Hosta Hybridizers Group

Chick Asked:

<<Can we get some information about the group and it's activities?  Are there meetings? A web site? what does the group do? How many members?>>

Here's the official description, which I believe was written by Ed Elslager: 

"The Hosta Hybridizers Group is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 to promote the discovery, propagation, and cultivation of new and improved hosta varieties.  It is an active, hands-on, participative working group of horticulturists, novice and experienced alike, who gather to share knowledge, breeding stock, seedlings, and seeds.  Members reside throughout the East and Midwest.

Meetings are held three to four times each year and are often hosted by members in their homes and gardens.  The Spring meeting featues the auction of seedlings and uncommon cultivars, the annual seedling contest, growth regulator updates, and garden and seedling viewing.

The Summer session features an exchange of breeding stock, growth regulator updates, seedling and garden viewing, and discussions on techniques for planting and growing seeds and seedlings outdoors.

In the Fall, prominent invited lecturers share their hybridizing strategies, knowledge, and experience, hormone-induced propagation is reviewed, members exchange seeds from Fall harvest, and program plans for the coming year are finalized."

I've been a "member" since the beginning and have found it to be an invaluable resource of knowledge, plants, and seed.  However, I do live in Ann Arbor, where the meetings are typically held.  The Group definitely offers the most benefit to those who can attend meetings and participate in the exchanges of information and plants/seeds.

At last count, there were 66 "active" members.  There is no Web site. 

Upcoming Meetings:

October 25, 2002. Special Mini-symposium on control of foliar nematodes in Hosta.  Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, MI.  Doug Beilstein, organizer, Parwinder Grewel, invited lecturer.  Co-sponsored by the Michigan Hosta Society.

November 3, 2002.  Fall Meeting -- annual invited lecturer and seed exchange.  Mattaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI.  Jim Wilkins, invited lecturer.

Membership is $15, payable to "The Hosta Hybridizers Group."  It is a one-time fee, not a yearly dues.  Send to: Ed Elslager, 4081 Thornoaks Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.

HostaScience is published biannually in the Spring and Fall.  Subscriptions for Group members is $18, for non-members $28, payable to "The Hosta Hybridizers Group."  Send to:  Clarence Owens, Treasurer, The Hosta Hybridizers Group, 3390 Allston Drive, Jackson, MI  49201.

Hope this helps.

John Christensen
Ann Arbor, MI, Zone 5
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