| The Illinois
Prairie Hosta Society holds regular membership meetings
generally on the fourth Saturday of each month from March to October.
Meeting time is usually 9:00 AM each Saturday, which allows gardeners
to work in their garden the rest of the weekend. Some meetings
in midsummer are held during the week and some Sunday meetings
are planned. Check the current schedule posted on this site. The
October meeting is the annual meeting for elections of officers
for the following year. An informative newsletter is printed February
through October for our members. It includes hosta articles, meeting
information, photos of gardens visited and upcoming meeting and
conventions.
Most meetings are held at the homes of members and tours of their
gardens follow the meeting. The society conducts a plant sale
each spring as the main fund raising project. The society plans
for meetings to include speakers who are Hosta experts, local
nursery persons to discuss various planting ideas and insect control
and discussion by members concerning various types of Hosta and
regional and national judging of Hostas.
With cooperation of Allerton Park, owned by the University of
Illinois, the IPHS has developed a Hosta Garden in the park. This
1,500-acre wildlife refuge, donated to the university by Robert
Allerton in 1946, is located west of Monticello and is open to
the public without charge. The Hosta Garden, located near the
sunken garden, is being developed into a premier hosta garden
in central Illinois.
The Illinois Prairie
Hosta Society is part of the Midwest Regional Hosta Society.
Membership in the MRHS is not required to join the IPHS but we
encourage membership in the regional group. The MRHS area includes
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska along with
South and North Dakota. The MRHS publishes a twice-a-year newsletter,
sponsors a Winter Scientific Meeting and holds an Annual Regional
Convention in the summer months. The regional meeting is sponsored
by one of the local societies. Membership in the MRHS is $10.00
per year.
The Illinois Prairie
Hosta Society is in the planning stage to host the 2009 Midwest
Regional Covention. This Annual Regional Convention will be held
June 12 & 13, 2009 at the Hawthorn Suites in Champaign, Illinois.
Plans are for the Hosta Auction and Dinner on Friday night, the
Hosta Leaf Show on Friday, a tour of 5 area gardens plus the Allerton
Park garden on Saturday and the Midwest Region Annual Meeting
and award banquet on Saturday night. Put this date on your calendar
now and plan to attend.
In
addition, we encourage membership in the American Hosta Society.
The AHS publishes the 80-plus page Hosta Journal three times a
year, holds an annual convention with garden tours, conducts scientific
forums and hosta shows, has a web site (www.hosta.org) and membership
directory. Over 500 Hosta lovers attend the annual meeting each
year. Membership in the AHS is $25 per year for individual membership
and $29 for family.
Whether you have one or 1000 Hostas we welcome
you to the Illinois Prairie Hosta Society. Remember, "There
is always room for one more Hosta!"
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