Wendy’s World

armer temperatures can’t come soon enough for

me! After spending long days indoors all winter

I look forward with much anticipation to being

outdoors. I have spent some of my time thinking about the

upcoming growing season and the changes I want to make

in my hosta garden. Perhaps you have done the same.

Unfortunately, during a couple weeks while in Texas, deer

decided that my arborvitae shrubs were tasty and

“reshaped” them by eating the lower reachable branches.

We quickly tried to salvage what was left by wrapping deer

proof netting around them which seemed to work. Too bad

we didn’t foresee that before the damage was done. It will

take a few years for them to regain their shape. Deer

proofing the arborvitae will be an annual late fall task from

now on at my house. Previous years were not a problem

for us but perhaps the many continuous days of snow

covering the ground this year made the difference since

food was getting scarce for the deer. Next will be to keep

them from eating my hostas this summer!

In February while in Texas, I picked up 250 brand new

metal plant markers from a manufacturer in Garland for

use at the Illinois Central College AHS Hosta Display

Gardens. This was made possible with nearly $600 in

donations from CIHS and the Midwest Regional Hosta

Society combined. CIHS prides itself in supporting

gardens accessed by the public thanks to our member’s

efforts. ICC is very grateful.

Mid to late March is when I start pruning shrubs then

picking up fallen tree branches and leaves from my own

hosta beds so new growth can emerge where I can see

them. I have already purchased online some Nemastop

which I wrote about last October to kill nematodes in

problem areas that I identified last year. I want to be ready

for the exact time when I see hostas starting to emerge so I

can drench them with my first application. This is the time

of year you can be proactive to prevent nematode leaf

damage. Waiting until later is not a sure bet in preventing

them.

I have seen posts on our Facebook page from Paul Dale who

has been busy growing hostas from seed. Winter usually is

downtime but not for some adventurous growers. I love seeing

the different leaf patterns and colors in seed trays. Hosta

growing is not just all about buying them at garden centers or

online! Who knows – if you grow your own you may have one

to register with the American Hosta Society and name it

yourself.

March 19th at 6:30 PM is our first meeting of the season and I

hope to see everyone there. Bring your friends! We meet at

Freedom Hall, 349 W. Birchwood St., Morton IL. Our very

own Education Chairpersons Ella Maxwell and Bob

Streitmatter will have presentations about growing hostas

including some tips you may not have heard yet. They have

broad experience and knowledge having built their careers in

horticulture. We will also have a silent auction of some garden

ornaments donated to us from one of our members, Chuck

Crider. It will be a good opportunity to add to your own

collection if you are lucky.

I am also announcing that our April 16th meeting at the same

location and time will be very special this year because we will

be celebrating our 30th year as an organization in the Peoria

area! We plan to have our annual potluck along with special

celebration displays to view and some reminiscing of past

activities we have held including remembering the people who

have been important our chapter. We definitely have a lot to

celebrate. It should be fun!

Lastly, please pay your 2019 membership dues if you have not

already done so at last year’s September Banquet. Kaeli

McIntire will be collecting dues at the March meeting.

Memberships can be purchased with mailed or emailed

newsletter options. Emailed newsletters save money for CIHS

and members. The registration form is also found on the back

page of this newsletter. See you at the next meeting!

Wendy Kamischke, CIHS President

W

Central Illinois Hosta Society March 2019

www.cihshostaclub.org Volume 25, issue 1

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

2

________________________________________________________________

Our Next

Meeting March 19, 2019

Program: Working with

Hosta…by Ella Maxwell and

Bob Streitmatter

Freedom Hall

349 W. Birchwood

Morton, IL

The program, Working with

Hosta, will explore the design

of shade gardens,

incorporating hosta and the amazing diversity of companion plants. The discussion

will also include a few pests/diseases, sometimes encountered.

Silent Auction!!! CIHS has been given the opportunity to share some of Chuck and

Donna Crider’s cool yard ornaments, since they have downsized. We will have a

silent auction at this meeting, and everyone will have a chance to choose a special

reminder of our friends and add something to decorate their garden. Come see the

Cranes, Japanese Lantern, Whale, Frogs and other interesting pieces. Looking

forward to this! Directions: From interstate 155 take the Birchwood exit, turn east

towards Morton. The Birchwood exit is the first exit south of the I-74 and I-155

junction. Morton Park will be off to your left and the building is at 349 W. Birchwood

Street.

________________________________________________________________

2019 CIHS Calendar If you are interested in opening your garden

for a meeting in 2019, please contact Jane Mottram

or any board member. We’d love to see your garden.

March 19, 2019

Program: Ella/Bob, Hosta Maladies…Hosta Gardens

Freedom Hall, Morton

April 16, 2019

Potluck, 30-year Celebration

Freedom Hall, Morton

May 21, 2019

Sue Dion/Pat (Garden next door)

East Peoria

June 12-15, 2019

AHS/MRHS Convention

Green Bay, WI

June 18, 2019

Paul Dale’s Garden

Germantown Hills

June 2019

Bus Trip

July 16, 2019

Meeting, TBD

August 20, 2019

Roger & Kathy

Becker Garden

Peoria

Sept. 17, 2019

Banquet

Speaker Bob

Solberg

Officers President

Wendy Kamischke

cihshostaclub@gmail.com

Vice President

Jane Mottram

renaire@msn.com

Second Vice President

Kay Dye

kdye1@aol.com

Third Vice Presidents

Deb Schoedel, Deb

McCollum

parttime94@aol.com,

debmccollum@gmail.com

Recording Secretary

Fran Stroemer

cfstroemer@itv-3.com

Corresponding Secretary

Maggie Keesey

309.264.2253

magskeesey@gmail.com

Treasurer

Dan McConnell

309.360.4188

drdtm1976@gmail.com

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

3

Last chance to buy your chance to win!!!

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 (kmac1342@yahoo.com or 309.202.4728),

Debbie McCollum (debmccollum@gmail.com or

309.361.4284)

________________________________________

Editor’s Note: This’s a great article from a fellow

editor…it shows that if you’re downsizing, gardening is still very possible. We often think bigger is better, but a

smaller garden can be just perfect.

t seems gardeners never have quite enough space. We

all want just a little more room for a few more plants

to make our garden great. However, for many years in

my travels I have observed impressive gardens created in

very confined areas. With the advent of social media, I am

now also treated with pictures of great little gardens from

all over the world, many of them shared by owners whose

creations might never have been seen by more than just a

few people had they not posted pictures on Facebook, etc.

Over and over, gardeners are proving that having limited

space need not prevent one from making the perfect little

jewel of a garden.

One such example is the beautiful English courtyard

garden of Mark Raw. Mark shared these pictures on the

AHS Facebook page in 2018. This little garden is just a

few feet wide and fully paved. All plants are in containers,

an advantage in small gardens since it allows you to move

them around at will to present each at its best and to

compose effective plant combinations. Note how Mark

has made use of differing sizes, colors, and textures of

plants to paint this beautiful picture. He also has made use

of the walls on either side to provide more vertical interest.

All of this in a very tiny space.

Another great example of what can be accomplished in

small spaces is the little garden of Kingsley Hubbell in

Sutherlin, Oregon. Like Mark Row, Kingsley has created

his garden jewel in a tiny area. While there are some in-

ground spaces for plants, unlike in Mark’s garden, many

of Kingsley’s plants are also planted in containers. His

arrangement of differing colors and textures is simply

superb. What an exciting little garden!

Perhaps the ultimate example of making the best use of

limited space is Hanging Gardens of Hampshire in

England created by John Baker and June Colley. On a

small roughly quarter-acre lot, John and June have

managed to combine thousands of plants, including many

hundreds of hostas, into a garden of impressive beauty. So

spectacular is it that it has been the subject of many articles

in garden magazines world-wide, including AHS’s The

Hosta Journal. As the garden name suggests, no space is

left unused. Even the walls of the house are adorned with

numerous hanging pots of hostas.

Upper left, Mark Raw

Courtyard Garden, Photo

by Mark Raw

Upper right, Kingsley

Hubbell Garden, Photo by

Kingsley Hubbell

Hanging Gardens of

Hampshire, creation of

June Colley and John

Baker, Photo by Harold

McDonell

These three gardens are proof that magnificent gardens

can be created with limited space. The secret to success is

in paying close attention to plant choices – size, texture, color – and to arrange the plants to create an exciting

display. If you can make use of vertical space as well, that

is even better. Continued on page 4

I

Membership

Memo

Impressive Gardens

in Little Spaces

4

You should never let the limitations of a small area keep

you from making that special garden you’ve always

wanted.

By Harold McDonell, reprinted from Georgia Hosta

Notes, January 2019, Editor's Message and Hosta

Ramblings

An additional photo…a vegetable/herb garden in a

skinny 5’ strip, bordering a hot concrete drive

____________________________________________

Hosta College Notes, By Karen Strider-Iiames (The

following article originally ran in Shady Business in 2013,

but it seems like a propitious time to republish it. Courtesy of the Miami Valley Hosta Society from their newsletter,

Hosta News Scapes, Spring 2013. The author recounts Bob Solberg’s presentation at the 2013 Hosta College, an

annual event organized by the Great Lakes Region.)

ob Solberg, a popular teacher and vendor at the

Great Lakes Region Hosta College, shared a list of

traits that he feels makes a hosta great. He is a

hosta hybridizer and owner of Green Hill Farm, Inc., in

Franklinton, North Carolina. While there are many good

hostas in the 8,000 named hostas, Solberg feels only a few

are truly "great." He said 'Sum and Substance' is a truly

great hosta: big and showy, and recognizable, even too

many non-hosta people. It survives in many locations.

‘Guacamole,’ introduced by Solberg, is another great

hosta. He also mentioned ‘Parhelion’ that he grows in a

plastic pot inside a concrete pot.

He asked the class, "What's your favorite hosta?" One

class member mentioned ‘Victory.’ Solberg said that is a good hosta, but the scapes can go crazy. Another class

member said, ‘Rainforest Sunrise,’ which Bob explained

can get a fungus in June. Someone else said they like

‘Paradigm.’ The point is that there are many factors that

affect how a hosta looks and grows.

Solberg noted that the American Hosta Society measures

greatness through the Benedict Garden Performance

Award: based on aesthetics, distinctiveness, multi-

seasonal interest, vigor and environmental tolerance. The

American Hosta Growers Association chooses a Hosta of

the Year. These grow well in all regions of the country,

are widely available and in sufficient supply, and retail for

about $15 in the year of selection. Here are the traits of

greatness, according to Solberg. Using this list will help

you look at hostas a little more critically.

GROWS WELL

An example is ‘Guacamole,’ especially for a beginner. As

far as growing, it's hard to beat. Solberg explained that

hybridizers don't select seedlings based on how well they

will grow, so that can be a problem.

COLOR

This is why you buy a plant and it has been Solberg's

number one trait in selecting seedlings. Colors--such as

blues, greens, golds, whites and creams – are the reason

we bring a hosta into the garden. ‘Paradigm’ is an example

of a hosta with good color. This has the best color

combination in his opinion. There's not much wrong with

this plant except the yellow may burn.

VARIEGATION

Solberg loves blue margined hostas with white or yellow

centers. He especially likes ‘High Society,’ a form of

‘June,’ because the color is tremendous. It's hard to grow

and slow, but once you get it there, it's good.

ACCESSORIES

Ruffles, puckers, cupping, twisting, petiole and scape

color are popular attributes. However, having a lot of

accessories doesn't automatically make it a great hosta.

‘Candy Dish’ is a good example of shiny and cupped

leaves. But they're slow to grow. They don't draw up the

water as well so they can rot. But it's a beautiful plant.

LARGE SIZE

‘Sum and Substance’ is a great hosta because of its size.

But all big hostas aren't great. However, Solberg says a

big clump of anything is good. ‘Blueberry Waffles’ is a

big hosta with nice puckering and beautiful blue color, but

the flowers bloom under the leaves. The original gets early

morning sun, so he suggests giving it an hour or two of

sun. But if you want any hosta to get big, don't let it get

too hot. Continued on page 5

B

What Makes a Good

Hosta Great?

5

IDENTIFIABLE

Solberg calls it recognizability. ‘June,’ ‘Sum and

Substance,’ and ‘Guacamole’ are very recognizable.

‘Curly Fries’ and ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ are also

recognizable, although smaller.

FROM A GREAT HYBRIDIZER?

Solberg said that any of us could find a sport that will be

the best hosta ever. Great hostas come from many

different sources. But some people buy hostas based on

who hybridized them. Solberg asked the class if any of

them buy hostas based on who hybridized them. A few

said they did and mentioned Mary Chastain, Mildred

Seaver and Solberg as being among their favorite

hybridizers.

GENETICS

Solberg believes there’s a huge gap between what

hybridizers produce and what consumers buy. ‘Beet

Salad’ is a fascinating hosta for hybridizers because it has

a little red edge on the outside of the leaf and passes it on

to its children. But it's not the best plant for a garden

because of slugs and it's not the most attractive hosta. But

for a hybridizer, it's a great hosta.

NAME RECOGNITION

A bad name can ruin a great hosta and a great name can

make a good hosta great. Solberg thinks ‘Sum and

Substance’ is one of the best names ever. And ‘Blue

Mouse Ears’ may be the best name ever. Once they put

that name on it, they created mouse mania.

SERIES OF SPORTS

A great hosta often produces a long line of sports.

‘Cameo’ is an example.

AVAILABILITY

If you can't find it, it's not a great hosta, Solberg said. ‘Sum

and Substance’ is readily available all over. And price is

important. If it's too expensive, it's not “available"” to you.

MARKETING

Marketing matters. Great marketing makes a great hosta.

Mostly you look at the pictures. Marketing is mostly by

the wholesaler to nurseries and nurseries to collectors.

‘Leading Lady’ is an example. A great hosta is marketed

well. ‘Empress Wu’ is one of the best marketed hostas. It

even has its own website: www.empresswu.com. It has the

biggest leaf, but not very blue, and the leaves are not very

fancy. Marketing has propelled it to one of the most

popular hostas. ‘Curly Fries’ also is popular because it has

been in the media.

CELEBRITY

We want a hosta to reach celebrity status and for people to

think it is fantastic. ‘Sum and Substance’ is an example.

Solberg says it has faults, too, but we ignore its crazy wild

flower scapes. ‘Praying Hands’ is another celebrity plant.

LONGEVITY

Solberg explained how the greatness of a hosta can

change over the years. For example, ‘Patriot’ was the

second Hosta of the Year and bumped out all the other

white edged hostas. But since the edge burns in a lot of

places, some people aren't as enthralled with it as when

it first came out. ‘Frances Williams’ was one of the

most popular hostas in the '80s and everybody wanted

it-and ignored the brown edges. Now it's not on the

popularity poll. Solberg discussed some other nice

hostas:

- ‘Millennium,’ wins the “huge lottery.” It has

- interesting color, although not the bluest, and grows

fairly fast. It came out in 2000, thus the name. The

problem is availability.

- ‘Night Before Christmas’ has good color and grows

well for a white-centered plant. The scapes aren't

bad. It was a great hosta, 10 years ago, but is subject

to slug damage. It's a wonderful plant till you grow

it for 10 years. Solberg named this plant.

- ‘First Frost’ is also a great hosta. It's pretty distinct

and still looks good in September. It grows

reasonably well. Solberg named it and marketed it,

though it is not his plant.

____________________________________________

2019

Hosta of

the Year

H. ‘Lakeside

Paisley Print’

10” Tall x 30”

Wide Pale

lavender flowers in summer Parent - Chastain seedling

X Chastain seedling (M. Chastain 2006) This truly

beautiful hosta makes a medium-sized flat mound with

its highly ruffled variegated leaves cupped up like

fancy saucers. The leaf center is a starburst of cream

color bordered by light green flashing into the wide

rich green leaf margin. Light lavender flowers appear

in July on 24” scapes. It is the ultimate specimen

hosta!

6

___________________________________________

2019 AHS

Convention

he American

Hosta Society

has held a national convention since 1968. In

the beginning, the conventions were held every other

year but has now been held annually for over 20 years.

This multi-day event is jam-packed with activity for

all. Attendees get a chance to tour several private

and/or public gardens; attend educational seminars;

compete in the Leaf Show; attend Hosta Judges

Clinics; shop several vendors featuring the latest and

greatest hosta additions, companion plants or garden-

themed accessories; bid in the auction for that unique

"must have" hosta; and best of all, meet up with old

friends and make new ones.

In addition, the Society holds its annual business

meeting, the Board of Directors meets to establish

policy, and annual awards are presented.

The annual convention is hosted by a local society, who

plans and organizes all aspects of the convention with

guidance from the American Hosta Society Convention

Committee. The Green and Gold Hosta Society of

Northeastern, Wisconsin is the proud host of the 2019

AHS Convention. Unique to this AHS convention is the

inclusion of the Midwest Hosta Society. The Midwest

Hosta Society will hold their annual members' meeting

and a silent auction at the 2019 AHS convention.

Each convention is a unique experience for all, defined

by the location and the heart of the planners. Plan on

attending another great convention where we celebrate

the uniqueness of the genus hosta and the 'friendships'

it grows. Registration form on page 7

T

7

8

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

goldaandbob@hotmail.com

Central Illinois Hosta Society

P.O. Box 3098

Peoria, IL 61612-3098

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Check us out on

www.cihshostaclub.org

For information regarding dues or membership,

contact: Deb McCollum, 309.361.4284

debmccollum@gmail.com or Kaeli McIntire

kmac1342@yahoo.com