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| Kevin Elchuk of Giboshihill Hostas talks hosta with members of the Tweed and Area Horticultural Society. |
The
Thomasburg Community Hall was filled with tantalizing smells and lots of
chatter on August 4th as the Tweed
and District Horticultural Society held their annual summer pot luck dinner.
Hot dishes, salads, veggies and breads filled the “main course” table. Everyone
still had room for one of the many desserts…homemade pies, carrot cake, coffee
cake, date squares and cheese cake. Icy cold punches were enjoyed by the members
on a hot summer evening.
Kevin
and Olga Elchuk of Giboshilhill in Cobourg were the evening’s guest speakers. Their
slide presentation and commentary was enjoyed by members as they relaxed after
their dinner!
Kevin
and Olga’s garden contains over 1400 varieties of hosts-a hosta lover’s
paradise….and their garden is open to the public to visit! For dates and
times…email k.o.giboshihill@gmail.com
Kevin
pointed out that hostas are native to Japan ,
China and Korea North America .
KEVIN’S
HOSTA TIPS…..
·
All hostas needs some sunlight…white
edged hostas should be placed in late afternoon sun to prevent the white on the
leaves from burning
·
Some hostas can have a different
appearance depending on the amount of sunlight they receive
·
To get the maximum size for your
hostas, plan your garden to minimize the necessity of digging up a hosta when
it gets too big
·
Hostas have a variety of leaf
shapes, colours, textures and edges
·
To divide…try to dig up whole plant,
wash dirt off, break where there are “natural breaks”, use a fork that has been
washed in a mixture of bleach and water to prevent the spreading of disease;
soak plant overnight in a pail of water; plant using Root Booster to stimulate
root growth
·
Feed hostas with Miracle Grow (one
for tomatoes)
·
Hostas are great in pots, window
boxes, planters, wheel barrows, baskets etc…..rather than purchasing annuals
that will be discarded in the fall, Kevin suggests using hostas
·
To overwinter hostas in pots, place
pots in garage; once a month water using snow (melts slowly); place pots
outside in April to start to acclimatize plants for the next seasons
·
“minis” should be planted in the
ground before Thanksgiving…not left on pots over winter
At
the conclusion of the slide presentation, members shopped for hostas for their
gardens from the selection that Kevin and Olga had brought to the meeting.
COMING
UP….
August
16….Clean-up
of flower beds in town.
September
1…Speaker
Carolyn Klickermann will talk about “Square Foot Gardening”….saves time, space,
seeds and virtually weed free! A great way to add a veggie garden to a small
space.
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