December 2019 Newsletter

Eastern Michigan Hosta Society
December 2019 Newsletter

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

the Rohdea japonica is showing off its red berries,

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

This one is a true Christmas Rose. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan – no meeting

Feb 13- Mayfield Twp. Hall, ?_____________

Mar 20 & 21– Hosta College – no meeting

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

May 14- Mayfield Twp. Hall, ?_________________

June 11- Member Garden Tour, ?______________

July 09- Member Garden Tour, ?______________

Aug 13- Member Garden Tour, ?______________

Sept 10- Plant Exchange, Suncrest of Lapeer

Oct 08- C&C Green, “Lily Bulbs”
              at Mayfield Twp. Hall

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

Dec 10- Christmas Party, Mayfield Twp. Hall

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

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

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

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

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

Hosta Society Membership info-
American Hosta Society, $30 individual, $57/2 years, $34 family, $62/2 years
Send dues to: Sandie Markland, AHS Membership Secretary, Post Office Box 7539, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
Michigan Hosta Society, Dues are $15 per household for up to two people, good for 2 years. Make checks payable to: The Michigan Hosta Society and send to; Michigan Hosta Society, 2509 Wembly Lane, Troy, MI 48084-1280
Eastern Michigan Hosta Society, Dues $5 per year per household, Make check payable to EMHS and mail to: Barb Hunter, EMHS Treasurer, 316 Davis Lake Rd. Lapeer, MI 48746

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

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