Bob Solberg to Speak to Iowa Hosta Societies

[JoshS]

Bob Solberg will be in Iowa speaking to both the Harshbarger and Russ O'Harra Hosta Societies the first weekend in October. The following info is copied from the Harshbarger Club's newsletter. Maybe someone else has the Russ O'Harra info they could post?

Bob Solberg
Green Hill Farms, N.C.

“Selecting Better Hostas”

Saturday, October 4th, 1:00 pm
Coralville Public Library
Coralville, Iowa

Bob is one of the country’s most noted hybridizers and authorities on hostas. His introductions are First Frost and Guacamole (both designated as Hostas of the Year), Fried Green Tomatoes, Fantasy Island, Toy Soldier, Orange Marmalade, Rascal, Twist of Lime, just to name some of the approximate four dozen he’s developed.

He has served in many capacities with the American Hosta Society and has been recipient of their Distinguished Merit Award. Bob’s been published many times in the Hosta Journal in addition to numerous garden publications.

Please, invite all your friends as this is free to everyone. We want everyone to hear Bob talk about hostas. It should be a very enjoyable afternoon!


Directions to Coralville Public Library:

1401 5th Street
Coralville, IA 52241

From the Coralville Strip (2nd Street), turn north onto 12th Avenue. Then take the first left onto 5th Street and the Library is on your right. There is plenty of free parking right in front of the library. The meeting room is downstairs. Stairs and elevator are available right inside the door.

[pepper1]

Thanks Josh. Here is the info on the Russ O'Harra Hosta Society fall meeting:

We will be meeting Sunday October 5 at the Iowa Arboretum (1875 Peach Avenue, Madrid). To get to the Arboretum...take Hwy 17 to Luther, then follow the signs...it is just a few miles west and south of Luther.

We plan to gather at noon, with a potluck lunch at 1:00pm (we have a great bunch of cooks in the group!).
Bob Solberg will present "Selecting Better Hostas for Your Garden" at 2:00pm.
We'll have a short business meeting following Bob's program.

Everyone is welcome. We hope to have a nice crowd.

Gary

[Linda P]

Bob is making the rounds in Iowa that weekend, addressing the Mississippi Valley Hosta Society
on the same topic. Open to anyone who would like to come.


Friday, October 3rd, 7:00 pm
at the: Scott County Extension Office
875 Tanglefoot Ln, Bettendorf, IA
(take Utica Ridge Rd and turn west on Tanglefoot, go one block)

Linda P

[JoshS]

Thanks for the additional info, guys!

I knew there was a third one, Linda, but wasn't sure where it was. Thanks!

[Chris_W]

Sounds like Bob will be busy there, and sounds like there are a lot of hosta groups in Iowa too!

Personally I wish I could travel more. Maybe some day, though.

[pepper1]

Bump...

as a reminder of the hosta meetings this weekend.

[Marlys]

ROHS - Russ O'Hara Hosta Society - Fall mtg 2008
Our group is so lucky to have such wonderful programs at our mtgs. I always learn so much from each one of them. But I have to admit, I always like the pictures best. Today was no exception. We got to see the hostas of the future that are coming to us soon via Green Hills Farm & Bob Solberg.

At the top of the list is H-'Lime Smoothie' followed by H-'Crumb Cake' (Cracker Crumbs x Cinamon Sticks) 4th in a mini-hosta series. Others of interest H-'Tiny Bubbles' whose flowers never open. H-'Potomac Glory' sport of 'Potamac Pride' with a subtle center color. Bob is predicting the Blue Mouse Ears family is running away with the show, 'Holy Mouse Ears' & 'Frosted Mouse Ears' were both for sale at our mtg today. Coming 2009 - long awaited green edge 'Sum & Substance' sport named 'Final Summation'. The picture was breath taking. Another new plant yet coming to us 2010, Bob's award winning seedling 'Curly Fries' out of H-'Pineapple Upside Down Cake'. If you were at the AHS national convention this year you got to see it up-close & personal.

Bob also talked about goals of hybridizers in the Hosta World. The color red is a big thing. Many of us have seen yellow hostas with bright red petioles. Think of bright red veins in the leaves too. All the way up to the tips. Bob showed us a picture of a yellow hosta with red tips on its leaves & red running up into the base of the leaves too.

The color purple is another goal. Purple petioles, purple veins, purple edges, & purple in the tissure running up into the leaves. Those pictures were awesome too!

Bob Solberg is an entertaining speaker. He has a lot of charisma when he is 'On Stage'. He did this thing today where he asked us to name any perfect hosta and he would say what was wrong with it. He even found something wrong with H - 'June". I didn't blurt out any hostas I think are perfect cause I didn't want to hear what was wrong with them. I want to think they are perfect.

"Selecting Better Hostas (or selcting hostas better)" was the focus of Bob's speech. Point #1 - Know yourself #2 - Who are you? A New Collector? An Advanced collector? A Hybridizer? A Nursery Owner?

Important traits to ponder: #1 Distinctness #2 Color #3 Substance #4 Texture #5 Leaf Petioles #6 Scapes & Flowers #7 Parentage #8 Growth Rate #9 Disease Resistance #10 Garden Performance

It was a good day with delicious food, good friends, & great hosta friends. Other Hallsonites attending today were our own Renaldo, Trudy & Bruce, Connie D, Pepper 1 (both of them), alnitro.

Hosta is the Friendship Plant

MM

[JoshS]

Great summery, Marlys! I really enjoyed listening to Bob...there is no denying he knows his stuff!! My favorite part was seeing the hybrids he is working on. Some really amazing things are coming!

[renaldo75]

I guess I'll resurface again & say how much I enjoyed the day last Sunday. [I can't even say I'm de-lurking since I haven't been lurking at all... ]

Sunday was a wonderful day for a drive & to spend time with my hosta friends. Most likely for the last time this year until the spring ROHS meeting. Bob's talk was very good. I always enjoy his perspective on things. He even sat at the table Marlys & I were at for lunch. I guess I'm slightly intimidated by him. I can never think of anything that I think is intelligent enough to say to him - especially when I'm sitting right next to him.

Marlys has covered the highlights of Bob's presentation. He does have a bunch of really nice looking hostas coming out in the next few years. I especially can't wait to get 'Curly Fries' - the best seedling at the National Convention in St. Louis!! Amazing hosta!! And there were several others of his that I'll definitely be wanting.

He had a nice selection of hostas he brought for sale to satisfy our end of year hosta~fix. One good thing was that after being at both conventions this summer, I'd already gotten a good share that he had there. The one I got from him was 'Roller Coaster Ride'. I looked at it several times at the Schaumberg convention & walked away from it each time. Then wished I'd gotten it after I got back home. The one I got Sunday has 6-8 divisions already in a quart pot. And one of them is streaked like the one in Gary's pot. So I guess it was a 2-for-1 deal, and I got a 'Ray of Hope' without knowing it until after I was home.

It was good to see Jeff/allnitro again and meet his lady. And it's always fun to talk to Gary & Kathy even though we never have much time to talk. After the meeting, Marlys & Ron, David, Bruce & Trudy, and Connie, and I took a stroll thru the arboretum grounds back to the greenhouse. There were some fun 'scarecrows' scattered around for a contest. I found another hosta I didn't have - 'Ann Kulpa'. I kept seeing it for sale all summer, but when it's small it looks like just another white-centered hosta. And I already have plenty of them. So I kept ignoring it. Then I saw a few mature plants in tour gardens. WOW!! It is anything but just another white-centered hosta when it's grown up. And it was 1/2 price so that made it a must-have. We checked out the hostas in a couple of the arboretum's display beds, and most looked surprisingly good for early October. Finally it was time to head home, but as I said it was a beautiful day for a drive.

I'll share one thing I thought was amusing at the meeting. You'll probly get a chuckle from it too. I seconded the motion to end the business meeting. Afterward, the club secretary came over to get the exact spelling of my name. In the minutes she had written 'Renaldo'. That's what Marlys, Connie, & Trudy always call me. Maybe I should have my name changed. At least the secretary had 'Renaldo' spelled right.

[Linda P]

I attended the presentation in Bettendorf, and it was very interesting and enlightening. It's always good to gather with hosta folk.
I have a love/hate relationship with that Curly Fries...it was the one that beat out my seedling at Midwest Regional in Davenport.
Actually, it was no contest whatsover. It's a great-looking plant, draws your eye from the other side of the room.
(BTW, the seedling that I entered has since been named Travelin' Man, in honor of a certain hosta friend who has to travel
long distances to be with his kind.)
Linda P

[renaldo75]

hmmmmm.... wonder who that would be??

[DBoweMD]

I'm guessing that must be Dave F from Washington, Linda. Curly fries beat my gold seedling too, I was sooo close!!!

[Linda P]

Hey, Dave. Yeah, that was a bummer. Mine was down in third place, under yours and Curly Fries!
Travelin' Man is actually named for Renaldo, but I can certainly add Hostadad to the commemerative
list on that one! Maybe I should call it Travelin' Men???
Linda P