great expectationscihshostaclub.org/archive/2019 newsletter - may.pdf · variegated hostas. these...
TRANSCRIPT
Wendy’s World
ometimes on spring days that are too wet or cold
to work in my garden, I opt to go online and look
for any new information that I don’t know about
growing hosta. On those days I think about all of the
CIHS members I’ve met who know so much more than
I do about my favorite perennial and I hope to get to
their level one day. The
last time I ventured
online I found a term
that I hadn’t seen
before, “centered out”.
Another name for this
phenomenon is a “fairy
ring”. I had heard of this
last one before. In
Spring the evidence of it
is easy to see as hostas
are emerging. I found a
clump of H. ‘Undulata
Albomarginata’ in my
own garden that was
“centered out”.
I believe it is a ten year-old hosta that former
homeowners had planted. What should I do with it? I
found two suggestions online. One was to dig out the
center soil and some inner edges of the plant, replacing
the soil, then over time it should expand back into the
center. The other option was to dig the entire clump and
divide the live portion replanting some or all of it into
one clump again. Any unused divisions can be replanted
elsewhere or given to others. These both seem like good
ways to proceed. But I have chosen another path not
mentioned, the “do nothing” option. Since H. Undulata
‘Albomarginata’ leaves are large enough when fully
grown, the empty portion just disappears, and the plant
looks good to me. Why make more work than
needed? In this case the “do nothing” option is always on
the table if I like it that way! If this hosta had been a small-
leaved variety that still had an exposed empty center mid-
summer, then I may have taken action as suggested or
maybe I would just place a favorite statue of a fairy in the
center to take advantage of it!
Last month we held our 30th year celebration at our
member meeting. It was our annual potluck with great food
shared and a specially decorated cake to
enjoy. Decorations were everywhere and lots of plants
were given away. A special thanks to Paul Dale who
donated a tray of his personally grown seedlings towards
our prize drawing. I could see that everyone was
reminiscing and having fun seeing some original members
again. I’m so thankful that our members are regularly
attending our meetings. Fellowship and learning is what it’s
all about!
Don’t forget to sign up for our annual bus trip during
May. On June 22nd we travel to Cantigny Park in Wheaton
IL which has the newest Illinois AHS Hosta Display
Garden. There are more fabulous stops and opportunities
to shop for plants. The cost is only $45 per person for this
all-day trip. Contact Deb Schoedel at [email protected]
or 309-256-0479 for reservations.
I’m looking forward to our first garden meeting of 2019 on
May 21st. Attendees are encouraged to come at 6:00 pm to
view the garden before the 6:30pm meeting. Bring your
lawn chairs. This month we travel to Sue and Karl Dion’s
garden at 139 Barrington Lane in East Peoria. Last summer
their garden was on the list of gardens that MRHS
Conference attendees could view the day after scheduled
events. We were so impressed that they were asked if all
our members could view it this year. I look forward to
seeing you in the garden.
Wendy Kamischke
CIHS President
S
Central Illinois Hosta Society May 2019
www.cihshostaclub.org Volume 25, issue 3
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
________________________________________________________________
Our Next Meeting May 21, 2019 (tour garden at 6:00 pm, meeting at 6:30 pm)
Sue & Karl Dion’s Garden
139 Barrington Lane
East Peoria, Illinois
Sue and Karl purchased their property in July of 2010. After having moved
numerous collections (sculptures, fish ponds, plants and garden art), their garden
now consist of three main areas. There is a hosta garden with a fish pond adjoining
the wooded areas. In the front there is a perennial bed with roses and in progress
is a butterfly garden alone the woods edges. The gardens contain rocks from their
many travels, vintage garden tools and garden art that represents the owner’s
various interest and humor. CIHS hopes you can join us!
Directions: I-74 E toward Bloomington. Take exit 95B onto US-150 E Camp
Street toward IL- 8E. Turn rt onto Meadow Ave. Turn left onto N. Pleasant Hill
Rd. Turn right onto Barrington Lane. Look for the CIHS welcome sign and
don’t forget your lawn chair.
_________________________________________________________
Hostas of the Month Rainbows End Hosta (S) Excellent small clump. Dark green foliage with
lighter central flare, turning white by summer. Lavender flowers on red
scapes. “One of my favorites,” Pinky.
Smash Hit Hosta Sport of Orange Marmalade. “One of my favorites,” Carol
Coast to Coast Hosta (ML) Emerges chartreuse yellow, turns light gold in
summer. Heavy puckered and wavy leaves form on upright vase-shaped clump.
Bowles Golden Sedge (1-2’height) Bright yellow leaves in spring are especially
striking. Best color in full sun, but it also brightens shaded areas, contrasting the
blues and greens of hosta.
________________________________________________________________
2019 CIHS Calendar If you are interested in opening your garden
for a meeting in 2019, please contact Jane Mottram
[email protected] or any board member.
We’d love to see your garden.
May 21, 2019, 6:30 pm
Sue Dion/Pat (plus garden next door)
East Peoria
June 12-15, 2019
AHS/MRHS Convention
Green Bay, WI
June 18, 2019, 6:30 pm
Paul Dale’s Garden
Germantown Hills
June 22, 2019
Bus Trip
Cantigny & shopping
July 16, 2019, 6:30 pm
Meeting, TBD
August 20, 2019, 6:30 pm
Roger & Kathy Becker Garden
Peoria
Sept. 17, 2019
Banquet
Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse
Speaker Bob Solberg
East Peoria
Officers President
Wendy Kamischke
Vice President
Jane Mottram
Second Vice President
Kay Dye
Third Vice Presidents
Deb Schoedel, Deb
McCollum
Recording Secretary
Fran Stroemer
Corresponding Secretary
Maggie Keesey
309.264.2253
Treasurer
Dan McConnell
309.360.4188
To Join: Central Illinois Hosta Soc.
$10 or $15/year
form on back
Midwest Reg. Hosta Society
$20/2 years
Send dues to:
Barbara Schroeder,
Treasurer
1819 Coventry Drive
Champaign, IL 61822-5239
American Hosta Society
$30 individual, $80/3 years
$34 family, $90/3 years
Send dues to:
Sandie Markland
AHS Membership Secretary
Post Office Box 7539
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
Last chance to buy your chance to win!!!
Lots of new faces for March and April! We would like
to welcome our newest members.
Eve Ackerman, Janet Rendleman, and Jan Kelly, all
from Morton
Ellen Denler, from Pekin
Ann Eccleston, from East Peoria
Michelle Shenaut, from Tremont
Bonnie Wallick, from Washburn
Frank King, from Washington
Michelle Bernauer, from Deer Creek
Need to renew your membership? We offer access to
the electronic newsletter for $10/year OR a paper copy
mailed to you for $15/year.
If you have any questions regarding your membership,
please contact us. CIHS Membership Co-Chairs: Kaeli
McIntire ([email protected] or 309.202.4728),
Debbie McCollum ([email protected] or
309.361.4284)
One of the
benefits of
being a CIHS
Member is
our Hosta
Sale! So
please renew! Hosta can be ordered at the next meeting,
but quantities are limited…so order yours soon!
This the list of our hostas from Bob Solberg, Green Hill
Farms. I am excited about them! Most of them are from
the Top 25, and a couple from our special Club list. Visit
www.hostahosta.com and preview them!
Small Hosta:
Fairy Dust, $15
Mouse Madness, $15
Medium Hosta:
Holar Purple Flash, $20
Lemon Snap, $20
Large Hosta:
Gabriel's Wing, $20
Viking Ship, $15
World Cup, $15
If not able to come to the meeting, please email or call
me and I will reserve one for you. You can pay me at the
next meeting.
Maggie Keesey
309-264-2253
Plants can be picked up at Luthy Botanical Garden on
Wednesday, June 5th, starting at 5 pm; or at the June 18th
Meeting (Paul Dale’s Garden).
________________________________________
‘Old Reliables’ Anchor Groups of Hostas
ust the other day, I was looking for a spot to plant
five new hostas. I hadn’t planned on buying any
plants, but those cute little ‘Lakeside Cupcakes’
jumped into my cart – all by themselves. I swear, I didn’t
even touch them! If these plants wanted to live at my
house that badly, I couldn’t put them back on the bench,
could I? Could you? I digress.
As I walked around the yard, from bed to bed and border
to border, looking for the perfect home for my new
babies, I noticed something about the way I have planted
my hostas.
At least one classic hosta anchored each grouping. I
hadn’t consciously planted them like that. In fact, I had
never even noticed it before. Upon reflection, it isn’t
surprising. These classic varieties are old reliables in my
landscape for several good reasons – they are beautiful,
dependable, inex-pensive and easy to combine with other
hostas.
‘Krossa Regal’ grows very large – up to three feet tall.
Tall flower scapes rise high above thick, silvery blue-
green leaves in mid to late summer.
Continued on page 4
J
Membership
Memo
Gardening with
Hostas
Solberg Hosta
Order
The variegated sport of ‘Krossa Regal’, ‘Regal
Splendor’, is another commonly-used classic. It is
similar in size but shows off creamy white margins. The
vase shape of these hostas adds interest to groups
occupied by rounded mounds.
‘Halcyon’ is often included in groupings because it holds
its blue color longer than most. At the front of the border,
this small hosta grows in clumps jam-packed with
foliage.
‘August Moon’ forms a dense mound of corrugated,
heart-shaped leaves that unfurl chartreuse but age to
golden yellow where it receives direct sunlight all
morning.
‘Gold Edger’ brings yellow to the front of the garden. A
group of three small plants have formed a dense, weed-
choking mass of small, heart-shaped golden foliage
around the base of a hydrangea on a standard. The golden
yellow foliage of ‘August Moon’ and ‘Gold Edger’ are
like rays of sunshine in hosta combinations.
Hosta 'Gold Edger'
brightens hostas
groupings.
‘Fragrant Bouquet’ grows in medium-sized mounds of
apple-green leaves edged in creamy yel-low. Very
fragrant, white flowers bloom in August.
And then there’s ‘June’.
My favorite small hosta boasts thick, golden-centered
leaves with blue-green margins that streak irregularly
into leaf centers when planted in morning sun. Where it
is grown in shade, the centers of leaves are chartreuse.
The variegated foliage of ‘Fragrant Bouquet’ and ‘June’
blend beautifully with both solid-colored and other
variegated hostas. These favorites just make me happy.
‘Second Wind’ (pic above) is my go-to hosta when I am
designing large groups of hostas. Its thick, leathery,
very dark green leaves make every other hosta next to it
look amazing! It makes gold hostas look brighter, blue
hostas look bluer, and sharpens the contrast of
variegated
hostas.
Hosta
'Second
Wind' makes
every hosta
planted
beside it look
better.
I found the perfect place for my new hostas. Five
‘Lakeside Cupcakes’ will be welcomed to the garden by
a grouping of several hostas that includes, as expected,
‘Regal Splendor’ and ‘Gold Edger’.
Written by Diana Stoll, and reprinted from the
September 2018 issue of Hosta Happenings, newsletter
of the Northern Illinois Hosta Society; photos by Diana
Stoll
___________
henever I give a talk
to a hosta group, the
question always
comes up, “What kind of
fertilizer do you use.” I'm
never quite sure if they believe
that growers like me have
some kind of magic plant food that we use to grow our
hostas bigger and better or that if they really want to
know what, when and how to fertilize their hostas.
In the garden hostas need light, water, and nutrients for
healthy growth. Any fertilization program must take all
these as well as soil type in to account and balance the
needs of the hosta. If you water a lot you will need to
fertilize more often during the season as watering leaches
nitrogen away from the plant (and/or garden). Continued
on page 5
W
What Kind of Fertilizer
Do You Use?
If your garden is very shady over fertilization will not
necessarily produce bigger hostas because of the lack of
light. Sandy soils will leach nutrients faster than clay
soils. Get to know your garden.
There are organic and inorganic fertilizers. Both contain
the same nutrients (chemicals) but they come from
different sources. At the cellular level hostas “see” these
nutrients identically. Organic fertilizers tend to have
lower analysis numbers than inorganic ones and thus
tend to burn less but you will need to apply them in larger
amounts to apply the same amount of nutrients, making
them often more expensive in time and money. They may
also attract rodents (code word, voles) since several of
the materials used as sources of nitrogen in organic
fertilizers like cottonseed meal and alfalfa meal are used
as animal feeds. Manure is a good cheap organic
fertilizer that should not burn if properly composted.
Both types of fertilizers come as a liquid feed, a granular
and a slow release. Liquid fertilizer, Peter’s 20-20-20,
Miracle-Gro, Fish Emulsion, etc., can be used as a drench
into the soil or sprayed on the leaves only as a foliar
spray. (If his is the only type of fertilizer you use then a
drench is more effective.) Liquid fertilizer needs to be
applied to hostas at least once every two weeks during
the growing season if not weekly since it remains in the
root zone for only a short period of time.
Standard inorganic granular fertilizers like 10-10-10 are
quite inexpensive and remain in the garden 4-6 weeks
depending on the amount of rainfall. Thus two to three
applications are necessary, beginning as the hostas
emerge and ending when their growth slows in the heat
of summer. Beware! Formulations with a high
percentage of urea will release their nitrogen in a short
period of time in periods of high rainfall and at best be
washed from the garden or at worst burn your
plants.
Slow release fertilizers like Osmocote and Nutricote
release nutrients over time dependent on temperature and
rainfall and have the advantage of only needing to be
applied once a year. They come in a variety of
formulations with hostas preferring a nitrogen number of
18-21. Choose a time of release, 3 months to 9 months
that matches the active growing season for your hostas.
Many bagged organic fertilizers release their nitrogen
slowly also and can be treated as slow release fertilizers
and applied just once a year.
Which fertilizer you choose probably has more to do with
you than your hostas. What kind of gardener you are and
how often you want to feed your hostas? If you enjoy
preparing snacks for your hostas and want to shower
them with tender loving care, then liquid fertilizers once
a week during the growing season is the way for you to
go. If you are a lazy gardener like me or one just pressed
for time, then you should choose a 9-month slow release
formula and fertilize once a year when your hostas first
start emerging from their winter’s nap. The important
thing is to have nutrients available when your hostas are
actively growing, from emergence to fall.
Probably the best way to fertilize is a combination of the
two. Apply a organic or inorganic slow release fertilizer
in early spring. Then supplement this with foliar
applications of a high nitrogen liquid fertilizer with
Epsom Salts (18-24 nitrogen) maybe twice, a couple of
weeks apart while the hostas are growing at their most
rapid rate. For us that is around the first and fiftieth of
May. An application or two of 10-10-10 liquid fertilizer
can also be applied in August when the hostas make their
“little flush” of new foliage, especially if all the slow
release nitrogen has been released by high summer
temperatures and rainfall. This diet is sure to fatten up
your hostas.
What fertilizer do we use in here in the nursery? We grow
all our hostas in containers, so we can control as much as
possible the environment in which we grow our hostas.
Currently, we are using a slow release “Nutricote”
product sold by Florikan that has been blended with some
soluble urea and magnesium. It is actually three
fertilizers in one. Since we want nitrogen available from
day one for our newly planted liners, there is some
soluble nitrogen for the first week or two. Then some 10-
10-10 like fertilizer with magnesium for the second and
third weeks and then in the third week the Nutricote kicks
in. The Nutricote works great in regions of the country
that have hot summers, releasing its nutrients evenly into
the fall. Our formulation is 14-5-10 and because we
would like the nitrogen number to be up near 20 we apply
the fertilizer at the “high” recommended rate rather than
the normal rate.
We like this fertilizer so much that we now sell 20-pound
buckets of it here at the nursery under our own private
label. It is called “Green Hill Hosta Fertilizer” and we are
now licensed as a fertilizer manufacturer in North
Carolina. Sorry the law does not allow us to ship our
fertilizer to other states but you can legally come to the
nursery, pick it up, (with a few new hostas to boot), and
take it back home. Our local customers keep coming
back for more! Continued on page 6
Tips to remember:
1. Use a foliage feed as a supplemental feed especially
for magnesium (Epsom salts 50 ppm) and trace elements
when your hostas are actively making new leaves.
2. Hosta roots do not grow during the winter. They stop
growing when the plant goes dormant and begin only
after the soil has warmed in the spring. New roots are not
made until after the first flush of foliage has unfurled.
Winter fertilization for added root growth is unnecessary.
3. You can test your soil throughout the season to
measure the available nutrients in the soil. It may be more
fun to test your hosta leaves for their nutrient content.
Hosta leaves can be tested by most State Labs to
determine the amount of nutrients that actually are
available in the plant not just in the soil.
Notes from Bob Solberg 8/22/18 – “We have now
changed fertilizers again. We use a formulation from
Harrell’s, a slow release 17-6-12. The reasons for the
change have to do with the fertilizer but mostly how it
can be purchased, I do not need a broker to get it sent to
me, I can deal directly with Harrell’s. It also seems to
work as well or better than the Nutricote. Editor’s Note:
Harrell’s sells online in 50 lb. bags.
by Bob Solberg
(This article is courtesy of the Northern Illinois Hosta
Society from their newsletter, Hosta Happenings, Issue
106, March 2019.)
____________________________________________
fter the frantic pace of spring and early summer
when mulching, edging and weeding consume
all our energy, mid and late summer allow time
to “smell the roses”. On closer inspection some of our
hostas look a bit off.
Whatever has happened to our beautiful H. ‘Alex
Summers’? Half the clump is now all gold. Where has
the stunning blue and green variegation that we love so
much gone? ‘Alex Summers’ has decided to either put
out a new distinct plant called a sport or revert back to
the color and form of one of its parents. It didn’t take
much research to determine which scenario was most
likely.
Note the
upper
leaves
are solid
gold
while the
lower
are
normal.
Reviewing the parentage of the hosta through the AHS
Hosta Registry (http://www.hostaregistrar.org/), we
found that ‘Alex Summers’ is a sport of H. ‘Gold Regal’.
The golden half of my clump certainly looks like ‘Gold
Regal’. The coloring, leaf shape and upright form are
very similar.
Reversion is a natural process which sometimes occurs
in hostas. Some cultivars are more prone to this than
others. All parts of the plant are healthy. It is just
changing, one division at a time, returning to the make-
up of one of its parents. At first it will be one or two eyes,
but if left unchecked, the entire plant will eventually
revert.
What to do? If the whole plant has changed, it is too late.
There is no way to recover the original plant. But if just
a part of the plant has reverted, then the solution is to
remove the affected part. Trace the leaves back to the
base of the plant and cut out the whole section (all the
eyes) with a sharp knife. For small and medium hostas,
if we have the time, we remove the plant from the ground
and pull the divisions apart. We then replant the original
piece as we would any new hosta. If the reverted piece is
nice, such as the part taken from ‘Alex Summers’, we
save it for use in pots or corners of the garden that don’t
get as much care and attention.
If a large mature plant, it may be enough just to take off
the affected leaves and stems. This is a temporary
cosmetic fix. The reverted leaves will grow back.
Fall is the perfect time to perform this surgery. Just do
the operation early enough that roots have time to get
established before a hard frost occurs. Continued on
page 7
A
Yikes!
What’s Happening to
my Hosta?
H. 'Galaxy'. Note
the upper leaves
resemble one of
its parents
sieboldiana
‘Elegans’. We dug
up the plant and
removed all the
dark blue-green
reverted divisions
Reprinted from the St. Louis Hosta Society Newsletter:
Shady Notes, September 2017 Reprinted courtesy of AHS
newsletter exchange
____________________________________________
Companion
Corner
Solomon’s Seal
Polyganatum biflorum
Height 2-3’, Spread 1-2’
Partial Shade to Full Shade
The bell-shaped flowers, in
spring, are cream with
greenish tips and hang along
the stems under the foliage. Following the flowers in late
summer are pendulous blue-black berries. Its habit is
palm-like with bright green leaves, alternately, placed
along an arching stem. This foliage takes on the most
beautiful golden yellow in the fall. Native to the
midwestern woodlands, it prefers rich, moist, humusy
soil in a shade garden, a great textural contrast with
hosta, Pulmonaria, ginger and fern. Related is the Giant
Solomon’s Seal Polyganatum commutatum, similar to P.
biflorum except it is proportionately larger, reaching 3-
4’ in height. In a woodland garden, it’s an incredible
specimen.
Variegated Solomon’s Seal
Polyganatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’
Height 2-3’, Spread 1-2’
Partial Shade to Full Shade
Slightly arched stems with bright green palm-like foliage
with creamy white edges; in the fall, the foliage turns a
soft yellow. The fragrant, bell-shaped flowers hang
below the foliage. As with P. biflorum, it too is meant
for the shade garden in rich moist soil, planted with
hosta, fern and the like. It will gradually spread from
creeping fleshy roots.
CIHS Membership Form (please print)
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newsletter: New Renewal Amount enclosed__________________
Make check payable to CIHS and mail check/form to: Central Illinois
Hosta Society, P.O. Box 3098, Peoria, IL 61612-3098
Newsletter Deadline: 20th
of the preceding month
Submit items for
publication to: Bob
Streitmatter
309.264.4813
Central Illinois Hosta Society
P.O. Box 3098
Peoria, IL 61612-3098
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For information regarding dues or membership,
contact: Deb McCollum [email protected] or
Kaeli McIntire [email protected]