Jan/Feb 2024 Newsletter
EMHS Jan/Feb 2024 Newsletter
Eastern Michigan Hosta Society
Jan/Feb 2024 Newsletter
Note from the President- Welcome 2024! We have another exciting year planned for EMHS. You can look in the Calendar of Events to see what each month has in store. When you go to the website at EMHosta.com, click on the three lines on the upper right corner. When you do that, it will give you a list of headings to choose from. Clicking on any of these will take you to that area. Click on the EMHS Events Calendar and it will list all future planned events. Under each event it will list the location of the event and have “map” next to the location. If you touch map, it will take you to GOOGLE Maps with directions of how to get to the destination from your current location. Take time to search and see what you find under each heading. Eventually our site will contain a “private access” area with our directory, Treasurer Reports, and other information that is for “members only” and not the general public. Our site has been accessed by people from all over the USA and even some other countries. Our new EMHS site is giving the world a glimpse of what EMHS has to offer.
We still need at least two volunteers to host the June Garden Tour. Sites do not have to be member’s gardens, so if you have a neighbor with a garden that you think is one to be viewed, ask the owner if they would consent to being on a tour. Also, we have only one garden for the August Tour which is on Reid Rd in Flint. If you know of another garden in that area that we could visit, please share that information with Glen.
The EMHS Plant Sale is listed on the website. Please look at this year’s offerings and ‘Print off the Order Form from the website’ to mark your selections and send it along with full order payment in a check made out to EMHS, to Cathy Hodgson. We ask that no dues payments be sent with your order as those go to Marlene. Also, there was a question about; on the order form it lists *Additional plants available at $3 ea. This is only for “Dancing with Dragons”. All other selections are $10 ea. Also, you have to be present at the May meeting to receive your free Member Gift Plant (one with each current membership).
We hope to see you at our February 8th, 2024 meeting. Be prepared to turn in your Plant Sale order (with full payment) to Cathy. Also be prepared to pay your annual dues to Marlene. Dues this year have been raised to $10/yr/household per the EMHS Board Meeting held in November 2023.
Lastly, I want to send our best wishes to Mick Hodgson. Mick fell and broke his hip the last week of December and is in the hospital at this time. Well wishes can be sent to Cathy at their home.
Sincerely,
Glen Pace
EMHS President
Next Meeting- February 08, 2024 at the Mayfield Twp. Hall, 1900 N. Saginaw, Lapeer, MI 48446. This is our regular meeting place located just south of the point of M-24 and N. Saginaw, (the driveway just north of the Cemetery).
At this meeting we will have a “Getting Reacquainted” get-together. We did this last year and it was nice to have time to discuss what plans are made for the club, try to get tour site volunteers, pay annual dues, and place orders for the annual Plant Sale with Cathy Hodgson.
We will be having a potluck, so bring your favorite dish to pass and plan to have a good time with your EMHS Friends.
The time schedule for the meeting is;
5:00- Doors Open/Networking
6:00- Potluck
7:00- Business Meeting
The EMHS 2024 Calendar of Events
2024 Meeting Dates- Places- Speakers
Feb 08 –Mayfield Twp Hall
Mar -No Meeting, Hosta College
April 11 -Glen Pace-at Mayfield Twp Hall
May 09 -Mark Hanner-at Mayfield Twp Hall
June 13 – Need Volunteer tour sites
July 11 -Garden Tour, Lapeer area
Aug 08 – Garden Tour, Flint/Burton area
Sept 12- EMHS Plant Exchange, at Suncrest
Oct 10- Mtg possible if we get a speaker
Nov 14- Board Meeting
Dec 12- Annual Christmas Party,
Mayfield Twp. Hall Lapeer, MI
Also, I would like to share an email from the AHS Auction.
AHS Annual Online Auction
Hi all,
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The holidays are well underway. Not all seasonal events have passed yet, in the case of the AHS Online Auction, the event is upon us.
January 21 is coming soon which means that the annual AHS Online Auction will start SOON! The event will once again run for two weeks, Sunday, January 21 through Saturday, February 3, 2024. We have completed testing the software and are taking donations now, ready to handle more.
Each year I am personally excited as I see what you all have come up with as a donation. Sometimes it is in the realm of new and exciting, never before released plants. Each year it is moving to receive many of our favorite nurseries delve into their new releases as well as gardeners select from their own gardens a favorite or two “classic” as an offer. The generosity from our many donors is overwhelming.
Each year, I am grateful for the support and technology resources by Josh Spece. Joanna Kovalcsik, AKA Jojo, has been a welcomed addition to this event and over the course of the past few years. She joins us again. This event simply does NOT happen without all these things coming together.
Never donated an item? No problem. New and exciting hosta, classic hosta that newcomers will enjoy as much as you have enjoyed, hard to find collector plants, companion plants, books, garden art, all have been donated and well received in the past. Simply send me both a photo (we can often help if you do not have one) and a description including enough detail for the bidders to understand what the item is. We can work together on the write-up for clarity, if need be, our experience on our end may help with follow-up questions that we anticipate bidders may be curious about. We will make it work!
Any descriptions and photos of offerings that can reach us within the next two weeks helps us be prepared for the opening day. We will accept donations until the third to last day (time to format info is required and bids to be generated). We will continue to post items and process new arrivals throughout the two-week running of the auction.
Email donations to: dedean@q.com
Help spread the word to your hosta friends via personal emails, forums, and phone calls. Membership in the AHS is NOT required to take part in this auction. Of course, we do encourage and welcome those wishing to become a member. Go to:
http://americanhostasociety.org/Membership/Membership.htm.
Tips, updates, clarifications, etc. will be posted in the "non-bid important news" section of the auction postings like previous years. Be sure to keep checking these since this is where any corrections are posted.
Look for a link to be posted upon the AHS website after the first of the new year at:
https://americanhostasociety.org/events-awards/auctions/
Consider continued participation this year and/or joining in the fun if you have not done so in the past.
Looking forward to working with you again,
Don Dean
