Note from the President- Summer has finally arrived in the
gardens. Winter took its toll on Pace
Gardens this year. Two mature Japanese
Maples with trunks too large to wrap your hands around are totally dead. A multitude of other trees have major damage
to them and may not survive the results of the winter wind and sunburn.
Some plants
suffered not from the actual cold but more from drowning during the spring thaw
that lasted for weeks keeping the crowns of plants in soggy soil and at times
under water. One of the worst affected
species was the Cypripediums. I lost all
but five varieties of Cypripediums and only three of those varieties bloomed
this year.
One thing
good about the amount of snow last winter is the thermal insulation it gave to
the plants below the snow line. The
Podophyllums, Polygonatums, Trilliums, and many other woodlanders fared
extremely well and look great this year.
Our June
meeting is at Campbell’s Greenhouse in North Branch. I want to thank Gene Arms for organizing this
meeting. We will have our potluck, but
we will not be allowed to bring plants into the meeting.
We can also
look forward to the July meeting at the Jessop’s who have “Music in the Garden”
planned with Steve Prince. This will be
a treat you will not want to miss, so mark July 10th on your
calendar.
I
look forward to seeing all of you at our June 12th meeting at
Campbell’s Greenhouse in North Branch.
Sincerely,
Glen
Next Meeting- Our next meeting will be on
June 12th at 6:00 PM at Campbell’s Greenhouse 4077 Burnside Rd.
North Branch, MI 48461 Ph.
810-688-3587. We are going to have our potluck
so don’t forget to bring your favorite dish to pass and a chair to sit in. Please do not bring plants into the
greenhouse. If you have plants with you,
leave them in your vehicle.
Directions- From our regular meeting place of the Mayfield Twp. Hall on Saginaw in Lapeer. Turn right (North) onto M-24 and drive 8.5 miles to E. Burnside Road. Turn right (East) and drive 6.2 miles to Campbell’s on the left.
Directions- From our regular meeting place of the Mayfield Twp. Hall on Saginaw in Lapeer. Turn right (North) onto M-24 and drive 8.5 miles to E. Burnside Road. Turn right (East) and drive 6.2 miles to Campbell’s on the left.
The
EMHS T-shirt featuring Joseph
Tychonievich's Hosta Addiction self-test are $18.00 each for an EMHS
Member and $20.00 each for a non-member. Sizes available are L, XXL and
XXXL.
The proceeds from the sale of this shirt go to
promote our “Purpose” which is, to promote the interest of hostas and
shade gardening; to extend horticultural education and activities to its
members and the community.
Hosta Stones- The hybridizer for 2014 is Hans
Hansen and the plant is Hosta “Joy Ride”.
H. “Joy Ride” was introduced by Walter’s Gardens. It forms a wriggly, broadly mounding mass of
very wavy blue-green leaves accented with upright folded edges, grows to 16 x
36, and has 24 inch scapes of widely flared, tubular, light lavender flowers
produced in midsummer.
Also
available are 3 Iron colored 2013 Hosta Stones featuring "Indiana Bob" Balitewicz’s Hosta “Krugerrand”
and 2 Brown 2012 Hosta Stones featuring Ron Livingston’s H. “Alakazaam” at the
sale price is $30.00 for each stone. In
addition we have two Natural color 2011 Stones featuring Van Wade’s H.
“American Halo” at $25.00 each. All of
the aforementioned stones are for sale on a first come first served basis. If interested in purchasing any of these
stones at the sale prices listed please call Cathy Hodgson at 810-664-8985.
Review the last meeting’s
minutes on the blog. We
will vote to accept the minutes at the next meeting.
2014
Calendar of Events: EMHS events are noted in bold
print and
other
events are noted in italics.
June 12- Campbell’s Greenhouse in North Branch
June 11-14 AHS National Convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
June 11-14 AHS National Convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
June 20 - 22 Great Lakes Region Tailgate -
Dayton OH area
June 28 Hosta Show and Sale at MSU, East
Lansing
July 10- Garden Meeting at The Jessop’s with
“Music in the Garden” featuring Steve Prince
July 27 . Ed Elslager Hybridizers Group, Ann Arbor
Aug 14- Garden Meeting at Diana O’Riordan’s
Aug. 24 Annual Meeting and Workday, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton
Sept 11- EMHS Plant Exchange at Pam Walmsley’s
Oct 9- Mayfield Twp. Hall, speaker Tony Reznicek
Nov- No Meeting
Nov. 2 Ed Elslager Hybridizers Group, Ann Arbor
Dec 11- Mayfield Twp. Hall, EMHS Christmas Party
July 10- Garden Meeting at The Jessop’s with
“Music in the Garden” featuring Steve Prince
July 27 . Ed Elslager Hybridizers Group, Ann Arbor
Aug 14- Garden Meeting at Diana O’Riordan’s
Aug. 24 Annual Meeting and Workday, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton
Sept 11- EMHS Plant Exchange at Pam Walmsley’s
Oct 9- Mayfield Twp. Hall, speaker Tony Reznicek
Nov- No Meeting
Nov. 2 Ed Elslager Hybridizers Group, Ann Arbor
Dec 11- Mayfield Twp. Hall, EMHS Christmas Party
This is the extra space that needs to be filled with your articles of
information for EMHS. Please give any
information you want added to the monthly newsletter or the blog to Glen or
email it to pacegardens@charter.net
Below are two articles reprinted from the Central Illinois
Hosta Society courtesy of the AHS Newsletter Exchange
Summer Alert -Beware
___________________________________________
Most reference books on hosta will report that they are quite
adaptable to dry shade conditions once they have become established. While this
may be true, there is also a practical limit to most generalizations.
During the growing season the hosta rhizome or crown is
building reserves that will be used the following spring. Large amounts of
water are also required to replace the natural transpiration that occurs with
the large leaves. If (as we typically do in the Midwest) encounter a prolonged
spell of hot, dry weather, the rhizome will spend reserves to support the
plant.
Ever wonder why a hosta appears OK at the end of the year,
but appears much smaller and/or less vigorous the following spring, or (even
worse) fails to reappear altogether the following spring? This is most likely
the result of a decline in the crown mass the previous summer.
So what to do if we do encounter a typical Kansas City summer
with day upon day of hot temperatures and extended dry spells? Avoid the stress
by watering deeply at least once a week during the summer if we don’t receive
any help from Mother Nature. Optimum moisture is reported between one and one
and a half inches of water per week during the growing season. This is
especially important if your hostas receive significant levels of direct sun
exposure.
Watering time is also important. Watering in the morning will
help discourage both slugs and fungal activity. Use of soaker hoses works well.
When watering blue leafed hostas avoid overhead watering of the leaves which
can slowly destroy the glaucous bloom (i.e. the waxy covering that makes a
green hosta appear blue). Residual water droplets on any leaf which is followed
by sun exposure can also result in leaf burn.
By Rob Mortko
Hostas that
Tolerate Dry Shade
_______________________________________________
Dry shade can be the result of several different situations.
The first scenarios that came to my mind were areas that couldn’t be reached by
a water hose, gardens that rely on the limited availability of well water, and
the areas directly under wide roof overhangs. I was reminded that hosta
gardeners regularly experience dry shade conditions due to plantings under
trees, most notably shallow rooted trees like maples.
Without amending the soil prior to planting and receiving
average amounts of moisture, there may not be any hosta that will grow well
year after year in dry shade. This article focuses on hostas that when grown in
well prepared amended soil will tolerate dry locations, but not actually prefer
this condition. A top dressing of organic mulch (garden compost, mushroom
compost or well-rotted wood chips to name a few) will keep the soil cooler,
retain moisture longer and reduce evaporation.
When hostas are grown under trees, possibly the most
important factor is the type of tree itself. Oak and hickory trees (deep roots)
are reasonable to grow hostas under, silver maples are not (shallow roots), at
least not without daily care as Lou Holverson does in her wonderful garden. Kay
Dye believes that the most difficult area to grow hostas in is anywhere in the
vicinity of the outer edge of a tree’s drip line, no matter what type of tree,
as their roots are most competitive in this area.
As far as hosta that will tolerate dry shade, Kay developed a
list of good performers in her gardens using the following criteria:
§ They
were growing in an area that either, is not watered or experiences periods of
hotter sun conditions, causing the soil to dry out, even if they do get
occasional water.
§ They
maintain or increase in size from one year to the next.
§ They
are not typically susceptible to crown rot.
§ They
look good from August until first frost.
Below is her list, in no particular order. The
majority of the following are large hostas. Possibly their tolerance to dry
shade is due to a larger root system being more capable of extracting moisture
from the soil. An interesting side note, Kay has not noticed any of these
hostas form the fairy ring (center clump dieback).
Kay believes these hostas (listed below) actually
prefer well drained to dry conditions.
Abba Dabba Do
Abiqua Drinking Gourd
Bright Lights
Choko Nishiki / On Stage*
Christmas Tree
City Lights
fortunei
Albomarginata
fortunei
Aureomarginata
Gold Edger**
Gold Regal
Gold Standard
Golden Waffles
Halcyon
High Noon
Invincible
June
Leola Fraim
Most of the Tiara Group
Mountain Snow
Nigrescens
Olive Bailey Langdon*
Permanent Wave
Prairie Glow
Sagae
Shogun
Sparkling Burgundy
Summer Serenade
Sun Power
Sweet Home Chicago
Tenryu
ventricosa
ventricosa
Aureomarginata
Zounds*
**In Kay’s garden, this hosta has been susceptible
to crown rot, but it made the list because it has proven to be “such a trooper
in hot dry conditions”.
Keep in mind that the above is Kay’s thoughts based
upon plants grown in her gardens. I am sure if you asked other gardeners, there
would be some duplication of names, plus some additional names. Ray Wiegand
(Ohio) states Sweet Susan, Undulata and Fortunei Albopicta survive in a real
dry northern exposure under a roof eave. Additionally, I did find two references
stating Jason and Katie will tolerate dry conditions.
Of course, there are no guarantees all of the above
will tolerate the variable dry shade conditions in every garden.
Recapping, I think it is safe to say there are
hostas that will tolerate dry shade, but to improve the likelihood of success,
keep the following tips in mind:
§ Improving
the composition of the soil, adding significant amounts of moisture retentive
well-rotted composts is critical.
§ Use an
organic mulch (not fresh) to retain moisture. It is important to pull the
compost a few inches away from the base of each hosta to lessen the possibility
of crown and/or petiole rot.
§ A consistent season long watering program will also
improve your chances for success.
There are a couple pluses to gardening in dry shade.
Slugs do not live in dry locations and the likelihood of crown rot and/or
petiole rot is significantly less. Of course, most people would agree there are
more severe negatives than positives. These include:
Hostas without sufficient amounts of water
throughout the growing season are more likely to develop dry rot of the crown
over the winter, resulting in much smaller hostas the following season and
possibly the complete loss of others.
Competition for moisture and
nutrients from shallow rooted trees is a constant challenge. Hostas grown under
shallow rooted trees typically require more watering for optimum size increase.
Keep in mind that tree canopies often prevents light rains from reaching the
ground. In years of average or more amounts of rainfall, mature clumps of
hostas can survive with no supplemental watering. Remember the advice of Bob
Solberg; if you are not going to water - DON’T START, if you are going to water
- DON’T STOP!
By Ray Rodgers, CIHS
Comments to the EMHS blog: I am mentioning blog posting to let you know that your comments to the blog can be published too. All you have to do is go to the EMHS blog at http://easternmichiganhostasociety.blogspot.com/ and comment to a blog posting which will alert me that you have made a comment. Once I deem the comment valid for publishing I will okay and it will automatically be posted. Please note that I cannot edit or spell check your comments, all I can do is to publish, ignore, or delete your comments. All comments will be screened by me to deter any vulgarity or inappropriate comments being published to the EMHS blog. Glen
Club Members selling Hosta or related products;
Please call or email to set an appointment before visiting
Daniels, Marlene, Bottle Wind chimes. 810-664-8317gardenfairy50@aol.com
Hanner, Mark/Becky- Pottery. 810-631-4292, mhanner@aol.com
Hunter, Barb- Hosta, Daylilies, Pond supplies. 810-664-7531, baha@chartermi.net
Lisik, Phil/Ginger-Hosta, Daylilies, other plants. 989-642-5772, lisik46@yahoo.com
Moore, Dyane- Fairy houses https://www.facebook.com/GardenArtAndMoore
Moore, Dyane- Fairy houses https://www.facebook.com/GardenArtAndMoore
Pickard, Carolyn- Daylilies, Hosta. 989-871-2873,robfamily5@yahoo.com
Salk, Pat/Bill Kapustka, Daylilies. 810-678-3519,daylilyabode@msn.com
Smith, Stan/Mary Lou, Concrete leaves, toad houses. 989-845-3455
Websites of Interest:
American Hosta Society-http://www.americanhostasociety.org/
American Hosta Society Convention Website-http://www.hosta2012.com/
AHS Hosta Library Website-http://www.hostalibrary.org/
Michigan Hosta Society Website-http://www.hostahappenings.com/
Eastern Michigan Hosta Society blog-http://easternmichiganhostasociety.blogspot.com/
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 are $15 per household for up to two people, good for 2 years. Make checks payable to: The Michigan Hosta Society and send to; Michigan Hosta Society, 2509 Wembly Lane, Troy, MI 48084-1280
Eastern Michigan Hosta Society, Dues $5 per year per household, Make check payable to EMHS and mail to: Barb Hunter, EMHS Treasurer, 316 Davis Lake Rd. Lapeer, MI 48746
EMHS Board of Officers:
President Glen Pace
pacegardens@charter.net 989-244-4029
Vice-President Pam Walmsley
---no email--- 810-964-2311
Treasurer Barb Hunter
baha@chartermi.net 810-664-7531
Secretary Marlene Daniels
gardenfairy50@aol.com 810-664-8317
Past President Mark Hanner
mhanner@aol.com 810-631-4292
