Boy, if you missed the Dixie Regional Meeting last week, you missed a truly great time.

Our hosts, the North Carolina Hosta Society, led by Trish and Greg Rux, and Bob and Nancy Solberg, really know how to handle an event!  We had 80 attendees from 14 states, including some from as far away as Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and Missouri! AHS President, Tom Micheletti and his wife Becki came from Illinois and AHS VP for Member Services,Jim Weidman and his wife Phyllis, came from Missouri, and our speaker, Don Dean, and his wife, Gail, came from Minnesota!  We were honored to have so many hosta experts from outside our region to attend! 

We started on Thursday evening in the Hospitality Suite, in the Penthouse at the Waynesville Inn.  Two balconies overlooking the golf course gave us a chance to enjoy the crisp mountain air, in the company of some of our close hosta friends.

On Friday morning, we started with a great buffet breakfast to sustain us through the morning’s activities.  First was a short drive to nearby Haywood Community College, where John Sherman gave us an interesting program in the college’s Tissue Culture laboratory.  We saw how small snippets of hosta grow into many tiny clones of the mother plant.  The key is hygiene and scrupulous attention to detail to insure that the tissue samples are 100% free of pathogens and contamination.  John made it sound so simple, but the array of expensive equipment belies that assumption.  We saw tiny growing hostas in little glass dishes, awaiting transplanting into liners to be grown-off into salable plants. (see photo at bottom of this block) 

Next, we visited a number of  lovely gardens in the Asheville area,, returning to Waynesville in time to pay a visit to the vending area, which was at the Rux Gardens Nursery. Greg and Trish Rux opened their nursery to  five other vendors, who generously donate a portion of their sales to the DRHS.  The other vendors were:  Bentley Gardens, Fern Ridge Farms, Gardens for Us/Harlane Plant Labels, Green Hill Hostas, and Specialty Ornamentals.  Our vendors also donated a number of plants for our Auction on Friday evening. 

Friday evening began with a sumptuous buffet of hors d'oeuvres under the Pavilion, overlooking the gardens and golf course.  Clouds were gathering, and before we could finish eating, the skies opened up for a downpour, but aside from some errant runoff and spray, we were pretty snug and dry.  Before the auction began, the rain slacked off, and we were able to continue while the rain pattered down lightly around us.  Our spirits were not dampened, however, and the auction, as usual, produced not only a lot of laughs, but netted almost $1400!  The proceeds will be split between the NCHS and DRHS.  

Saturday morning started early with another great breakfast buffet, followed by Don Dean sharing musings on gardening, hybridizing and a preview of things to come from his hybridizing program.  Don is a recipient of the Alex J. Summers Award and is in charge of the AHS Online Auctions.  Next, Peter Loewer, “The Wild Gardener”, a colorful, Asheville radio host and garden writer, and illustrator, showed us some interesting takes on Container Gardening.  Peter was a real hoot!  He truly made Toni’s day by kissing her hand on parting!  How gallant! 

The morning wrapped up with our always popular “Ask the Experts”, (Q&A session) moderated by Bob Solberg, assisted by Tom  Micheletti and Don Dean.  After a nice buffet lunch, we headed out to see a few more mountain-top gardens locally in Waynesville, and some more vendor time.  Rain showers teased us, but failed to materialize into anything more than brief showers.

Saturday Evening, we were  threatened with some more rain but they skirted us, for the most part, and allowed us to enjoy our evening meal under the Pavilion. Our keynote speaker was Bob Solberg, who shared some thoughts about the importance of Regional Hosta Societies as a link between the local societies and the American Hosta Society.   Bob feels that the DRHS is entering a very exciting phase of growth that will position us favorably for the future. 

The DRHS was formed 14 years ago when then-AHS President, Bob Olson, asked Toni Wright to work aggressively to bring Region 3 into a fully-functioning organization.  With help from several good workers, Toni was able to hold the first meeting of the DRHS on October 12, 1996. about 50 interested hosta lovers met at the Hilton Northlake in Atlanta.  We have met every year since then locales across the region:  Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Clemson, SC, Birmingham  Greensboro, and Waynesville, NC.  Each year, we draw new members into the group, and many travel considerable distances to join us each year.

With travel becoming more expensive, and our membership growing more mature, these regional events will increasingly become more important as a means of communicating valuable information to our members. 

The DRHS will be meeting in Birmingham, AL next year.  The date and program will be announced in the fall, so watch the website for more information as details become available.  I hope you will make an effort to join us then.  The DRHS is always a lot of fun, and educational, too.  Come and join us!

 

Tiny hosta shoots emerge in a growth medium just a few weeks after the tissue culture begins.  Sterilization of all tools, samples and surfaces is critical to the process.  Samples are all tested for viral and pest infestation, prior to the start of the TC process.