Russ O'Harra Hosta Society
The Russ O’Harra Hosta Society is an educational society, based in central Iowa, open to all those interested in the genus Hosta. Its purpose is to promote the growing and enjoyment of hostas, including their use in landscape design and the cultivation and development of new cultivars. The goals of the Society are in keeping with those of the American Hosta Society. Our society is named for Russ O'Harra, who was one of the most prominent hosta enthusiasts and hybridizers in the Midwest.
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Upcoming events:
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October 12, 2025 ROHS fall meeting, noon (potluck) to 4 pm
Iowa Arboretum and Gardens, 1875 Peach Ave., Madrid, IA
Speaker: Danny Lawson (editor of The Hosta Journal)
"American Hosta Society National Display Gardens"
(free, open to the public)
see this meeting announcement
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Assistance/suggestions needed: see this message about Iowa hostas from the Iowa Arboretum and Gardens.
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​Newsletter--March 2025
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Today's featured hosta:
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H. plantaginea
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It's the end of summer, with not many flowers remaining, so H. plantaginea will really stand out in your garden, due to its enormous (by hosta standards) flowers produced in late August (hence the old name "August lily"). H. plantaginea is also different in that it produces fragrant flowers, which are rare in the hosta world. Leaves are shiny, medium green, and deeply veined, forming a dome about 2 ft tall and 4-5 ft wide. Unlike most other hostas, leaves are produced throughout the summer.
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H. plantaginea is one of the few hosta species from China and has the southernmost distribution. Its late summer flowering has made it difficult to hybridize with other hostas, although there are some cultivars derived from it, including some showy, double-flowered cultivars.
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Nomenclature is a bit confusing, with H. plantaginea var. grandiflora being synonymous with H. plantaginea var. japonica and H. 'Grandiflora' often being used in the nursery trade, although that may not be a real distinction from the species. For more information, see M. Zilis's Hostapedia and the informative article by T. Avent:
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​August 10-17, 2025
Iowa State Fair
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Several members of ROHS entered leaves in the fair's hosta leaf show. Many of their entries garnered ribbons!
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June 19-21, 2025 Several members of ROHS attended the AHS national convention in East Peoria, IL. Educational sessions, hosta sales, a leaf show, and garden tours created a busy convention!
Greetings from Hornbaker Gardens, the first garden visit of the 2025 AHS convention!
Several wonderful gardens were toured, and we got to meet Bigfoot himself!
Preparing entries and checking results for the hosta leaf show:
Enjoying lunch out after a warm morning touring gardens:
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May 9-10, 2025
Members gave out information on ROHS at the Des Moines Botanical Gardens Spring Garden Market.
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The ROHS information booth:
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April 13, 2024
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The ROHS spring meeting was held at the Iowa Arboretum and Gardens. After a potluck lunch, David McKinney of IAG talked about the IAG's hosta collections and trial program. A business meeting followed.
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Midwest Regional Hosta Society Winter Symposium -- February 22
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The MRHS meeting featured six excellent, very informative presentations, along with a silent auction and conversation with old and new friends.
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Glenn Herold showed the differences in hosta flowers of various cultivars throughout the season, and Rob Mortko explained the intricacies of hosta tissue culture. Bob Solberg showed variegation trends in hostas produced over the last several decades. Don Rawson tantalized everyone with what's new in the world of hostas. Noah Schwartz described issues in large wholesale grower hosta production, an area unknown to most gardeners, and Mark Zilis provided an informative summary of historical figures in the hosta community.
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The MRHS winter symposium has a lot packed into one day--plan to attend next year!
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News October 13
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The ROHS fall meeting was held at the Wallace Learning Center near Orient, IA.
After the usual scrumptuous potluck lunch, Rob Mortko gave a very informative talk on the process of hosta tissue culture and showed some dazzling new hostas that will be available in the near future.
A short business meeting followed.
