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 Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska along with South and North Dakota. The MRHS publishes a twice-a-year newsletter, sponsors a Winter­Scientific 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 proud to host the 'Grand Prairie Hostas' 2009 Midwest Regional Convention in Champaign, Illinois, June 11-13, 2009. The convention location is the I Hotel and Conference Center, a brand new luxury hotel and state-of-the-art conference center. The convention includes all the expected activities such as national and local vendors, accredited hosta leaf show, live and silent auctions, garden tours, raffles, banquet, hospitality suite, and optional garden tours on Sunday. New events include a Thursday evening alfresco cocktail party, educational seminars on Friday, and optional golf outings on Friday and Saturday. Visit the host site www.mrhs2009.com to plan your convention experience.

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!"