Has there been a report about Hosta College yet?

[Chris_W]

I got back yesterday afternoon to find that the website was down (as I'm sure many of you noticed too), but things are back smoothly now, so how about a report on your Hosta College visit?

Again I gave a talk on Hosta Virus X, given during 2 class periods, but I had very few in attendance. It may have been that the class description didn't sell it enough, and some were worried that it would be too technical.

I sat in on a class by Mike Shadrack showing slides from a trip to Holland. Yes, Mike, after a while you can see too many tulips, but he also showed many gardens and even some hostas, so it was a terrific presentation. Mike is always fun, and we got the chance to talk with him at the hospitality suite Friday and Saturday night as well. Actually, I almost closed it both nights, and didn't get back to my hotel room until well after midnight Saturday night.

Jim Schwartz showed me slides on Hosta People from Europe Saturday night since I missed his class (teaching my own) so I got a chance to "meet" Danny, Jeroen, and others, and see their gardens. It was fantastic to put faces to the names, and to see more of your hosta collections.

Of course, the best part of Hosta College is the chance to see and meet hosta friends in person. It is hard to walk the halls and not have someone shout out "Hi Chris!". Harder yet to remember everyone's face and name on the spot, so name tags come in handy.

It is quite the weekend of fun, and other than travel time and hotel expenses the event is very affordable. They provide snacks during the Friday night auction, donuts and coffee Saturday morning, a nice lunch Saturday afternoon, and an optional banquet Saturday night. The cost for Great Lakes members is $40 per person + $18.00 for the banquet, which is really a bargain considering everything you get.

This year each and every person who attended also received a gift hosta, Hosta 'Blast Off' from Herb Benedict! Add in door prizes, raffles, vending area, and book store and we were all like kids in a candy store I bought $20 worth of raffle tickets and ended up winning THREE hostas in the raffle, and they were 3 hostas I did not have in my own collection: Hosta 'Clear Fork River Valley', Hosta 'Ginrei', and Hosta 'Immense'. Luckily I have plenty of room for them

Thanks to everyone who attended and who participated and volunteered. It is one of the best events to attend during the slow winter period when I can actually attend! Hope to meet even more of you next year!

[renaldo75]

Thanks for that great report, Chris!! It does sound like a lot of fun. I'd love to get there some year - maybe even in this lifetime.

I know others from Hallson's were there. George I know for sure. Let's hear from some of the rest of you guys too.

[thehostagourmet]

I'll post a new thread from home tonight relating the (mis)adventures of a first-year Hosta College teacher. It's still percolating in my head.

George

[thehostagourmet]

The courses I took were all very good. Bob Kuk's Hybridizing in Sugar Water, Bob Solberg's Growing Hostas in Pots, Bob Solberg's Advanced Hosta Hybridizing (It's amazing how he comes up with a new slant for this course every year.), and Oscar Cross' course on Heucheras (pronounced Hoo-ker-a's, I learned.) We each got to take home a demonstration plant, courtesy of Dan Heims, the Heuchera hybridizer.

The banquet chicken was quite good, and the whole experience for most attendees was very positive, I think. Our WNYHS hosted the Hostatality room, where good conversation was had by all that showed up, which Chris has already verified. (Midnight? We closed at 11:00 pm. Where did you go with that young lady?)

George

[addieotto]

I had a great time! I took George's class and Oscar's on Heuchera which was completely hysterical, I was laughing my butt off AND I learned a lot about why my Heuchera die.

I also spent twenty on the raffle and won a plant that I didn't own yet.. and I bought one in the vending area ... and I picked up one in Oscar's class... and then the free "Blast Off"... what fun!!

After all of the classes on hybridizing I am ready hybridize for the first time this year. Look out flowers

[Primroselane]

This was the 4th year to attend the Hosta College and the best one, they just keep getting better. I too was in the Sugar Water with Bob Kuk and Hosta Pots with Bob Solberg, got some great ideas, with pictures of driveway pots, makes me think about more pots, and the class that Clarence Owens had on Biodiversity in the garden with lots of pictures of Flora and Fauna was fantastic, we are going to see it again at our Hosta Meeting this month. The Advanced Hybridizing with Bob Solberg was interesting, learned lots with the questions asked. We also enjoyed the Fascinating Foliage video presented by Jim Wilkins while wating for the Banquet, instead of standing in line for half hour like last year, but then we had a hard time finding a place to sit at the Banquet, someone took our seats, we had to go the rear of the room, and finally at the last table found seats next to Charlie Seaver the speaker for the evening and he was entertaining. The folks we met were so enjoyable, and that is always the case each year. What a nice group of Hosta Folks. We do not stay at the hotel with the hospitality room, but our hotel has a nice area for chit chat, coffee and breakfast together with the wonderful Hosta people. it was a very enjoyable week end. I bought a Hypertufa Trough, some primroses, won a Shamrock and got the free Hosta Blast Off

[impatience]

Hey, will one of you share your info on growing hosta in pots? Should would be grateful.

Thanks in advance.