A Little Food, A Little Hosta

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 4^th 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. As all gardeners know, hostas are very adaptable and the top selling perennial in 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.