Mini Hostas, Troughs and Flower Show Exhibits in Britain

This is a follow-up to item titled “Troughs and Mini Hostas Go Together” in last year’s “This and That: 2015” column in The Online Hosta Journal 2015. Annually, the Royal Horticultural Society and other horticultural organizations in Britain sponsor extensive horticultural shows. Most are huge several-day or week-long affairs drawing huge attendance. The RHS’s Chelsea Flower Show at the end of May and Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in early July are probably the best known to American gardeners. Others of large size are the Suffolk Show in March, Harrogate Spring Flower Show in April, BBC Gardeners’ World Live in Birmingham in June, RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in July, and Sandringham Flower Show in July. Exhibits, called stands, are judged. The coveted highest award is the Gold Medal. At Chelsea, orders for plants can be taken and delivered after the show; no plants are available for sale at the exhibits except at closing on the last day. At other shows, exhibitors bring large quantities of plants to be sold. Sometimes they are an integral part of the exhibits. Often there are rooms hidden from the public where for-sale plants are stored. Also, exhibitors’ vehicles in the car parks are loaded with for-sale plants. For many exhibitors, 60% to 85% of their annual sales, I’m told, are from sales at these shows. Below are photos of Paul Harris’s Brookfield Hostas and Johnathan Hogarth’s Hogarth Hostas exhibits at Hampton Court Palace last July, and Mickfield Hostas exhibit at Harrogate last April. Also, there is photo of a hosta trough displayed at June Colley and John Baker’s home, Narra, at the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society’s Summer 2016 Weekend, Sunday July 31. Paul Harris, Jonathan Hogarth, June Colley, John Baker and Robin Milton (Mickfield Hostas) are AHS members. Jonathan, June and John are frequent attendees at AHS National Conventions. Paul holds the British National Collection of Hostas with RHS AGM [Award of Garden Merit]; June and John hold the British National Collection of European and Asiatic Hostas, Robin (and Yvonne) Milton hold the British National Collection of Hosta Genus, and Jonathan holds the British National Collection of Hostas Small and Miniature. Jonathan Hogarth’s exhibit at last year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Show was featured in The Online Hosta Journal 2015 (www.hostas.org: tap “Members Only,” insert AHS password, go to “Publications,” tap “Online Journal Archives” and then “2015 – Volume 46 Online”). His 2016 stand was larger, with an extensively planted trough garden and considerably more educational material.

Paul Harris’s Brookfield Hostas, Ashford, Kent, at RHS Hampton Court Place Flower Show, July 5-10, 2016 (Gold Medal):

(photo June Colley)

Featured in Brookfield Hostas’ stand was a two-foot across, 6-inch deep cement trough displaying mini hostas, mostly sports of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, a.k.a. BME.

(photo June Colley)

In trough, clockwise starting at left, along rim: H. ‘Ruffled Mouse Ears’ (BME sport), H. ‘Cracker Crumbs’ (Bob Solberg’s gold-centered green-margined sport of ‘Shiny Penny’), H. ‘Teeny Weeny Bikini’ (the late Ed Elslager’s popular, green margin, pale yellow-leaved hybrid), H. ‘Little Caesar’ (this is an immature plant, probably not a mini, popular in U.K. Registered by Sandra Bond of Goldbrook Plants, Suffolk; introduced by Bond and the late Ian Chrystal), H. ‘Sizzle’ (this is an immature plant, not considered a mini hosta. Small plant hybridized by Ed Elslager with green leaves and yellow hues), H. ‘Funny Mouse Ears’ (BME sport), H. ‘Lucky Mouse Ears’ (BME sport) and H. ‘Desert Mouse Ears’ (BME sport). Inside trough: (upper left): H. ‘Hands Up’ (this is an immature plant, not a mini hosta; tetraploid version of ‘Praying Hands’). (right side): H. ‘Fireworks’ (this is an immature plant, not a mini hosta; unusual tissue-culture sport of ‘Loyalist’. See discussion in Fall 2015 issue of The Hosta Journal, Vol. 46, No. 2, pp. 72-76). (lower left): H. ‘Frosted Mouse Ears’ (BME sport). (right side): H. ‘Holy Mouse Ears’ (BME sport). Outside trough: (left): H. ‘Mini Skirt’ (BME sport). (far left): H. ‘Hands Up’ (this is an immature plant, not a mini). Behind trough: H. ‘Patriot’.

An interesting panoramic video of the Mickfield Hostas exhibit is on YouTube. View it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ qbIsVQCSh0&feature=youtu.be . You’ll appreciate how much effort went into the exhibit. Much of the Harrogate stand was used for Mickfield Hostas stands at other shows in 2016. For video of Mickfield Hostas stand at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in July 2016, visit https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=QWd5pQvxq-Q . At the beginning of the video you’ll see the huge number of hostas in containers offered for sale at the exhibit.

Mickfield Hostas, Mickfield, Stowmarket, Suffolk, at Harrogate Spring Flower Show, April 21-24, 2016 (Premier Gold Award):

(photo Mickfield Hostas)

Jonathan Hogarth Hostas, Wokingham, Berkshire, at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, July 5-10, 2016 (Gold Medal and Best in Heritage Section): Note for-sale plants in small pots on table at right.

(photo June Colley)

Close-up of trough in Hogarth Hostas stand:

(photo June Colley)

Educational poster in Hogarth Hostas stand:

(photo Jonathan Hogarth) Note: Potting soil is called compost in U.K.

June Colley and John Baker’s garden, Lindford, Hampshire, at British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society Summer Weekend, July 29-31, 2016:

(photo June Colley)

Terracotta pot, 16 inches diameter, clockwise from top: H. ‘Frosted Mouse Ears’, ‘Dancing Mouse’, ‘Mighty Mouse’, ‘Church Mouse’ and ‘Blue Mouse Ears’. In middle: H. ‘Mini Skirt’. Note Nepalese cat just left of ‘Mini Skirt’; “I like the whiskers!” June Colley says.

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Watering Troughs

In the article titled “Troughs and Minis Go Together” in last year’s The Online Hosta Journal, I mentioned several tips concerning watering troughs. They are worth repeating in condensed form, along with an addition. 1) Make sure you thoroughly water a newly planted trough, thoroughly water means soaking. My method: I water the troughs until I see water coming out the drain holes. Then I wait 10-15 minutes and water again until water comes out. 2) Sometimes the soilless mix in troughs is mounted higher in the middle of the container to give an artistic “hill” or “mount” appearance. A strong jet of water can badly damage the carefully groomed surface and badly disrupt plants and decorative objects in the display. There is no void space in the trough around the rim to hold water, which then slowly seeps into the soilless mix. You have to water gently and carefully, usually with a watering can having a fine rose (nozzle). My preferred watering can is the Haws Old English Green Long Reach 1-Gal. Plastic Outdoor model, designed in 1896 by John Haws and still made by the original manufacturer in England. It comes with a removable fine bass rose (nozzle). For watering hostas in pots, I use it without the rose (see photo). There are two handles, making it both easy to lift and pour. Filled with water, it is perfectly balanced, and easy to hold with one hand. The thick, non-brittle plastic is polyethylene, apparently with a UV stabilizer, that will take a lot of abuse. I find this watering can’s nozzle, which is longer than the standard model, helpful to reach under the spread of leaves and to reach containers that are behind others. This is a first-class quality product; there is even a 3-year guarantee. Price is about $41 plus shipping. Go online for U.S. source.

Long-reach Haws 1-gallon watering can. At left and right: H. ‘Touch of Class’. (photo Ali Pollock)

3) I am always amazed at how much water mini hostas in troughs take up in a day’s time, even growing in partial shade. When temperatures greatly exceed 80o F (26.7o C), you may need to water every day, preferably in early morning. Don’t be concerned with overwatering. You cannot overwater if the soilless mix is fast draining and drainage is not clogged. However, keep in mind that nutrients are leached out with each watering. I have found that a couple drops of liquid fertilizer, such as Schultz 10-15-10, added to each gallon of water, is beneficial. To help assure drain holes don’t get clogged, place a piece of wire screening over each (obviously before planting). Also, raise troughs, with supports, a small fraction of an inch above the surface they’re sitting on. If potting soil dries out, re-wet by standing trough in a large vessel of water overnight. You might need to use the kitchen sink or bathtub. 4) Over the years, I’ve observed a lot of hosta troughs in gardens and estimate at least 75% needed watering. Keeping them adequately watered can often be difficult. A crafty way to help water troughs is to use plant watering spikes. Each is a long plastic nozzle with a screw cap that fits most water and soft drink plastic bottles. There are small holes on both sides of the nozzle. Just fill the bottle with water or water with some soluble fertilizer. Screw on the watering spike and push the spike into the soil. Details and a photo are in the article “My Favorite Tool” in the Fall 2016 issue of The Hosta Journal (Vol. 47, No. 2).

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Rooting Hosta Cuttings Using Aeroponics – Part I A Method for Home Gardeners

There is a most interesting article in the Spring 2015 issue of The Hosta Journal (Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 23- 25) titled “A Novel Method of Rooting Hostas.” The author is John Carr, president of the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society. It describes an “aeroponics propagation unit” for easily producing roots on petioles that he has used for hostas. Many gardeners are familiar with hydroponics, a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, usually in water, without soil. Aeroponics is the combination of water and air: roots are in a mist of water. Aeroponics propagation units are available in the U.S. Consult the internet for suppliers. Jonathan Hogarth, who specializes in mini and small hostas (see item above on his stand at RHS Chelsea

Flower Show), uses an aeroponics unit to propagate some of his prized hostas. He enthusiastically

explains it all in a demonstration on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_fhs71FTaQ .

(NOTE: Jonathan’s demonstration is just the first part of a long video of the July 13, 2016 program of

“BBC Gardeners’ World,” a popular weekly TV feature on BBC2 in the U.K. Unless you’re interested in

what went on in British gardening that week, exit the film directly after his presentation.)

Both Jonathan Hogarth and John Carr have the same propagation unit. It is 18 inches long by 15 inches

wide by 17 inches tall. There are three main parts: base with pumps and spray bar, cover, and tray. The

base is 9 inches high; the clear plastic cover is 8 inches high with a manual butterfly air controller in the

center. A 20-hole tray, with slotted rubber plugs each capable of holding a hosta petiole upright, sits on

top of the base. No special sanitizing is needed; plain water is used.

The THJ article and a similar article by John Carr in the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society

Bulletin 2015, pp. 98-101, describe the spraying mechanism. Jonathan’s video, however, actually shows

the spraying mechanism in the base in operation. You see the misting from the six sprayers that provide

the ideal moist environment for rooting of cuttings. Also, the video has Jonathan’s personal description

of what he does and the results. It’s a good educational tutorial; I recommend it.

Further, in the video you see where Jonathan does his hosta propagation. It’s in a 12 feet by 8 feet greenhouse that has electric power and a water tap. “For most of the day it’s in the sun,” Jonathan told me. “I grow my tomatoes in it during the summer and store some of my many hosta pots over the winter. It is also great for getting plants started early in the spring.”

Jonathan Hogarth, Wokingham, Berkshire, England, in his propagating greenhouse watering his potted hostas with a small size Haws watering can. (photo YouTube) In the video you also see Jonathan’s other greenhouse. It’s 16 feet x 8 feet on the shadier side of his garden. This glass house holds his display plants for the RHS shows. “The temperature,” he said, “is better controlled with a tree line, allowing shade onto the plants for most of the day.” The two glass houses are at the bottom ends of his 55 feet x 55 feet rear garden. “In England,” Jonathan said, “that is considered a big garden in a town house.” Last year, Jonathan took 250 cuttings of hostas. The plants were split down to one leaf, a petiole, and a small amount of the base. “All grew!” he very proudly exclaimed. “For the DIY [do-it-yourself] gardener, it is a great hobby,” Jonathan said. “For the professional grower with a new plant, it allows you the chance to propagate a cutting, which will have the plant’s true colors, without taking a chance on the possibility of failure by giving the whole plant to a tissue culture [TC] laboratory. Of course, for large quantities, a large aeroponics unit is needed.”

Aeroponics propagation unit for rooting 20 cuttings in Jonathan Hogarth’s glass house. (photo YouTube)

Lid with slotted rubber plugs holding cuttings (photo YouTube)

Base with misting spray jets (photo YouTube)

Underside of lid showing rooted cuttings. (photo YouTube)

Aeroponics propagating units are being used by several U.S. hosta hybridizers. At the 2018 AHS National Convention in the Philadelphia area, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of The American Hosta Society, a demonstration workshop with an aeroponics unit in operation is planned.

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Rooting Hosta Cuttings Using Aeroponics – Part II Dusting Rooted Cuttings with Mycorrhizal Fungi

Jonathan Hogarth does something special, a helpful extra, in rooting hosta cuttings. It is not described in John Carr’s articles. He dusts all rooted cuttings that emerge from the aeroponics unit after two to three weeks with mycorrhizal fungi. He demonstrates this in the Gardeners’ World YouTube video. “The effect of mycorrhizal fungi is very encouraging,” Jonathan told me. “Plants grow better, look bigger and survive the winter dormancy without failures! Using these two methods together has given a better quality to all of my plants. All my Royal Horticultural Society display plants, when re-potted after a show, are dusted with mycorrhizal fungi.” Mycorrhizae are symbiotic relationships that form between fungi and plants. The fungi connect to the plant roots and supply them with nutrients from a greater distance than the plant roots can reach. The plants, in return, supplies sugars from photosynthesis to the fungi. The mycorrhizal spores colonize the roots of the plants over time, increasing the root mass and allowing for more nutrient uptake. Hostas are listed as mycorrhizae plants. “The mycorrhizae products I use,” Jonathan said, “are made in America and available in Britain. The company is Santiam Organics (www.santiamorganics.com) in Albany, Oregon. The product name is ‘Myco-Fusion Green 150’ (a granular endomycorrhizal inoculant). It comes in a green color, 16 oz. bag that costs £18 in the U.K. It is specific for dusting over wet roots in pots. “I dust the roots of the rooted cuttings with Green 150 when potting the plants into compost [potting soil]. After two months, I apply a starter made by the same company with the trade name ‘Bio-Jolt 1.5.’ I use it mixed with water in the form of a suspension to stimulate growth and overall plant health. I use it on everything! The reason? It works!” Jonathan further added three “Golden Rules”:

1) Do not leave the bag of mycorrhizal fungi in the sunlight. 2) Do not keep the bag of mycorrhizal fungi in temperatures over 85 degrees. 3) Do not add plant foods to the compost [potting soil] once mycorrhizal fungi are added.

(Instructions from mycorrhizal fungi manufacturers caution not to use fertilizers with high phosphorous content with their products.)

Are there other hosta growers who have used mycorrhizal fungi? What are your experiences? Please contact me; my address is giboshiwip@aol.com.

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Combatting Foliar Nematodes Suggested Protocol Using NEMAKILL®

The American Hosta Society Foliar Nematode Research Project is now completed. Two articles on the studies and findings were published this year in The Hosta Journal. Cindy Deutekom and Rob Mortko, the current and previous AHS Vice President Genus Hosta, respectively, who have been directly associated with the studies, authored a progress report in the Spring 2016 issue (Vol. 47, No. 1, p. 10). In addition, Prof. P. S. Grewal and Dr. R. An, the principal researchers at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (now at Univ. of Texas Rio Grande Valley), authored a final project report in the Fall 2016 issue (Vol. 47, No. 2). For most gardeners, probably the most important findings of the studies are:

Foliar nematodes (Aphelenchoides fragariae), microscopic worm-like animals, overwinter as juveniles and adults in the soil, dry leaves and on dormant buds (crowns) of a hosta. They do not overwinter in the crown or roots, nor do they overwinter as eggs.

As the soil warms in spring, under humid/wet conditions, overwintering nematodes move upward in thin films of water on the outer surfaces of petioles and leaves, eventually invading leaves. Once inside leaves, they feed on tissue, resulting in first yellow, then brown and finally black lesions (scars) between veins. They can exit the leaf at ruptured scar tissue and spread to other plants nearby by rain/overhead watering.

Treatment of dormant hosta buds while the plant is in the ground with either boiling water or NEMAKILL® solution in the spring can significantly reduce foliar nematode infection in the leaves in the subsequent and fall seasons.

Hot water has been a recommended treatment for many years. Several THJ articles in the past discussed submerging an entire infected hosta clump, roots, crown and leaves, in 120oF water for 15-20 minutes. Unless done exactly and with extreme care, the live plant can be badly damaged, even killed.

NEMAKILL NEMAKILL is an organic liquid containing 32% cinnamon oil, 8% clove oil, 15% thyme oil, and 45% inert ingredients such as fatty acid salts, i.e., horticultural soaps, and water. It is manufactured by ExcelAg, Miami, Florida (www.excelag.com). The distributor for the smallest size container, 1-quart, is The CISCO Companies in Indianapolis (www.ciscoseeds.com/grow7; 1-800-888-2986 X310: Kathie Lawrence). For treatment of hostas, a dilute solution of NEMAKILL is applied. Instructions on the container are: 1 tablespoon (0.5 fluid ounce) per one gallon water. However, this makes a solution less than 5% (v/v)—which is the concentration Grewal and An used in their studies. To make a 5% solution, mix 4 teaspoons of NEMAKILL per one gallon water. NEMAKILL is a contact nematicide. It is not a systemic nematicide. That is, NEMAKILL is not absorbed by the plant, and, therefore does not kill nematodes inside the leaves. So, if you apply NEMAKILL to hosta leaves already containing foliar nematodes, these nematodes will not be killed because the nematicide is not in contact with them. Effective treatment with NEMAKILL is when the hosta is dormant and nematodes on the dormant buds are exposed to the nematicide.

The 2016 THJ articles do not describe a comprehensive protocol for applying NEMAKILL. Based on discussions with David Teager of Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, a member of the project’s scientific committee, and Eve Thyrum of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, formerly of Wilmington, Delaware, who is test treating a severely infected hosta, the following is suggested: (Note-the procedure requires repeated applications during the year and treatment for several consecutive years.)

APPLICATION PROTOCOL

1. LATE SUMMER (Optional): If foliage has unsightly nematode scarring, remove and carefully dispose of all infected leaves as well as surrounding mulch. (Do not use for compost; discard as trash. Thoroughly clean hands and tools with hot water and soap.)

Then drench the crown and the soil around it with NEMAKILL solution.

2. FALL: Thoroughly clear the ground of all dried-up foliage, plant debris, and any mulch. (Do not use for compost; discard as trash.) Keep the ground clean throughout winter and early spring.

After clean-up, drench the dormant crown and soil around it with NEMAKILL solution.

3. NEXT YEAR: Depending on the weather, in late winter or very early spring, before buds

remerge from the crown, drench the dormant crown and soil around it with NEMAKILL solution. Also, thoroughly soak any pips.

4. TWO WEEKS LATER: Depending on the weather, drench the crown and soil again with

NEMAKILL solution. Also, thoroughly soak pips, any petioles, and leaves.

5. TWO WEEKS AFTERWARD: Drench the crown and soil again with the NEMAKILL solution. Also, thoroughly dose pips, petioles, and leaves.

6. LATE SUMMER and FALL: Repeat Step 1 and 2.

7. NEXT YEAR: Starting in late winter or very early spring, repeat steps.

8. FOLLOWING YEAR: Repeat all steps.

The manufacturer’s instructions recommend applying NEMAKILL early in the morning or in late afternoon. The dormant crown and surrounding soil must be thoroughly soaked with NEMAKILL solution. This means saturating the ground to perhaps one-inch depth. This may require 1/3 gallon and more of NEMAKILL solution for each hosta. If the plant is in a container, pour NEMAKILL solution on soil until it runs out the drainage hole; repeat after 10-15 minutes, or submerge the container in a vessel containing NEMAKILL solution for a minute.

HANDLING NEMAKILL The label on the container says NEMAKILL is “slightly toxic.” Frankly, I don’t know what this means. I recommend NEMAKILL be considered a potentially harmful chemical. Proper safety goggles, better yet a full face shield, and thick nitrile/rubber gloves, preferably with long sleeves, should be used. Avoid

contact with skin, eyes, and clothing. Contaminated clothing should be washed before re-use. Unless wearing special boots, avoid stepping or standing on soil or pavement wet with NEMAKILL.

EFFECTS OF NEMAKILL It is important to note what Grewal and An claimed: NEMAKILL can significantly reduce nematode infection. Not claimed: NEMAKILL can 100% eliminate foliar nematodes in hostas growing in the ground or in containers. In other words, though nematode infection in a hosta can be significantly reduced with NEMAKILL treatment, remaining nematodes in the plant may still result in leaf scaring. Nematodes reproduce extremely rapidly. Several treatments of the dormant crown may be needed to significantly reduce the infection, so there is no noticeable leaf damage that year. Even so, there still may be nematodes that overwinter. So in the next year and year after, without treatment there may be leaf scaring again. That is why the protocol requires treatment for several years. If your hosta foliage criterion is aesthetics, that is, no visible foliage damage, this probably is attainable, but likely requiring repeated NEMAKILL treatments. If your criterion is a nematode-free hosta (or perhaps even “nearly” nematode free),” and the plant was previously heavily infected and leaf scared, the bar may be too high for a contact nematicide. Cindy Deutekom (cindydetekom@gmail.com) is collecting NEMAKILL experiences. Please supply her with details of what you did, when, and what you observed. She has a list of questions that need answering; please contact her for details. I suspect a report will be issued when a sufficient number of field experiences are documented. Examination of the information might indicate fewer drenches are needed. Comments on this item and suggested protocol are welcome. My email address is giboshiwip@aol.com. Acknowledgements: Delaware Valley Hosta Society Newsletter, Fall 2016 (Vol. 25, No. 4). For helpful information, many thanks to Carol Brashear, AHS Region One Director; Cindy Deutekom, AHS VP Genus Hosta; Harold McDonell, Georgia Hosta Society; Bill Meyer, online Hosta Library; Kathy Miller, Delaware Valley Hosta Society; Mike Shadrack, Western New York Hosta Society; Susan R. Sickels DVM, Western New York Hosta Society (who pointed out dilution difference in Grewal and An’s paper and NEMAKILL manufacture’s literature); Dave Teager; and Eve Thyrum.

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Mike and Kathy Shadrack Mitigate Vole Damage with Upside-Down Wire Baskets

Last year’s “This and That: 2015” column in The Online Hosta Journal 2015 had an extensive article titled “Combatting Vole Damage.” Reviewed were planting hostas in wire mesh, waste basket and hardware-cloth circular enclosures. Here is information on using wire baskets differently to combat vole damage.

H. ‘Electrocution’ (Tony Avent - 2006) in vole cage. Kathy Sisson’s garden, Avon, Conn. Photo taken at 2011 AHS National Convention. Note extension of wire basket above soil level.

(photo Carol Brashear)

Cages of ½” hardware cloth protecting H. ‘Little Treasure’ PP21,210 (Jan van den Top - 2008) and H. ‘Brother Stefan’ (Olga Petryszyn - 1998) in Kathie Sisson’s garden, Avon, Conn. Note extension of hardware cloth above ground level. Photo taken at 2011 AHS National Convention. Both the mesh wire baskets and hardware fences extend above ground an inch or more. This collar is important: It is a barrier to the voles.

Carol Brashear, Woodbury, Connecticut, has had many years of experience combatting voles with wire baskets. She explains, “Voles are surface scavengers. They travel along the soil surface until they find a plant. If unprotected they start down into the crown. If they bump their noses on a cage/fence sunk in the ground, they go around it and move on to the next thing they bump into. They don't climb, even a little bit. That is why there is an inch or so of wire cage and hardware cloth above the soil surface. It stops them.” (photo Carol Brashear)

Mike and Kathy Shadrack, Hamburg, New York, combat vole damage with wire baskets but in a different way. They are upside down over the clumps!

Upside-down wire basket protecting dormant H. ‘Lakeside Rocky Top’ in the ground in Mike and Kathy Shadrack’s Smug Creek Garden, in Hamburg, New York. Landscape pins secure basket to the ground. H. ‘Lakeside Rocky Top’ (M. Chastain, 1999) is a small mound of undulating deep green leaves with white margin. White flowers are on low scapes. Parentage unknown.

(photo Mike Shadrack)

Winter scene in Shadrack’s Smug Creek Garden, Hamburg, New York. Upside-down wire baskets protecting hostas from vole damage. Kathy Shadrack wrote to me, “I had huge losses one winter to those horrible little critters. It is devastating to find empty pots and vole trails leading to a label guarding the spot where a plant once lived. I have discovered they love hostas, phlox, and a special type of iris called I. pseudata most of all. They wiped out (photo Mike Shadrack) my entire I. pseudata collection that fateful year.

“For our most precious plants, especially ones I know are vole candy, I buy wire baskets in two sizes from a ‘dollar store,’ such as Dollar Tree. One size is like a fruit basket; the other is a trash basket. Also, I buy the longest landscape pins that A.M. Leonard (www.amleo.com) sells, 10 inches, item #32-669. When the plants are cut down, I overturn a basket over the plant crown and kind of screw it into the soil about ½ inch and secure it with landscape pins. Although a vole could burrow under, they don’t seem to.” It is critical that the basket be securely fastened to the ground. Also, there is no opening between the basket rim and ground for a vole to squeeze under, or burrow a bit and squeeze under. Voles can, and will, find any opening along the cage’s perimeter and get inside to the rhizome and roots. This is why Kathy mentions screwing the basket into the soil about ½ inch. This is best done when the ground is still workable. I suggest a couple of landscape pins (staples) for each cage to tightly secure the basket’s rim to the ground. Six-inch pins should be O.K. if driven into the ground at an angle; they are then less likely to heave up during a thaw. (Are there any winters where the Shadrack’s live in Northwestern New York state that don’t have heaving and thawing?) Removing the pins in the spring can require considerable physical effort. Try using Easy-Out Earth Staples with a loop on the top. A hammer’s claw or pliers can be inserted in the wire loop and the pin (more or less) easily pulled out. These pins, 6-inches long, also are available from A. M. Leonard, item #09-217. However, this is only one part of Kathy Shadrack’s multi-tier vole program. “First,” she explained, “I

believe in the ‘Sherman’s March to the Sea’ method of fall cleanup. I do not leave nesting material. No

foliage. No leaves. I clear as much as possible. It will never be perfect, but I do my very best.

Second, once the foliage is gone, the plants are dormant, and before it snows, I douse every plant and

every pot with a mixture of castor oil, cheap-o liquid dish soap and water.” The recipe and procedure was

detailed in “This and That” column in last year’s The Online Hosta Journal 2015. It’s the successful vole

control method advocated by Richard Merritt of New Hampshire Hostas. His website

(http://www.nhhostas.com/) has an excellent video demonstrating the procedure. “You must spray

every square foot of your garden,” he emphasis. “If you don’t, you’ll have vole problems in the untreated

areas.”

Third in Kathy’s multi-tiered program is upside-down wire baskets.

“Upside-down baskets and applying castor oil has worked for me,” she said. “I have not lost a single

plant since. Frankly, I almost think it’s the castor oil that’s the key. This last spring we found several vole

trails in the lawn in our ‘new garden,’ area and they came to a halt at the gardens where the plants were

treated. No pots were entered either.”

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Slug Gone

An Unusual Slug and Snail Deterrent

I detailed “Slug Gone” in The Online Hosta Journal 2014. It’s a British product, a.k.a. “Slug Gone Wool

Pellets,” derived from pure wool that produces a naturally effective, environmentally friendly barrier

claimed to stop slugs and snails. At the 2015 AHS National Convention in Raleigh, it was sold in the

vending area.

I’m mentioning it again because a dozen or so gardeners with big slug problems, who heard from

attendees at the AHS Raleigh Convention who bought Slug Gone, and reported that it works, contacted

me and asked: Where can Slug Gone be purchased in the U.S.? There are several sources mentioned on

the Internet. Two are Amazon.com and A. M. Leonard in Lima, Ohio, (www.amleo.com). A 3.5 liter bag,

item is about $15 plus shipping.

Slug Gone Wool Pellets

Slug Gone are pellets, about 1/8-3/16 inch diameter and about

¼-1 inch long. A bag will usually have crushed and broken

pieces.

When placed around a plant and watered in, the pellets swell

and “self-felt” to form a continuous wool mat on the soil.

Allegedly, minute fibers in the wool are an irritant to the

mollusks’ “feet,” hindering their slithering locomotion.

Consequently slugs and snails avoid the mat.

Importantly, the pellets are not poisonous bait. The felted wool mat is not a molluscicide. Slugs and

snails are not killed. Instead, the wool is a strong deterrent. Apparently, the critters prefer to avoid the

site and eat their meals elsewhere.

Slug Gone has several noteworthy advantages compared to iron phosphate, e.g., Sluggo®, and

methaldehyde pellets. Sheep wool, as mentioned, is not poisonous and the pellets contain no harmful

chemical additions. As such, they are considered safe for children, pets and wildlife, though I suspect

consumption of large quantities would cause stomach irritation.

Under ideal conditions, possibly just one application of Slug Gone in late winter, which is when your

annual slug and snail mitigation program should start before the pests become active, might last an

entire season. Further, they are suitable for organic gardening, which, for many people these days is of

critical importance.

Another big plus for Slug Gone is that the felt mat will not wash out or blow away. If you have used

diatomaceous earth, finely crushed egg shells and other grainy particulate barrier materials, you know

what happens after a heavy storm and also often from consistent overhead watering. Also, a strong blast

from a garden hose nozzle can scatter the particles or bury them in the mulch or soil.

In addition, the felted mat is claimed to be a barrier to weeds and to retain moisture. How effective it is, I

would think, depends on how thick and thoroughly the pellets are applied, and there being minimal,

better yet no, physical damage to the mat.

Further, the mat is biodegradable; the wool eventually decomposes and goes into the soil. There is some

N, K and P in the wool that’s slowly released, but the amount of nutrients is quite small. I would not

consider Slug Gone a significant fertilizer source.

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H. ‘Tattoo’ PP11,603 (T. Avent - 1998)

The Online Hosta Journal 2015 and 2014 have an item on Julie Johnston’s purchasing a clump of H. ‘Tattoo’PP11,603 (T. Avent -1998) at the 2014 BADITC online auction. Julie lives in Packwood, Iowa. The clump offered at the auction was identified as OS, that is, Originator Stock. The plant was donated by Trudy and Bruce Van Wyck of Pella, Iowa, about an hour-and-a-quarter drive away from Julie. Julie hadn’t had any previous success in growing ‘Tattoo’, so she purchased this one. Current progress report: It’s doing well in Julie’s great Iowa soil, though it hasn’t grown very much. Clump is about 7½ inches high and 15 inches across. Approximate leaf size is 3 inches by 3½ inches.

A warning about ‘Tattoo’: Be careful where you site it. It is susceptible to crown rot in hot humid conditions. A mature, well-grown clump of ‘Tattoo’ is a “WOW! Hosta.” It’s a head turner. There aren’t many big ‘Tattoo’ clumps in gardens, even in collections of hosta connoisseurs. So, I thought you’d be interested in Marilyn Romenesko’s clump in her Wilmington, Delaware, garden. She told me she has had to move it several times to find the optimum growing site. I visited Marilyn’s garden this spring. As I rounded the corner of a path, there was a clump of ‘Tattoo’. Not just a clump, but the most superb, outstanding clump of this prized hosta that I have ever seen. It turned my head!

H. ‘Tattoo’ growing in Marilyn Romenesko’s garden, Wilmington, Delaware. (photo Marilyn Romenesko)

Marilyn’s garden is expected to be on tour at the AHS 50th Anniversary National Hosta Convention in the Philadelphia area in June 2018. Be on lookout for her ‘Tattoo’ there.

H. ‘Tattoo’ leaf in Marilyn Romenesko’s garden. Note unusual tattoo marking. (photo Marilyn Romenesko)

Marilyn Romenesko’s ‘Tattoo’ measures about 10 inches high by 24 inches across; leaves are about 5 inches by 5 inches. It’s ten years old and gets early afternoon sun. Her clump is the mature size that Mark Zilis’ Field Guide to Hostas, p. 283, cites for ‘Tattoo’. How many ‘Tattoo’ clumps of this size have you seen?

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