Growing Hostas in the South - Prescription for Success
continued from page two:
The grand finale of the afternoon was a "Meet the Experts" panel, featuring Kevin Walek, incoming President of The American Hosta Society and former AHS Editor, Bud Martin of Colonial Farms, and W. George Schmid, author of The Genus Hosta. Questions from the audience produced a number of lively discussions about hosta culture. Among the topics discussed were problems of instability, sporting and reversion of some varieties of hosta. Hostas found in the wild are generally solid green. Variegations are caused by genetic mutations, or chimeras, that cause less chlorophyll to develop in some portions of the leaves. Eventually, these variegations will revert, or change again, causing the hosta to sport into another type of variegation, or revert to the original form. Another issue was dormancy. Contrary to popular wisdom, dormancy is not pre-programmed into the life-cycle of the hosta. Instead, it is triggered by the production of abscisic acid when temperature, amount of light, and especially the amount of water available, signal the plant that it is time to funnel its energy into root production for next years' growth. By manipulating light, temperature and water, in controlled conditions, tissue cultured plants, and seedlings produced by hybridizers, can be forced into an extended period of growth, thus coaxing an additional season of growth into developing plants. While not practical for the home hosta garden, this allows commercial growers to lessen the time to market for new plants. The consensus of the panel was that just when hostas most need beneficial rainfall or supplemental watering, in the late summer and fall here in Region 3, is when we tend to just "let them go to sleep." We need to realize that the plants need more water, not less, during this time of year. In native conditions in Asia, the greatest rainfall occurs in early spring and late summer and fall, just the reverse of our climate her in the south. By giving supplemental watering, gardeners can help insure vigorous root growth that will increase plant size and vitality next season. When our plants seem to go down from year to year, we can blame it on dehydration in the fall.
Saturday evening's banquet meal afforded another opportunity for gardeners to chat and share a meal. The highlight of the weekend, HOSTAS IN THE SOUTH--A PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS, by AHS President, Kevin Walek, surprised us, by not offering a list of hostas that do well in our area. Instead, we were taught how to select the best plants for our area, by looking at their parentage. Drawing on information available in Schmid's book, The Genus Hosta, Kevin showed us how our climate compares with that in the native habitat of our favorite plants. Maps show which species are native to which areas of Asia. For example, southerners often have trouble growing plants of sieboldiana heritage. (' Frances Williams', 'Great Expectation', 'Northern Exposure', 'Northern Halo,' etc., Why? Because they are descended from a species native to an area where much greater rainfall is the norm. By offering more water during the critical autumn time, we can increase the probability that we will be able to successfully grow any sieboldiana offspring. Studying these maps to become educated about the needs of the species native to similar areas, we can manipulate the conditions in our gardens to insure the health of our hosta. We thank Kevin for his service to AHS and for sharing his vast store of hosta wisdom.
No one in attendance left the meetings without taking home some new ideas for creating garden spaces, either by adding shade, plantings, or other enhancements. The most important gain, however, was more knowledge of what we can do to improve our success as hosta growers. The simple sharing of gardening expertise among ourselves is a gift beyond price. Participants in this educational weekend came from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The Dixie Region also covers the states of Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Hostas are called the Friendship Plant, and new friendships were forged in a 48-hour period that will last many years. Come join the fun! Get involved with your local, regional and national hosta group.