MAY 2018

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

TRI-STATE HOSTA SOCIETY 2018 SUMMER TRIBUNE

Dear TSHS Member,

Here is the Summer edition of our newsletter, in the abbreviated format we adopted last year. It

contains all of the details you will need for joining us at one or more of our planned summer events.

By the time you read this, the snow will be a distant memory, and hosta pips should be popping up

all over your garden! We have a full and exciting schedule for the summer, intended to help you forget

the misery of the past winter that seemed to go on forever. First up, on

Saturday, May 19 is a return trip to Russell’s Wholesale Nursery in Churchville, PA, giving you the

opportunity to fill some of the holes this unusually brutal winter left in your garden. Then on June 2

we will tour the garden of Barbara and Carmen Celentano in Wallingford, CT, followed on June 30

with a tour of Scott VanderHamm’s garden in Poughkeepsie, NY. The AHS Convention in Philly, June

20-23, will take place between these two garden tours, and after our leaf show on July 14, “Hooray for

Hostas”, our summer tour season will wrap up with our annual picnic at the Chopko garden in

Boonton, NJ on Saturday, July 21.

Summer has been a long time coming and I hope to see many of you at one or more of these events!

Hostally yours,

Roberta Chopko,

Spring has finally sprung and it is time to

add some new plants to your garden. With a

huge selection of perennials, annuals, herbs

and of course hostas, our very generous

member, Alan Russell, is once again opening

his wholesale nursery to our members on

Saturday, May 19 from 8 a.m. to noon. Many

of you know from previous visits that Rus-

sell’s has the best prices and selections in the

area so come load your cart!

Russell’s Wholesale Nursery Saturday, May 19, 2018 -

8 a.m. to Noon 600 New Road

Churchville, PA 18966

Directions to Russell’s from NJ 215-322-4799

Take I-287 South to 202 (past Flemington)

and go through the toll booths into Pennsyl-

vania. Stay RIGHT to exit into New Hope.

Travel through New Hope slowly (it is tour-

ist town!) and make a RIGHT onto Rte 232

South. Stay on 232 through Richboro (about

20 minutes) and bear RIGHT just after a

McDonald’s to continue on 232 South. In

about 1 mile make a RIGHT on New Road

(a Russell’s Garden sign will be on the cor-

ner). The nursery will be on your LEFT

shortly. Go into the first entrance.

2018 Summer Events

Celantano Garden Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 11 a.m.

146 1/2 Cook Hill Road, Wallingford, CT 06492

PAGE 2

The garden of Barbara and Carmen Celentano is a 1¼ acre

long, narrow property comprised of several smaller themed

gardens, situated on half the property. The other half of the

property is a steep wetlands area with a running brook and a

fox cave. The property is a designated certified wildlife habitat.

The themed gardens are briefly described as follows:

The Oriental Grass and Hydrangea walk is essentially the

200 ft driveway entrance leading toward the house. Primarily a

late summer/fall blooming display this area consists of a varie-

ty of bulbs, hosta, daylilies and flowering perennials.

The narrow, “off-centered” front yard, is dubbed The Grotto

for its serenity, statuary, bird activity, Japanese painted ferns,

epimedium and aptly named hosta such as ‘Praying Hands’.

The Gate Garden is the side entrance leading to the backyard. A springtime favorite, this section of the

garden has two handmade gates, gravel paths flanked by boxwoods and anchored by a redbud and Queen

Ann Japanese maple. There are several hosta cultivars, a collection of shade perennials, and understory

plantings all situated under large neighboring swamp maples.

Passing through the second gate you will view the Rain Garden on the left and the Pond Garden and

Patio Garden to the right. The rain garden is the wettest part of the yard nine months of the year and sup-

ports mostly ferns along with winterberry holly and climbing hydrangea. Since the pond and patio garden

receives the most sun it supports a rose hedge, a daylily collection, clematis and a water garden. (The num-

ber of koi in the pond largely depends on the eating and mating habits of the beautiful, yet annoying blue

heron!)

The Edge of the Wood Walk is the last available planting area before falling into the abyss. It is a brick

path leading to a small water feature and Carmen’s “happy place”, the pergola and work shed.

The property might still be wet and slippery in the early part of the season, so appropriate foot-

wear is advised.

The Celentano’s are looking forward to showing off their beautiful garden, so please bring a chair, your

lunch and a dessert to share, and a plant or two for the auction, and join us!

(Carmen advises that his garden is about 2 hours from the GW Bridge in heavy traffic, using either

95N or 84 from the Tappan Zee Bridge)

Take 95N to 91N in New Haven. Follow 91N to exit 13 on the left. Make a left off the exit and merge

to the extreme right lane. Make a right over the RR tracks onto Tolle’s Rd, then make a right onto

South Turnpike Rd. Take the third left at the light onto Cook Hill Rd. 146 ½ is on the right.

OR: Take the Hutchinson River Parkway to CT 15N (Merritt Parkway). Take Exit 64 off the Parkway

and go Left at the light under the Parkway. Go to third light and make a right onto Cook Hill Rd.

OR: Take 84 to Exit 27/691 East and follow your GPS

The driveway can hold about 20 cars, but there is also safe parking on Summerwood Drive

at the next corner.

Directions to Celantano’s 203-265-3684

Summer Events 2018

PAGE 3

VanderHamm Garden Saturday, June 30, 2018 at 11 a.m.

74 Colburn Drive, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603

Summer Events 2018

Directions to VanderHamm’s 718-490-0017

From Route 9, take Spackenkill Road/Route 113 East 2 miles to Colburn Drive. (Please Note: Col-

burn Drive is a U-Shaped street with two entrances onto Spackenkill Road. Number 74 Colburn is

closest to the more western entrance.) Turn right off of Spackenkill Road onto Colburn Drive to

#74 on the left; please park on the street.

From the Taconic State Parkway heading south, exit at Route 44 West. Take Route 44 west ap-

proximately 12 miles to Main Street, Poughkeepsie. Continue on Main Street to Raymond Avenue/

Route 376. Turn left on Raymond Avenue. Travel south on Raymond Avenue (past Vassar College)

to Hooker Avenue. Turn left and continue on Route 376 to Zack's Way. Turn right at Zack's Way

(which becomes Boardman Road) and follow to Spackenkill Road/Route 113. Turn right on

Spackenkill Road and then left onto Colburn Drive. Please park on the street.

From the Taconic State Parkway heading north: exit at Route 55 West. Take Route 55 West

approximately 14 miles to Raymond Avenue and follow the directions above.

A frequent participant in the Garden Conservancy's Open

Garden Days, Scott VanderHamm's “Dappled Berms” is

situated on a one-acre property within a 1950s (IBM-era)

suburban community. As a result of the mature growth

trees which dominate the grounds, a shade perennial gar-

den was created and cultivated over twenty seasons of

weekend gardening. The assembled collection of plants,

spread throughout numerous beds and man-made berms,

relies heavily on the juxtapositions of color, texture, and

form to bring

interest and

n a t u r a l

beauty to the

garden. One

of the high-

lights of the

garden is the collec-

tion of more than 250

different hosta culti-

vars numbering more

than 470 specimens,

all labeled for ease of

identification.

Please bring a chair,

your lunch, a des-

sert to share, and a

plant or two for the

auction, and join us!

It has been a long time since the Chopkos have officially hosted a Tri-State garden tour so now is your

chance to see where Dave puts all of those hostas that he has been collecting for years. The multiple

Nor’easters of 2018 have taken their toll on several of the trees shading this slightly less than one-acre

property, but with hostas numbering in the thousands there will still be enough specimens to be seen and

admired in multiple beds throughout the garden. Though recognized

as an outstanding “hosta garden” there are many other shade perenni-

als to complement the hostas. Most notably, Dave has branched out

into polygonatums and disporums,

while Roberta has a special fondness

for ferns and rohdeas. So stroll here

at your leisure, taking it all in, from

the plantings around the house, down

to the beds along the brook at the

back of the property.

Bring your appetite, a side

dish, a salad, or a dessert to

share, a chair and some

plants for the auction. Tri-

State will provide the meats,

the paper goods, and the

beverages as usual.

PAGE 4

Chopko Garden and Annual Picnic Saturday, July 21, 2018 at 11 a.m.

93 Intervale Road, Boonton, NJ 07005

Summer Events 2018

From points south: Take I- 287 North to Exit 43 "INTERVALE ROAD". Go left off the exit approxi-

mately 9/10s of a mile. #93 is on the left.

From the East: Take Route 80 West to I-287 North and proceed as above

From the West: Take Route 80 East to I-287 North and proceed as above

From the north: Take 287 South to Exit 42 (Dover/Clifton). Go right at the light (Route 202 North)

and drive 1.2 miles and make a left at the next light (Intervale Road). #93 Intervale is 8/10s of a

mile on the left.

PARKING MAY BE DIFFICULT. PLEASE CARPOOL WHEREVER POSSIBLE AND PARK

ON THE HOUSE SIDE OF THE ROAD ONLY, OR AROUND ADJACENT CORNERS.

INTERVALE RD PERMITS PARKING ONLY ON ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD!!!!

Directions to Chopko’s 201-446-1184

Our non-judged summer hosta show, “HOORAY FOR HOSTAS”,

will take place the weekend of July 13, 2018 at the Frelinghuysen

Arboretum. Friday, July 13 will be a set-up day from 1-4 p.m. Set-up

will continue on Saturday morning, July 14 from 9 a.m. to noon, and

the show will be open to the public from noon to 4p.m. that day.

Sunday, July 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. will be set aside for clean-up.

To augment our show, we have two confirmed vendors for Saturday,

Viktoria Serafin from Glenbrook Farm, Fultonville, NY and Ran

Lydell from Eagle Bay Gardens, Dunkirk, NY.

So mark your calendars and get involved. This show is a collabora-

tive effort to educate the public and to show off our stuff. Bring

leaves, bring arrangements, bring planted troughs and containers!

And wear a shirt in a color of your choosing, embroidered with the

Tri-State logo, to identify yourself as a member. (Use the order form

sent to you recently or contact Suzy Ludwig at 201-264-1317 for

more information). Show attendees that you are passionate about

hostas and your membership in the Tri-State Hosta Society!

PAGE 5

Hooray for Hostas Show Open to the Public on Saturday, July 14, 2018 - Noon to 4 p.m.

at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum 353 East Hanover Avenue, Morristown, NJ 07401

Our exhibit at the Sussex County Fair was so

well received for the last few years that we

have been invited back to participate again

this year. We felt that it was good exposure for

our Society and a good introduction to the

world of hostas for the public, so we have

decided to return. It is a lengthy venue, so put

one of the days on your August calendar. Enjoy

the pig races, the chain saw carving, the prize-

winning rabbits, chickens, pigs, cows and

quilts, along with our beautiful hosta leaf dis-

play. It is family fun for all ages.

Sussex County Fair Friday-Sunday

August 3 to August 12, 2018 37 Plains Road, Augusta, NJ 07822

Summer Events 2018

PAGE 6 Summer Events 2018

AHS Convention For complete details:

Visit their website www.ahs2018philly.org

AHS Convention

Hosted by Delaware Valley Hosta Society June 20-23, 2018 Philadelphia, PA

Summer Events 2018 PAGE 6