There is NO Hosta Society in the state of Texas! ... its sad because we are the biggest state in the union and the American Hosta Society is a world wide organization ... and we grow Hosta ... lots of Hostas! Enough Hostas that we should have our own organization. So after talking to several executives at the AHS it was suggested that we start our own. I was then introduced to Mr. Mike Chambers who is presently the Regional Director of the Dixie Region, his tenure ends at the end of the month and then he becomes National Director of Membership for the AHShe was very excited and sent all kinds of material to make this happen. At this point I contacted Nikki Crain who is the Marketing and Promotional Director of North Haven Gardens off Central Expressway. Now she is really excited! She planning all the publicity and promotions around this meeting. So mark your calendars
for SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27 2008 to be at NORTH HAVEN GARDENS for this affair.
Mr. Chamber will do a class on Hosta Basics and emphasis how different growing Hostas are in the south. Mr. Chambers will bring handouts and show slides of his garden and talk a little about making beds and growing in pots. He keep about 75 in pots year round, can you imagine?.
Some of his programs include Hosta Basics, Putting Hostas to bed for the winter, Hosta Propagation, and Judging Hosta Shows.
I think the Hosta Basics will be best because it will open up a lot of good questions and discussion for newer Hosta gardeners.
Mr. Chambers just finish writing an article with two friends that will be in our Hosta newsletter in August. It is called “Southern Hostas? Maybe Not … “. It talks about the species that do not like the south and gives a list of Hosta varieties that have killed several times in his hometown of Memphis. He intends to circulate copies and we will be the first to see. them
He will bring brochures for the American Hosta Society and they have a new booklet that is for sale for I think is $2 which is called Hosta Adventure. It is the best primer for beginners..
I started to do a DG blast for people whom I thought was interested in Hostas, but I did not want to miss anyone as we want everybody involved ... get in gear and support Texas.
Input is needed ...more information to follow and questions will be answered to the best of my knowledge
Thanks Sylvia
http://www.americanhostasociety.org//index.htm
This message was edited Jul 10, 2008 9:00 PM
Texas Hosta Society? Dallas Hosta Society?
forgot to post pictures
I'm interested Sylvia...I believe I've only gotten ones that don't like the south or Texas heat...But I sure do love their forms and texture...will be waiting with bated breath...
"eyes"
Thanks Eyes, I got you on my Blast list!
I'm interested, but I don't know if I can go to the meeting. Where is North Haven Gardens? Dallas? Put me on the list anyway and we'll see.
I actually just planted some hostas I ordered from Hosta Patch this week, and I was coming to this forum to see if there were many other Texans doing hostas. I know with the heat it's kinda risky planting anything right now, but I figured since they're in the shade and I know I can keep them watered, I'd give it a try.
I found out from Tom at Hosta Patch why the big Frances Williams I was so crazy about didn't make it. Turns out it wasn't me. FW is one of the ones that doesn't like the heat. He said the ones that come from the fragrant lines do the best in the heat and also the ones that have Lakeside in the name. I know there are others that will do okay too, but those are the groups he recommended. I got some Junes, a Loyalist, a Liberty, an Aphrodite and a Sagae.
Northhaven Road is actually off of Central Expressway (75) on the southbound service road.
Thanks for doing this Sylvia! I have put it on my calendar. :-)
put me down, I think I can make it. My daughter lives at Central Expressway and Northpark mall area so that shouldn't be too far from her if I want to visit
I have hostas in hanging pots here and some in the ground..LOL...Thanks for the heads up about The Meeting...will check with daughter to see when she coming to Texas for school..She is in the Air Force...
well remind me closer to time school will be back in gear so my sat should be free unless they toss a trip at me
I have hostas under several trees now thanks to the RU's and Sylvia
Awesome!!! Thanks for the great response.
Peeper some great information.... Thanks! Mine did not come back either and I was going to plant another. I have the ones you mention above, but I need to check on Sagae and see if its still out there ... its such a slow grower. I have several Lakeside plants and I think I know why they do well here. The hybridizer is Mary Chaistain of South Carolina, also Solberg is another famous hybirdizer that lives in the south ... who ... but them can create a Hosta for the south.
I would like to learn about Hostas too. They grew easily up north and I love their form, but I have had no luck here between the slugs and being a stingy waterer!
Hostas do Love water . I installed that micro tubing system. It takes the water directly to the roots.
Sounds interesting.
Yeah, I have the drip irrigation system in my yard too, but it hasn't made it over to the new hosta bed yet, so I've just been using the old hose almost every morning.
Sylvia, you stated the exact same reason Tom said the Lakeside hostas do well. He mentioned that the hybridizer was from the south. Do the Solberg hostas have a specific word to watch for in their name too?
I asked Tom about the ones I ordered before I placed the order and he said those should be okay in the South, so hopefully they'll do well. If you go to the Hosta Patch website and click on the articles link there is an article about Hostas in the south there, and several other good ones.
There is a list of Bob Solberg's introductions on this page. They're marked with a red heart.
http://www.hostahosta.com/Rframe.html
Another Southern hybridizer, on a smaller scale, is Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery in NC.
This is wonderful, Sylvia. I have put this on my calendar and will be sure to attend, come H or high water. I love the hostas I have, although, this year, I have lost about three. But I know that hostas can be grown in our area, because on one of the garden tours I went on several years ago, there was a lady in Arlington (wish I could remember her name) whose whole backyard was filled with hostas. I am so looking forward to this meeting.
I will post this on other sites where I know there is an interest in growing hostas in Texas, Sylvia. Hope you don't mind.
Not at all Adelaine ... please do! and put some fire under Sheila ... she has nothing else to do since she became vagrant! LOL Where is Sheila anyway, haven't seen her around lately ... hope husband is Ok.
Tony Avent is big in the world ... he travels all over the place. I just love to read the stories at his site ..... he is such a wonderful writer..
Here is the latest info I found on the event: Saturday, September 27, 1:30 - 3:30pm "Hostas for the South" by Mike Chambers, Mid-South Hosta Society, bio here.We are proud to announce a wonderful program about growing hostas in our southern climate. Mr. Chambers will go over sun and water requirements as well as many varieties that grow well here.
I live in Mansfield, just south of Arlington,and thought perhaps some of us could build up a carpool to go to North Have Gardens. Just contact me if you are interested, please.
Adeline
Although I will not be able to make the meeting due to traveling with the kid for a soccer game down in Houston, I would love to be kept in the loop. This is only my second year growing hostas but I already have about 25. Hail did a number on me at the beginning of spring with three storms in three weeks, all with hail. They have all survived and are growing new leaves, but the tattered ones make their appearance not so wonderful. Guacamole has been wonderful for me as has June, Royal Standard, plantaginea, and Fragrant Bouquet. I have high hopes for some that I planted this year but will not recommend until I see that they come up next spring. Looking forward to a Texas group!
Annie
Adeline what a great idea! I hope you can get it together. Adeline where did you find your information? I would like to know where its being posted, was it the NHG newsletter? Adeline I would love for you to help me get an ad hoc committee signed up at the event and some place we could meet locally.
Great goings Annie ... you will be kept in the loop. Location is not a determing factor, right now we are just interested in Texas I am going to add you to the Blast list also. :)
Just wanted to let you guys know there's a co-op going on (through next Wed 7/30) that includes a couple of Hosta varieties. I've never grown Hostas, but just ordered 5 Fortunei Aureo-marginata ($1.64 ea.) and
5 Sieboldiana Elegans ($2.30 ea.). Check it out if you think you're interested... It's mainly a daylily co-op, but the Hostas are offered too (if we get enough orders for the discount). The prices I listed are good if we get 50 purchases of each type, it will be cheaper if we can get up to 100.
Also, have any of you ever grown either of these types of Hosta in Texas? I'd be curious to know how they do down here.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/881238/
Yes we are growing them now. Jenepat are you signed up for the Hosta Society meeting September 27th at North Haven gardens?
I will be at the Sept. meeting, as I love hostas! I belonged to the Hosta Society in Tennessee and was so disappointed that there wasn't one here. I brought some with me when I moved here four years ago and have bought more every year. Here is a picture of the main bed from last year.
Yours are great, Snow....I will keep an eye on this, hostas is one thing that has never worked well for me, but I really love the foilage plants..
"eyes"
AWESOME SNOW! ABSOLUTELY AWESOME I have you on the list!
Eyes where is Toadsuck TX? I see I need to work closely with you! lol
Okay, guys. Tell me the secret. I have holes in my hosta leaves from what I am assuming are slugs. I have put out sluggo until I am blue and it doesn't help. What else can I do?
Annie
Toadsuck aka Collinsville is about 80 miles NE of Dallas...."eyes" needs all the help I can get in that arena....
"eyes"
Annie I don't want to tell you what I use because its not nice and is not legal in Texas. But I use it once a year ... as soon as I see holes in one of my hostas, even the rain don't stop it. I think I eradicated them entirely at the old place.
Eyes Which Hostas have you tried growing? I hope you are not comparing the growth period with our counterparts in the north.Or are you worried about the Texas heat getting to them? My justification is that our Hostas start showing up in late February, some in January. We have about six months of glory before they start burning up in July. Thats a far longer period than in the north because theirs don't start showing until April or May. Contrary to what some believe Hostas do need some sun and there are some Hostas that take a lot of sun, June, Dawn's Early Light, Night Before Christmas and Plantiginea for example.. You will find that you might have to move some around. I have some deep shaded areas and some with too much sun, so you have to work with what you have. Blues need deeper shade, but don't flower until late in the season when the trees start dropping leaves and they are able to get some sun ie Halcyon and Pacific Blue Edger.
More importantly Hostas like water. I run my irrigation full blast thirty min at 6am and 6pm or halfway for an hour. I still need more shade so I'm trying to grow trees .Actually its a good time to let the sun get to the ones you want to increase in size and in eyes. Then again, there are going to be Hostas you are just not going to be able to grow... but there are thousands that you can grow.
LOL......only if you tell me what you use for slugs.... See, that's a big problem...most of my shade is half day...I am going to do a raised bed between two trees in the front, and I would love to have some DL's and Hosta there early, with Caladiums coming on later....sound like I'm nuts?
"eyes"
No... one of the AHS execs suggested that we include another plant with the Hosta Society to get the group going, I am really leaning towards the Daylilly because of their popularity. I have some in my Hosta beds ... but they don't bloom as often back there. The ones out front stop people on the street
Sylvia - I'm going to try to make it to the Hosta Society meeting on Sept 27. I didn't realize I needed to sign up though... I'll have to wait till it gets closer to see what my schedule is like. I hope I can make it - I'm such a newbie & could really use any help I can get!
Eyes, I just read a blurb by Chick at Bridgewood Gardens this morning. He said that they grow their hostas in a lot of light--more than most people--because it's good for the plants. Makes the leaves look awful, but it's good for the roots. So, he said, they often cut off the leaves during the summer because they just look awful anyway. (That's why they call their summer sale the "Ugly Plant Sale.")
I mention all of that because I have a southwestern exposure, and most of my hostas get hot direct sun from about 4:00 on. Some don't mind at all: June, like Sylvia said, Undulata, Guacamole, Gold Standard, and this pretty little noid streaker that Beck gave me, are all just lapping it up. The rest are suffering. But... as long as they get plenty of water, they'll be okay. Then when September comes, they actually all like the sun. Then they reward you with a whole new show that lasts until first freeze.
Jene you don't have to sign up, but I would like to give them a good number from my side, so they can have enough seating to accommodate everyone.
Sylvia, what did the AHS executive mean about including another plant? We already have two very active daylily societies in North Texas, the Daylily Growers of Dallas (my club) and the Fort Worth Daylily Society. The former meets at North Haven as do several other horticultural societies. Did he mean some type of shade plants? They have a Begonia Society, but they don't actually have a Perennial Society that I know of in Dallas. I could be wrong about that, but if not, maybe shade perennials would work?
By the way, Annie Jo, Northhaven and Calloways recommend pecan shell mulch to prevent slugs on hostas. It's a bit expensive, but it still works. Apparently, they don't like crawling over the sharp edges of the pecan shells. Tch! Tch! It is very effective in my hosta beds!
I would really, really like to see us include heucheras, if we have to include another plant. It's getting a little easier, but 3-4 years ago it was very hard to find many heuchs in this area. To my knowledge there's no society already, and there are so many beauties.
Another one (easier to grow in this area, IMO) would be the hellebores. They are also not very common around here. I knew that NHG had them, so I went to get a couple last spring. And yeah, they had them, but all they had was like giant 5-year-old plants and they were $25 each. . If there were more demand, they would carry a bigger selection.
Snow thanks for that piece of info, Daylilly is out! Patti I like the Hellebores. But that was just a suggestion, not something we are required to do. First we got to get Mike here on Hostas in the south. We can take care of whatever else at the Ad Hoc committee meeting. Anybody got any ideas on where we could hold that meeting and when?