ROHS Hosta Tour and Plant Auction July 12

[pepper1]

The Russ O'Harra Hosta Society summer garden tour and plant aution is TOMORROW, July 12 in the Des Moines area, and includes the O'Harra gardens.

Here is an overview from the newsletter:

"We will begin the tour a t 9 a.m. in the cottage style garden of Jean Belzer, 6213 NE Rising Sun Drive, Pleasant Hill. At over three acres this garden is filled with peonies, roses, iris, a water garden, and over 200 varieties of hosta!

The tour continues with an approximate 10 a.m. visit to the renovated garden of Russ O'Harra at 516 43rd Street, Des Moines! Rosanne and her daughters have done a remarkable job of bringing the luster back to this jewel of a garden. You will not want to miss getting a sneak peak a this 2010 Midwest Hosta Convention garden.

The annual garden tour will end at the gardens of Marty King, 1701 Evergreen Avenue, at about 11 a.m. These gardens are newly renovated and nestled under a canopy of mature oaks. We will relax under the oaks and have lunch and the annual auction."

This is a late reminder, but if you're looking for something to do on Sunday...

Gary

[Marlys]

Gary - Thankyou for this reminder.

We are planning on heading out @ 08:00 AM with the vehicle loaded full of auction plants. 6 of us headed your direction / tailgating from Bluegill Ct. My vehicle is full of auction plants.
Trudy & Connie are coming seperately with a new hosta friend from Pella.
So 9 from Pella attending.
It might be possible for Donna & Hank from Otley attending also. I haven't talked to them recently.
Unfortunately Eve is staying home to enjoy just being home tomorrow on a perfect summer day.

I am looking forward to that Hawaian pineapple chicken bar-b-que but Ron will be grabbing fast food somewhere.
Robin & Carl didn't get their newsletter until too late to send in their money for food so they will be eating with Ron.

Our summer mtg is always just the best!!!
I am looking forward to seeing Russ O'Harra's garden again.

If any of you other Iowa folks would like to attend just give me a call for directions.
Frist garden @ 09:00 AM in Pleasant Hill.

MM
641-780-6487 (Marlys' cell)
641-780-5033 (Ron's cell)

[renaldo75]

That's pretty daring of you to put your cell # out there for all to see, Marlys. Now I can call you ANY time!!

I'll be seeing you in about an hour. Should be a nice day. Yesterday sure was here in Ankeny.

[renaldo75]

Very nice day for the tour. Even though we got a little damp at the start of the auction. It's hard to see who's bidding when the hand is under an umbrella, but everything got bought in spite of that. And the sun was shining at the end too.

3 nice gardens on the tour. Lots of lilies and day lilies in bloom in the 1st one along with hostas & other perennials. 2nd garden was the Russ O'Harra garden [the gentleman our club is named for] & it's been restored by one of his daughters and his wife Roseanne is living there again. Beautiful garden!! And Roseanne insisted that everyone come in the house to see all of the stained glass & other treasures Russ had collected. Very cool! I'd never been there before. The 3rd garden has some nice established hostas & will just keep getting better I think. The lady was at our tour last year, joined the club that day, and hosted the lunch & auction for this year's tour.

Quite a few goodies in the auction along with newer & older varieties. There were 6+ Russ O'Harra hostas that had been given to friends years ago. So lots of OS O'Harra hostas from several sources. And Greg Johnson shared several of his plants that had only left his garden a time or 2. One was a new one of his that is gold. A huge one eyed division with a lot of character, very good substance, extremely upright but the gold leaves are held flat. Trudy got that one. 'Morning Glow' 'I believe is the name. Another was his sport of 'Royal Standard' with a thin white margin. He said the only other division that left his garden is in England with the Grenfells. They wanted something from his garden after the 2004 national convention and took home a division of 'Slightly Royal'. I'm not sure who got that one, but it was pricey enough that I didn't bid on it.

All in all a very fun day!! Got to hang out with almost all of the Pella crew again. And that's always fun!!
Missed seeing Gary & Kathy/pepper1 though. I'd stopped to see them at the DSM Farmer's Market several weeks ago & they'd already committed to vend at an art fair in Ames before the summer tour date was announced.

[thy]

In the future ...
I can just want to be "beemed up" for US a few times a year

Wish I could join your garden ttrips

Then... thank you for the tour

[renaldo75]

We'd love to 'beam you up' Pia!! You'd have so much fun on the garden tours/conventions/etc!!