i can charge to let clubs in my yard????? what have i been thinking ....

or are we talking the lunch .... the hell with that.. i will bring my own ... or take care of myself .... geez ...

i think the MI group sells a hot dog lunch at cost at our august meeting .... since there isnt anything else for about 20 miles around hidden lakes ....

frankly .. if it was anything more than minimal cost.. i wouldnt go ... pshaw... you know.. there are people who just cant afford this type of thing no matter what the richer board memebers think ....

if the club cant pay for it ....then dont charge your own people to pay for it ....ken

PS: we do it by map in MI ... maybe 4 to 6 gardens ... with a map .. everyone is on their own to travel between gardens... AND FEED THEMSELVES ....

AND WE NEVER INFRINGE ON BATHROOM REQUESTS.. EXCEPT IN THE MOST DIRE OF CIRCS ... just one more thing you can take care of on your own time and place ...

We get 200 people so doing it by car doesn't work. If I was a neighbor I wouldn't want dozens of cars coming to my street. I actually kind of like going on the busses. Our tour is reasonable, last year under $20. We have not set a price this year but it won't be much more than that. And while I'm sure there are people that can't afford it, it leaves me wondering why they would collect hostas instead of something less expensive.

"if the club cant pay for it ....then dont charge your own people to pay for it" ....ken

Another thing is that our dues are only $5 a year.....hardly enough to pay for a tour. They would have to settle for a walk around my yard and a glass of Kool-aid in the garage. lol

I don't belong to any societies at all since there are none closer than 75 miles one way. Of course I could be a fairweather member and only come to the tours that each puts on! That's not good either.
I would be happy to pay at least $20 to be able to see a group of ANY KIND of gardens as I do for the Garden Glory Garden Tours that are held annually in Rockford Il.area. For their tour you find your own way to each garden.

Our city, Freeport, has their own garden walk started 4 years ago which choose my garden to be viewed last year.

I don't think Rockford, which is a city of over a hundred thousand, has their own hosta society but I could be wrong.
That city is almost 40 miles away too.

Send me addresses and information to all your up coming events and I'll gather some friends and we'll do a ROAD TRIP! That might be the only way to see hosta gardens for us. Could we become "honorery club members" to get in?

I'm serious about this! I have a few crazy friends who would come with me!!!

Connie

did you leave out some facts .. like renting a bus for the whole group ...????

if so ... then of course you have to charge .... but you will still lose the peeps who cant afford it ...

and the map system ... all people do not follow the same route nor time schedule .... sometimes i do the map backwards.. to avoid the crowds ... more personal visit with the homeowner .... say the gardens are open 9 to 5pm .... you show up to which you want to see.. when you want to see them.. within the time constraints ... very informal ....

ken

Yes - we get the busses and coordinate where each one should be at what time so there is not more than one bus per garden at any time. We heard of one group that charges $25 for 2 gardens - lunch not included! Ours is a much better deal!

The tours arranged by the Tri-State Hosta Society don't cost anything, but we don't get 200 people attending. Also, there are one, sometimes two garden tours for that scheduled day. You bring your own lunch and at times there are "tail gate" plant auctions. I'm looking forward to the tours this year.

Donna

hi teresa,,,

just went "and joined" the green and gold hosta society meeting last night...

they have a garden tour planned for 4 gardens,,,1 nursery,,,a meal,,,and the bus for $25..

jill

Thanks Jill. Hope you like your club, I know you will like the garden tour. Maybe after you get one tour under your belt you could volunteer to be a bus captain. It's really fun!

I don't think the price of $25 for 5-6 hours of fun is alot either. It sounds comparable to ours. How many members in your club? We had over 550 last time I heard.

hi teresa...

i have NO IDEA how many are in the club...i will have to see if they have a listing somewhere....i "suppose" the treasurer would know....lol....

the room was "Crammed" full of people and they said Lots were Not there....there were about 75 chairs full plus people standing also....

they also have a few "chit chats" which are at different members homes....SOOO...YIPPEEEE....i get to see more hosta gardens....it's gonna be a GREAT year....

jill

New England doesn't charge anything for their tours either - usually we'll do a pot luck lunch which is a lot of fun. We don't have a bus (which can cost a lot of $).

When the computer died I think I lost the information you sent me or were going to send me, I can't remember which! Could you do a repeat please on the time, date, etc..

Connie

I am the trip director for our hosta society in east central Illinois. Our costs vary for extended trips and our garden walks in our community are free. The Master Gardners charge $15 for 8 gardens on a one-day tour, of which the wife and I were on in 2003. I am planning a trip to Ft. Wayne and then Wade & Gatton this summer for 2 days, cost is $95 with all meals included. Our one-day trips are usually around $35 and membership is $10 per year.

Thanks Rick!

Jill,
Madison area hostaholic - got more info the G&G hosta society? I've been interested in joining a WI-based group.

hi warhawk...

the green and gold hosta society is based out of green bay...here is their schedule for this year...

june 9th and 10th,,,1 member is having a personal garden walk and plant sale at her house

june 16th,,,the green and gold society hosta sale is at one of the members houses...

there are 3 chit chats held at different members places...so you can see 3 more yards...those are scheduled june 20,,,july 11,,,and august 1

august 7th is their roadtrip to oshkosh to visit 4 gardens, have lunch, and go shopping at 1 garden center...

september 8th there is a sale at the green bay botanical gardens with lots of vendors....not just hostas...

you can inquire about membership to:
Karen VandenHeuvel
W1842 Culbertson Road
Seymour, WI 54165

dues are $8 per person or $12 for families per year

____________

there is also the "Wisconsin Hosta Society" based in Madison
maybe you would like to check them out also...

Dues are $8 per person or $12 for families per year also...

Send inquiries to:

Neil Cummings
5031 Crestview Drive
Marshall, WI 53509

hope this helps....jill

The Windsor/DeForest garden tour of eight gardens is only $5 for two days (10a-3p). No bus or lunch - everyone gets to each garden on their own and on their own timetable. Very small rural community so each garden is easy to find. A map is provided, however. Profits go to the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center. And my garden has been drafted to be on the tour this year! Everyone wants to see the largest black cherry tree in Wisconsin, I guess!

Char

Thanks for the info Jill and Char!