Growing Hostas in the South - Prescription for Success
DIXIE REGIONAL HOSTA SOCIETY SEMINAR
by judy burns
On Friday afternoon, September 26th, a group of about 75 of my fellow hosta lovers converged on the Crowne Plaza Hotel in north Atlanta, for a weekend of education, hosta talk, food and fun. The first class was Judging Clinic I when Master Judges and Student Judges spent the afternoon learning about the latest changes to the AHS Judging handbook that will be coming out early in 2004. Harold McDonell, VP of Judging and Exhibition for The American Hosta Society, taught the class. Training new judges and keeping up the credentials of current judges is one of the main missions of Regional Hosta Societies. There is tremendous interest in cut-leaf shows, and new judges are needed across the country to keep up with the demand each spring for qualified judges.
Following the judging clinic, the Board of the DRHS met to discuss upcoming projects and events. The main topics of the meeting were a request from Dr. Bob Olson, Editor of The Hosta Journal, for partial funding of a complete index of articles and information from all Hosta Journals, from 1968 to the present. The Board voted to send $500 in response to his request. Another issue was the appointment of a committee to administer grants to the 5 local societies within the Dixie Region who are developing (or who have developed) AHS Display Gardens. The Cruickshank Hosta Garden at the South Carolina Botanical Garden was recognized in June, 2003 as the first official AHS Display Garden in Region 3. We are very proud of this and congratulate Betty and Chuck Cruickshank for their accomplishment. Claudia Walker, DRHS Executive Director assisted in obtaining the designation. The newly appointed committee, Judy Burns, Bud Martin and George Schmid, will develop guidelines and requirements for a one-time grant of $200 to each eligible garden. In addition to the Cruickshank garden, the Mid-South Hosta Society, Memphis, TN, the Middle Tennessee Hosta Society, in Nashville, The Alabama Hosta Society, Birmingham, and the East Tennessee Hosta Society, in Knoxville are at various stages of planning and implementing Hosta Display Gardens in their respective communities. Each local society will apply for the grant by submitting plans and other justification in support of their requests. The dates and a tentative location for the 2004 DRHS meeting were discussed. Once local arrangements are investigated, the date and information will be posted on the DRHS website and participants in this year's event will receive information by mail.
Following dinner on Friday evening, the annual Auction was held. As always, the time was enjoyable for the patter by our auctioneers and the friendly competition by bidders to garner the prized hosta and other plants donated by vendors and attendees. Almost $1500 was raised by the auction for the DRHS.
Following a brief business meeting on Saturday morning, the real educational portion of the weekend commenced with a fact-filled presentation by Elizabeth Dean of Wilkerson Mills, Palmetto, GA, 'HYDRANGEAS, and then some….' Elizabeth's slide program tantalized us with new hydrangea introductions and some often-overlooked companion shrubs that are wonderfully compatible with hosta growing. Shade, she points out, need not come from tall hardwoods, pines or shade houses. Dogwoods, spireas, and other flowering shrubs can offer enough shade to tuck in a few hostas. A continuing point throughout the weekend was that hosta need more light (and water) than many gardeners think!