “Goodness Gracious” for a raffle. The raffle netted the club $111.00.

Door Prize Drawing- Multiple plants were donated as door prizes. The drawing ensued and many people went home with new free plants.

Next Meeting- will be at the home of Pat Salk and Bill Kaputska in Metamora on July 15th. They will open their gardens at 3:00 PM for those wishing to view the Daylilies in bloom. The meeting times will be as usual.

Adjourned at 8:00PM

Friday, May 21, 2010

June Newsletter 2010

Note from the President- Our last meeting was extremely informative about how to take pictures of our gardens. Our speaker Bill Dwyer, has a vast knowledge of photography and kept our brains working during the entire presentation. His pictorial examples were fantastic and showed clear examples of the topics he was discussing. His follow-up meeting at The Hanner’s the next Saturday was enlightening to all that attended. Most of us will be paying a lot more attention to what we are seeing through the view finder as we are taking pictures.


EMHS’ spring meetings went well at the Mayfield Twp. Hall and we are now looking forward to our summer garden meetings. This is always a fun time for EMHS Members as we get to see each other’s gardens and take ideas for our own gardens home with us. Our summer meetings have only very short business sessions and most of the evening will be spent looking at the gardens and enjoying each other’s company.

I want to thank the members that brought plants as door prizes to the last meeting as well as those who are helping out by bringing refreshments. The club furnishes at least one door prize for each meeting, but when we have multiple donations for door prizes it makes the drawing a lot more fun for all in attendance.

Our last meeting was also a celebration. Dick and Carolyn Pickard celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Congratulations!

Next Meeting- Our June meeting will be at the home of Joanna Kovalcsik 3339 Pebble Creek Drive, Vassar, MI. Ph. 989-871-5791. Networking and looking around Joanna’s gardens will begin at 6:00PM.

From East- Take M-24 north to Millington Rd. Turn West (left) and go 8.3 miles to Sheridan Road. Turn North (right) and go 3.4 miles to Pebble Creek Drive. Turn East (right) to house.

From West- Take M-57 East to M-15. Turn North (left) and go 7 miles to Millington Road. Turn East (right) and go 2.4 miles to Sheridan Road. Turn North (left) and go 3.4 miles to Pebble Creek Drive. Turn East (right) to house.

Refreshment Committee for June- is Becky Hanner and Carolyn Pickard. Please feel free to help these people out by bringing your favorite dish to share with friends.

Hosta “Crumb Cake” Raffle netted $78.00 profit for the club. Thank you Bob Solberg!

Refreshment Set-up coordinator- Jan Zawisa has offered to take over the coffee and refreshment set-up. She will bring the coffee pot, cups, plates, flatware, table cover and set-up the refreshment table for our meetings. Carolyn Pickard has done a wonderful job for the past several years and is happy to let Jan take over. Thank you Carolyn for your past years of service and thank you Jan for taking over.

Hosta and Daylilies for Sale- EMHS members that sell plants every summer;

Carolyn Pickard- Hosta, Call for appointment- 989-871-2873 (Millington)

Pat Salk and Bill Kapustka- Daylilies, Call for appointment- 810-678-3519 (Metamora)

Rob Canning- Hosta, email for information- robslakesidehostas@gmail.com

Barb Hunter - Hosta, Water Plants, and Tropicals - Call or Email for appointment - 810-664-7531
baha@chartermi.net
(Barb's Memorial Day Sale - May 29th thru May 31st, 2010)

Dates to mark on your calendar-

May 23- Spring cleanup Hidden Lake Gardens 0930-Noon 6280 W. Munger Road, Tipton, MI

June 3- EMHS Meeting at Joanna Kovalcsik's in Vassar

June 19- MHS Garden Walks Tour in Marshall, MI (Battle Creek area)

June 23-26 – AHS National Convention in MN

July 10- MHS Hosta Cut Leaf Show and Plant Sale at MSU

July 15- EMHS Meeting at Pat Salk and Bill Kapustka's in Metamora

July 17/18- EMHS Bus Tour to Ohio (Van Wade's and another nursery)

August 5- EMHS Meeting at Carol Leonard's in Leonard, MI

August 22- Fall workday and auction at Hidden Lake Gardens

September 2- EMHS Meeting, Annual Plant Exchange at Pace Gardens in Clio

We hope to see you at the June 3rd Meeting at Joanna Kovalcsik’s house

EMHS Officers:

President Glen Pace pacegardens@charter.net 989-244-4029

Vice-President Carolyn Pickard (no email) 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 Organizers Mick and Cathy Hodgson cehodgso@hotmail.com 810-664-8985

May 13th, 2010 Meeting Minutes

Networking began at 6:00PM

Refreshments were served at 6:35 PM
Meeting Called to order at 7:04 PM by President Glen Pace
A short discussion of the results from our April meeting grafting session ensued. Glen demonstrated how to cut the top of the tree from above the graft.
Speaker Bill Dwyer gave a presentation of “Photographing Your Gardens”.
Door Prize Drawing was held. Besides the Club Door Prize, plants were donated by Hodgson’s, Hanner’s, and Pat Salk and Bill Kapustka.
Hosta “Crumb Cake” donated to EMHS by Bob Solberg of Greenhill Farms was raffled off. A profit of $78.00 was raised.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:50 PM
Respectfully submitted,
Glen Pace
EMHS President

Thursday, April 29, 2010

GARDEN PLASTIC RECYCLING PROGRAM

DON’T DUMP THOSE POTS


The Lapeer County Master Gardener Volunteers will be breaking ground this spring with a new recycling project for garden plastics. A number of cooperating garden centers and greenhouses in the county will be accepting plastic pots, cell packs, trays, and hanging baskets for recycling through North Lapeer Recycling in North Branch.

Any unwanted, clean horticultural plastic will be collected for recycling during the months of May and June. The program can not accept household or food plastic, soil or debris, metal or wire, plant tags, or plastic bags.

Designated recycling bins will be available to the public at the following garden centers: Perkins Flowers and Garden in Lapeer, Earthly Arts in Imlay City, American Tree in Almont, McDaniel Farms in Millington, Swoish’s Greenhouse, Bigelow Berry Farm, and Campbell’s Greenhouses in North Branch.

Meeting minutes from April 8th, 2010

We changed our starting times to:
6:00 PM Networking
6:30 PM Refreshments
7:00 PM Meeting starts

Called to Order at 7:05 PM by President Glen Pace

Visitors welcomed and they introduced themselves

Thanks to Rob Canning and Ron for helping at Hosta College

Jane Schade gave a short talk about the recycling efforts of the Lapper County Master Gardener’s. The info will be on the blog.

Blog was discussed and answers were given by Eric the blog master.

Hosta “Sno Cone” was offered “at cost” with the price of $30. EMHS is not making any profit from the sale of this one. Payment should be made directly to Glen.

EMHS Bus Trip- Mark talked about the bus trip to Ohio. Seats are still available.

Meeting Presentation- 12 Steps to Grafting Your Own Japanese Maple by Glen Pace. Kits for grafting were provided at the cost of $5.00. Remainder of meeting was people giving their first attempt at grafting.

Next Meeting is May 13th at Mayfield Twp. Hall in Lapeer with networking to begin at 6:00 PM.

Meeting adjourned at 9:00 PM

Respectfully submitted,
Glen Pace
EMHS President

May Newsletter 2010

Notes from the President- Our last meeting had the largest attendance of an EMHS meeting. We even had to break out more tables and chairs to accommodate everybody. This was an exciting sight for me as I stood in front to give the presentation. I hope you all had a good time and learned a new skill that you can use to expand your garden collection.


I went to visit one of the people that had grafted a tree at our last meeting and the graft had taken. The first leaves were breaking bud on the scion so I removed the twist tie and loosened the bag over the scion. In two days she will remove the bag and can remove the top of the rootstock. I do want to hear how many of you were successful with your first attempt at grafting.

For the people that ordered plants from the EMHS Hosta Sale, the plants will be ready for pick-up at Pace Gardens, 2426 Delwood Dr. in Clio on May 7th. I am taking that weekend off work so that you can all pick your plants up. Please let me know when you plan on coming to the gardens to get them. You can email me at pacegardens@charter.net to notify me of your plans. The plants will be bare rooted so they must be picked up that weekend. For those that ordered Hosta Sno Cone at the last meeting, if you have not paid for the plant you will need to bring the $30 to pay for it when you pick it up.

May Meeting- Our next meeting will be on May 13th at the Mayfield Twp. Hall. We will again start networking at 6:00 PM, have refreshments at 6:30, and start the program at 7:00PM. The meeting topic is “Photographing Your Gardens” by William Dwyer. Mr. Dwyer has been a professional photographer for more than 20 years. His experience will help you to understand how to take a picture of your most beloved Hosta. There will also be a follow-up meeting at Mark and Becky Hanner’s on May 15th (time to be announced at the meeting and will be updated on the blog) at their home at 10414 Oak Rd. in Otisville. This follow-up meeting will be a practice session with Mr. Dwyer. Bring your camera to this meeting! You will take pictures and use a computer to download the pictures and have Mr. Dwyer critique the photo to give you pointers on how to improve your skills.

Bus Trip to Wade and Gatton- If you are interested in being part of the EMHS bus trip to Van Wade’s on July 17th & 18th, please contact Mark Hanner at mhanner@aol.com or 810-631-4292. We do not have the bus filled yet and need to fill the available seats to pay for the bus. Here is the planned itinerary;

Saturday, July 17
8:00 a.m.- Depart Lapeer Stop en route for fast lunch break
1:30- arrive Wade & Gatton’s Nursery, Bellville, OH
4:30-5:00- pack up the bus and head to Troyer’s Dutch Heritage Restaurant for dinner
6:00 head north to Quality Inn & Suites, Ritchfield, OH
7:15 check in at Quality Inn

Sunday, July 18
8:30- depart hotel, head to Kuk’s Forest Nursery, Brecksville, OH
8:45 arrive Kuk’s Forest Nursery (Bob does not dig plants to order, but will offer free shipping for any orders placed. He has been hybridizing for many years, with 54 cultivars listed on the AHS Registry)
10:00 depart and head to Jon & Eileen Soucek’s garden, Cleveland area
10:45-12:00 visit Souceks’ garden
12:00 head for fast lunch en route to Cahoon’s Nursery
1:00 Cahoon’s Nursery for final shopping (www.cahoonnursery.com for general info)
3:00 depart for Lapeer
7:00 arrive back home

Dates to mark on your calendar
May 23- Spring cleanup at Hidden Lake Gardens
June 3- EMHS Meeting at Joanna Kovalcsik's in Vassar
June 19- MHS Garden Walks Tour in Marshall, MI
June 23-26 – AHS National Convention in MN
July 10- MHS Hosta Cut Leaf Show and Plant Sale at MSU
July 15- EMHS Meeting at Pat Salk and Bill Kapustka's in Metamora
July 17/18- EMHS Bus Tour to Ohio (Van Wade's and another nursery)
August 5- EMHS Meeting at Carol Leonard's in Leonard, MI
August 22- Fall workday and auction at Hidden Lake Gardens
September 2- EMHS Meeting, Annual Plant Exchange at Pace Gardens in Clio

The Refreshment Committee for the May 13th Meeting is;
Maria Rowland
Jan Zawisa

Since there are only two people that signed up for this meeting anybody wishing to help out by bringing something please know that it would be greatly appreciated.

We hope to see you all at the May 13th meeting.
Sincerely,
Glen Pace
EMHS President

Saturday, April 24, 2010

BLOG updates

Just wanted to let everyone know that there are software updates underway and our BLOG will resume regular updates on Tuesday, April 27th.  Thank you.  - Eric

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Information received today

It was brought to my attention today that Rob Canning was at Hosta College and helped unload the Hosta Stones on Friday night.  I am sorry that this was overlooked in the original newsletter. 

Thank you Rob for your help!

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Hosta College 2010 Pictures

Mark & Becky Hanner and Sally Suttle





Mick Hodgson, Carolyn Pickard, Cathy Hodgson

(Thanks to Cathy Hodgson for submitting these pictures.)
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Hosta College 2010 pictures

A big thank you to Joanna Kovalcsik for providing these pictures from the 2010 Hosta College in Piqua, OH.  You can view a larger version of all pictures by clicking on them.  To return to the Blog, just click the back button on your browser.  Remember, if you have pictures to share for our Blog, please send them to pacegardens@charter.net.

Hosta College 2010


(left to right)
Cathy Hodgson, Mick Hodgson, Carolyn Pickard, Betty Valentine
Posted by Picasa

Hosta College 2010


(left to right)
Joanna Kovalcsik, Mary Smith, Sally Suttle
Posted by Picasa

Hosta College 2010 EMHS Hosta Stone table















Standing (left to right)
Carolyn Pickard, Joanna Kovalcsik, Sally Suttle
Sitting (left to right)
Cathy Hodgson, Cathy Clark
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

March 2010 Newsletter

Note from the President: It is already a busy spring with many activities underway for EMHS. Our first meeting of 2010 was very busy with many things to get accomplished in so little time. Typical of EMHS we had a feast for refreshments instead of snacks at the Feb. meeting. Jan Everson did a wonderful job of giving us a recap of the 2010 National Hosta Convention and seeing the Tour sites that we weren’t able to go see was a treat. Thank you Jan!

I want to thank Mary and Marlene for keeping the Membership Apps, Club Plant Sales, Hosta Stones, Monies being collected, and other sign-up sheets in order at the Feb. meeting.

I also want to thank Eric Hahn for starting the EMHS blog and for doing the monthly additions to it. This project is saving a lot of time for me and has alleviated the problem of people not being able to view the newsletter when it is emailed to them. Anybody can go to the blog site http://easternmichiganhostasociety.blogspot.com/ at any time and view the current newsletter, old newsletters, future meeting dates and meeting sites, past minutes, and even make comments about the blog. To protect the blog from inappropriate comments, all comments sent to the blog are forwarded to my personal email for approval before they are posted to the blog.

A giant THANK YOU goes out to Mick and Cathy Hodgson, Carolyn Pickard, Mary Smith, Cathy Clark (who has helped in previous years), Betty Valentine, Sally Suttle and Ron Colligan who worked at the EMHS Hosta Stone booth at Hosta College last week. Mick and Cathy said it was a great benefit having the help this year.

I hope to see you all at the April 8th, 2010 meeting at the Mayfield Twp. Hall at 6:30PM,

Glen

April 8th Meeting- The next meeting of the EMHS will be April 8th, 2010 at the Mayfield Twp. Hall in Lapeer. This is our regular meeting place located at 1900 N. Saginaw Lapeer, MI next to Stiles Cemetery. Networking will begin and refreshments will be served at 6:30PM and the meeting will start promptly at 7:00PM.

Note- since grafting is a near sterile procedure, please be sure to wash your hands after networking and refreshment time and be ready to start the meeting at 7:00PM.

April 8th Meeting continued- The topic for the meeting is Japanese Maple Grafting. This will be a “hands-on” meeting. First, Glen will give a Power Point presentation about grafting your own Japanese Maple then he (with the help of Mark) will assist you in grafting a Japanese Maple that you will take home and plant in your own garden. Kits that include one rootstock tree, one scion of Acer p. Oridono Nishiki, one sterile surgical scalpel, one grafting band, one grafting bag, and one grafting tie will be available at the meeting for the cost of $5.00 per kit. The charge for each kit is actually less than the actual cost for the materials it contains. Glen is doing this as a favor to the attendees. Glen will be supplying all the scion wood from his own Japanese Maple collection. If you would like to graft your own tree and have not already reserved a kit, please do so by emailing Glen at pacegardens@charter.net or by calling him at 989-244-4029. Glen has to know before the meeting that you plan to graft so sufficient scion can be cut from his trees.



Refreshment Committee- The refreshment committee for the April 8th meeting is; Dawn Hagemeister, Jane Schade, Sally Suttle, and Deb Brown. Since we have people from other clubs and from out of town planning to attend this meeting, anybody that wants to bring refreshments to help these ladies out, please note that it would be greatly appreciated.

Bus Trip to OH- If you are interested in being part of the EMHS bus trip to Van Wade’s on July 17th & 18th, please contact Mark Hanner at mhanner@aol.com or 810-631-4292.

Club Plant Sale- We sold 81 plants for this year’s Club Plant Sale. The scheduled shipping date for the plants is May 10th so the plants should be available for pick-up at Pace Gardens in Clio later that week (hopefully on the 12th). More will be announced as the delivery time approaches, but please plan on a trip to Clio to get the plants you ordered as all plants will be bare root and wrapped in wet newsprint.

Hosta Stones- If you have ordered and paid for a Hosta Stone, please contact Mick and Cathy Hodgson at 810-664-8985 to arrange a time to pick-up your stone. Anybody wishing to purchase a stone can contact Mick and Cathy to arrange that as well.



We are looking forward to seeing you at the April 8th, 2010 meeting at the Mayfield Twp. Hall at 6:30.

Meeting Minutes from Feb 18, 2010

Meeting opened at 7:00PM by Pres. Glen Pace

Bus Trip- Mark Hanner explained details of the upcoming bus trip to OH. Seating (max of 40 people) to be open to EMHS members first and then opened to other clubs. Date of trip, July 17 & 28.

New Blog- Eric Hahn explained the new EMHS BLOG. Now those that receive the EMHS Newsletter via email will be sent a reminder via email to log onto the blog to view the newsletter. Blog will be open for anybody to view. Any and all comments made on the blog will be sent to Glen for approval before being posted on the blog.

Sign-up Sheets- Sheets for Bus Trip, Refreshments, Garden Stones, Tree Grafting, Club Plant Sale, Name Tags, and helpers for Hosta College, were out for members to sign-up for ways they are willing to help the club.

Membership Applications- All members were asked to fill out a new membership app. so the club roster can be updated. This was also done to help the club “go green” by reducing the number of newsletters that are sent out via US Mail.

Club Directory- The members present at the meeting voted to have a club directory published and distributed to the membership. An opt-out box is on the membership application for those that wish to keep their membership private.

Presentation- Jan Everson gave a presentation on the American Hosta Society’s 2009 National Convention and Tour that was held in Lansing, MI. After the presentation, Jan was presented with a certificate for an EMHS 2010 Hosta Stone and a beautiful Cyclamen to thank her for being our speaker for the evening.

Hosta College- Mark gave an update on Hosta College and how to register for the event.

New Members- Don Mosher and Linda Keller were welcomed.

Dues Deadline- Membership dues must be paid by March 31st, 2010.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:55 PM

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Club Plant Sale Deadline is Near

The deadline for ordering hostas from the club plant sale is on Feb. 24th. The order will be called in to the supplier on the 28th. Your check must be in to Treasurer Mary Smith by the 24th. Plants must be paid in advance. Thank you.
Mary's address is located in the Feb. newsletter posting below.

Bus Trip to Ohio Payments

If you signed up for the bus trip to Ohio and didn't pay at the meeting, please remit your payment to Mark ASAP. Those members who have paid will have first priority.
Mark's address is in the post below. Thank you.

Monday, February 15, 2010

EMHS Bus Trip to Central Ohio, July 17-18

Itinerary: Saturday, July 17

8:00 a.m.- Depart Lapeer

Stop en route for fast lunch break

1:30-ish- arrive Wade & Gatton’s Nursery, Bellville, OH

4:30-5:00- pack up the bus for Troyer’s Dutch Heritage Restaurant
for dinner, moderately priced, Amish-style entrees

6:00 head north to Quality Inn & Suites, Richfield, OH

7:15 check in at Quality Inn

Sunday, July 18

8:30- depart hotel, head to Kuk’s Forest Nursery, Brecksville, OH
8:45 arrive Kuk’s Forest Nursery
(note- Bob does not dig plants to order, but will offer free shipping
for any orders placed; he has been hybridizing for many years, with
54 cultivars listed on the AHS Registry)

10:00 depart and head to Jon & Eileen Soucek’s garden, Cleveland area

10:45-12:00 visit Souceks’ garden

12:00 head for fast lunch en route to Cahoon’s Nursery

1:00 visit Cahoon’s Nursery for final shopping
(www.cahoonnursery.com for general info)

3:00 depart for Lapeer

7:00 arrive Lapeer and start thinking about planting…

Costs and Accommodations:

Bus- $62 per person; this includes a gratuity for the driver- no passing of envelopes during the trip. Price is set based on maximum of 40 people on a 56 passenger bus, to enable lots of room in the bus for luggage and/or taller plants, and leave the below-bus storage area for plants!

Meals- all meals are on your own, and we will be visiting budget-friendly places to eat. Note- the motel (see below) price includes breakfast at their restaurant, not the continental breakfast often seen in travel motels.

Motel- $75 per room, plus tax:

Quality Inn & Suites, 4742 Brecksville Rd, Richfield, OH, 44286, 330-659-6151

Travelers must make their own reservations, and secure with a credit card, or mailing a deposit equal to one night’s room and tax charge. Reservation at this rate must be done before July 16 deadline. Block of rooms is being held in EMHS’ name. Suggest you make reservations promptly.

If you do not arrange for sharing a room, and would like to put your name on a list, let me know and I’ll share these names with others looking for a roomie. You will want to do this prior to booking the room, for minimum confusion with the motel.

Parking: Still being worked out, for a site to leave cars over the weekend, after we meet Saturday morning to board the bus.

Reserve your seat on the bus! Provide me with your check, and the name(s) of any travelers it covers, to reserve your seat(s) on the bus. We will take no more than 40 people, regardless of bus capacity. Either give me your check (payable to EMHS) and name(s) at the meeting, or mail it to: Mark Hanner, 10414 Oak Rd., Otisville, MI 48463. Registration will be limited to EMHS members and their guests until March 15, after which, if any seats are open, we will open it up to other hosta societies.

Call or email with any questions: mhanner@aol.com (810-631-4292)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

February 2010 Newsletter

Eastern Michigan Hosta Society
February 2010 Newsletter
Note from the President:
It has been a long cold winter and we still have a couple more months of winter to endure. If we think back to last year we have a lot to be proud of; The 2009 EMHS Hosta Stones commemorating the 2009 AHS Convention were unveiled at Hosta College in Piqua, Ohio and were a great success as always. Michigan was the site for the American Hosta Society's Convention and Tour. Five EMHS member's Gardens were chosen to be tour sites on the AHS Convention Tour. EMHS members gathered at the gardens of tour sites to help those owners prepare for the AHS Convention Tour. The Convention and Tour were a thrill to take part in. Mark Hanner finally got to step away from being the EMHS long standing President (he started EMHS and thankfully still gives a lot of guidance). We had wonderful gardens as meeting sites with gracious hospitality during the summer. The annual EMHS Plant Exchange was a huge success. We had new members join EMHS and we ended the year with a Christmas Party that was very well attended.

Now it is time to start thinking about spring and what EMHS has planned for the year. In this newsletter you will find a number of things that need immediate attention as well as dates to mark on your calendar. At the February 18th meeting there will be sign-up sheets for providing refreshments at the monthly meetings, helpers for the Hodgson's at Hosta College, the grafting class in April, Hosta Stones, the bus trip to Van Wade's, and possibly a few other things. Please help as much as you can.
I look forward to seeing you throughout the year.
Glen

February 18th Meeting:
The February meeting will be a slide presentation of the 2009 AHS Convention and Tour. This presentation by Jan Everson is an annual event for EMHS. Jan is the current Editor of the MHS Newsletter, Past President of MHS, Past Board member of MHS, and has won many Hosta Awards. Jan goes to the Convention every year, takes photos of all the gardens on the tour, then puts them into a slide presentation that is a sight to behold. Be sure to bring a piece of paper and pen or pencil so you can write down the names of Hosta and other plants you will see on the slides that you will want for your own garden.

The meeting will be held at the Mayfield Twp. Hall at 1900 (7:00pm). This is our usual indoor meeting place located at 1900 N. Saginaw in Lapeer. It is the first building north of the cemetery and is just south of the point of Saginaw and M-24.

Hosta Stones and Hosta College:
Mick and Cathy Hodgson have been working to get the 2010 Hosta Stones into production. I was sent a photo of the prototype this morning and it looks great! There are three leaves of Hosta “Seducer” depicted on the stone and all that has to be added is the plant's name and the name of the hybridizer, Stuart Asch. Once the prototype has been approved by Mick and Cathy the stone will go into production.

Since the Hosta Stones will be unveiled at Hosta College in Piqua, OH on March 19th, we would like to remind members planning to go help Mick and Cathy that they will have to register for Hosta College. Registration begins for MHS members, on Feb 6, 12:01 AM. EMHS members who haven't joined MHS can do so right away and still take advantage of the date and rate break for members. You can email Mark at mhanner@aol.com for details.

Cathy stated that she had a partial list of those members that had stated they would help at Hosta College, but we ask that you please verify with Cathy by emailing her at cehodgso@hotmail.com .

Grafting Class:
The April meeting is a Japanese Maple Grafting Class. Glen has ordered 100 rootstock and grafting supplies for 100 trees for this class. There will be a sign-up sheet at the February meeting for those planning on grafting their own tree. The cost for the rootstock and supplies will be approximately $5.00 per tree (Glen is going to supply the scion wood free of charge). Glen asks that you sign up on the sheet at the meeting or email him at pacegardens@charter.net so he has time to cut sufficient scion wood to accommodate all people planning on buying the kit.

2010 Calendar of Events:

February 18- EMHS Meeting, 2009 Convention/Tour Slide Presentation. Speaker Jan Everson. At Mayfield Twp Hall in Lapeer.

March 19/20- Hosta College in Piqua,OH. Hosta Stone unveiling and sales. EMHS' primary fundraiser

April 8- EMHS Meeting, Japanese Maple Grafting Presentation and Grafting Session. Speaker Glen Pace. Kits for grafting your own tree provided at cost. Glen and Mark will assist you with grafting your own tree. At Mayfield Twp. Hall in Lapeer.

May 13- EMHS Meeting, Photographing Your Hosta and Garden. Speaker William Dwyer. At Mayfield Twp Hall in Lapeer.

May 15- EMHS follow-up meeting, Photography Practice Session with William Dwyer at the Hanner's garden in Otisville.

May 23- Spring cleanup at Hidden Lake Gardens

June 3- EMHS Meeting at Joanna Kovalcsik's in Vassar

June 19- MHS Garden Walks Tour in Marshall, MI

June 23-26 – AHS National Convention in MN

July 10- MHS Hosta Cut Leaf Show and Plant Sale at MSU

July 15- EMHS Meeting at Pat Salk and Bill Kapustka's in Metamora

July 17/18- EMHS Bus Tour to Ohio (Van Wade's and another nursery)

August 5- EMHS Meeting at Carol Leonard's in Leonard, MI

August 22- Fall workday and auction at Hidden Lake Gardens

September 2- EMHS Meeting, Annual Plant Exchange at Pace Gardens in Clio

October and November- No scheduled meetings unless we can arrange a speaker for these months.

December- EMHS Annual Christmas Party. Date and place to be announced.

EMHS Annual Club Plant Sale:
This year's Club plants from Bob Solberg will be; Awakening Angel, Cup of Grace, Holy Mouse Ears, Paradise Island, Spartacus, and Summer Lovin'. For those that receive the newsletter by email there is a page of pictures included. An order blank is attached to this newsletter and will also be available at the Feb. meeting. Plants must be paid for at the time they are ordered. Make checks out to EMHS.

Bus Tour to Central Ohio:
Mark Hanner is finalizing the plans for the bus tour to Ohio. Stops will include Van Wade's and another nursery. There will be a sign-up sheet at the Feb meeting for those planning to take this trip. The planned dates are July 17 and 18. Any questions can be emailed to Mark Hanner at mhanner@aol.com . Mark will give updates at the monthly meetings.

Name Tags:
Since we have new members since the last time we ordered name tags we will be placing an order soon. There will be a sign-up sheet at the Feb meeting for those members that need a name tag. We will be using a new supplier for the name tags and Glen wants to have all tags made at one time.

EMHS Membership Directory:
We have had requests for a membership directory. Our last directory was made available in 2007. Since this involves privacy issues we will discuss this further at the Feb meeting.

Membership Dues:
It is the time of year to pay your membership dues. Dues must be paid by March 31st. We will be leaving the cost at the nominal fee of $5.00 per couple/garden per year. Please bear in mind that this entitles the couple to only one chance at our monthly door prize drawings. If both people of a couple want to have chances in any given drawing they must pay separate dues. Dues can be paid at the Feb meeting or can be mailed to EMHS Treasurer Mary Smith, 3431 Swaffer, Millington, MI 48746. Mary keeps an updated list of current members as some have paid their dues in advance. If you are unsure of your status please ask Mary.

This year we will ask every member to make out a new membership application. This will be done to verify the information we have on file as well as there being a new question on the application, “Do you want your information published in a membership directory?”. There will be an “opt out” check box on the application for those wishing to keep their personal information private.

Newsletter Additions?:
If you have information to be put into the EMHS Newsletter please forward that information to Glen at pacegardens@charter.net . No personal or business ads please. At this time we do not place ads in the EMHS Newsletter.

EMHS Officers:

President Glen Pace
pacegardens@charter.net

Vice-President Carolyn Pickard
(no email)

Treasurer Mary Smith
brooktrout@tds.net

Secretary Marlene Daniels
gardenfairy50@aol.com

Past President Mark Hanner
mhanner@aol.com

Garden Stone Organizers Mick and Cathy Hodgson
cehodgso@hotmail.com

EMHS Hosta Sale 2010

____ $12 Awakening Angel (F. Nyikos 2005) (‘Mikawa-no-yuki’ X ‘Uncle John’) - Large, (15” X 60”) This very waxy, blue hosta has flat, spear-shaped leaves fortified with the strength of many deeply impressed veins. The clump is perfectly laid out in a large, very flat, flowing rosette. It has pale purple flowers in July and August. It makes a large, low spreading mound, perfect next to a rock or at the end of the hosta bed.

____ $17 Cup of Grace (Beilstein 2009) (‘Halcyon’ X ‘Breeder’s Choice’ op. seedling) Medium, (21" X 36") What do hosta folks want in a "dream hosta"? Frequently, they want it to be very dark green with white flowers. Add a very upright habit and highly cupped leaves and you have ‘Cup of Grace’. This hosta is very well proportioned and exhibits classic grace. Striking as the focal point in a mixed container.

____ $12 Holy Mouse Ears (M. Zilis, E. & J. Deckert 2006) (‘Royal Mouse Ears’ sport) - Small, (6” X 16”) Of all the ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ forms, this one is my favorite. The cute round leaves have a blue margin and an unique bluish yellow center that becomes creamy white in part sun. Lavender flowers top its short, stocky scapes in June. It is the baby of the family.

____ $14 Paradise Island (M. Fransen) (Sport of ‘Fire Island’) - Small-medium, (14” X 24”) This is a spectacular hosta in early spring with glowing yellow leaves bordered in green and rich purple petioles with color often up into the leaf. The leaves do become chartreuse in summer when topped by nice lavender flowers in July and August. A great container plant!

____ $14 Spartacus (Shady Oaks Nursery/H. Hansen 2007) (Sport of ‘Sea Gulf Stream’) - Large, (17”X36”) I do not know if it is the wonderfully ruffled yellow margin or the striking color contrast of it and the dark green leaf center, (bluish in spring), but this hosta makes you look twice. Pale lavender flowers in June. Easier to grow than its parent.

____ $12 Summer Lovin' (Q & Z Nursery 2004) (Sport of ‘Summer Breeze’) - Medium, (18” X 36” or larger) This hosta has a strange attraction for me, it has a certain glow about it. The rich gold margins contrast well with the almost round, dark green centers of leaves that have substance and shine. Lavender flowers appear in July. As attractive in spring as it is in summer.

Photos of these can be seen at Green Hill Farm’s website, hosthosta.com . We have added a small surcharge to the club price to cover shipping and handling and generate funds toward club expenses.

PLANTS MAY BE ORDERED AT THE FEB 18TH MEETING. PAYMENT WILL BE DUE WITH ORDER. NO ORDERS ACCEPTED AFTER FEB 28TH.

H. “Paradise Island” clip_image002

H. “Awakening Angel”

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H. “Spartacus”

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H. “Cup of Grace”

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H. “Summer Lovin”

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H. “Holy Mouse Ears”

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Welcome to our new cyber-garden!

ComputerGarden

Hello fellow EMHS members.  I’ve tried sending the newsletter to all email address we had on file and had mixed results with the attempt.  I was able to attach colored pictures to the newsletter giving those that receive their newsletter by email. a bonus.  For this reason, the newsletter will find a new home here on this blog.  It is my hope that the entire membership will be able to read newsletters, event calendars and up to date information with little to no problem.    This forum will be available to our membership to communicate with the board and each other.  Please feel free to contribute to this blog about your gardens, events in the hosta community or with your questions.