The Greater Ozarks Hosta Society is dedicated to the promotion of the genus HOSTA. We serve hosta enthusiast in the Southwest Missouri-Northwest Arkansas Region but accept memberships from gardeners anywhere. We offer Hosta lovers a chance to be included in a wide variety of club functions, fun, and the opportunity to share your hosta knowledge with like minded people.

Hostas are the number one selling shade perennial because they are easy to grow and offer a wide variety of texture and color to the shade garden. Please wander through our website and see what we do as a group and in our individual gardens.

About 24 years ago, shortly after I arrived in the Ozarks I met Bill Roston, a physician and Renaissance man, one of whose hobbies was gardening. He owned Garden of Dreams, a 60 acre garden and event facility near Ava, where he raised hostas and other shade plants in several acres of land surrounding an event pavilion. Doc Roston was particularly fond of hostas and organized the Greater Ozarks Society which I had joined. He wanted to create a hosta display garden and selected the Dickerson Park Zoo for the location. A group of volunteers from GOHS, including myself, created a hosta display with plants donated from Oscar and Amy Cross from Hilltop Gardens near Ash Grove. After a lot of effort the project was completed and we left anticipating a dramatic hosta display at the entrance to the zoo. Much to our disappointment, the resident geese ate all the hostas back to the ground. Following that Doc worked with Major Close and Stan Horsch two of the original founders of Close Memorial Park, to create a new hosta garden at that location. Doctor Bill was the first president of GOHS and I succeeded him as the second president in 1998. GOHS members created the original hosta display garden during my term as president.

Today, some 25 years later I am again resuming the office of president of GOHS. Our mission now is to maintain and improve the Hosta Display Garden at Springfield Botanical Gardens. In a way it’s deja vou for me, and the intent is the same: to maintain and enhance the Garden, expand our membership and improve our participation in this effort. I look forward to a rewarding and exciting term pursuing this mission and rely on you, the current members to join with me in this effort.

The Greater Ozarks Hosta Society has constructed and maintains a hosta garden at Close Memorial Park on 2400 S. Scenic in Springfield, Missouri. The garden contains several hundred hostas and companion plants. It is open to the public during daylight hours year round. We encourage you to visit and enjoy the fruits of our labors. More pictures of the garden are available on the Gallery page.

Several of our members are also members of the Friends of the Garden an organization dedicated to establish and facilitate a Botanical Center, gardens, and an arboretum at Close Botanical Gardens and Lake Drummond to inspire the discovery, understanding, and appreciation of nature.

Noted from the July, ‘Sum and Substance’ newsletter: “THIS JUST IN! At the garden tour (June 25th) at J.J. Averett’s property, the announcement was made that we have a bid to put a new fence around the Hosta Garden at the Springfield Botanical Center. We are VERY happy to announce we have received our first donation in the amount of $2,000 from a wonderfully generous woman who caught the vision! Our heartfelt thanks to her! She got the ball rolling, now let’s give it a shove everyone!” At this point commitments now total around $15,000!

We still have work to do before the fencing materials can be ordered. Please review the information below and invest what you are comfortable with. We can’t complete this needed project without your investment!

The Project: Replacement of the Hosta Garden’s wood fencing, most of it in place for over 20 years, now needs replacement. Because of wood rot and worn gates it is becoming a danger to the public. The fencing surrounding the garden is approximately 550 ft including the 3 gates.

The funding needed for the Montage Majestic Plus Classic steel replacement fencing (see photo) and gates approved by the Springfield Botanical Gardens designers and management is approximately $40,000. This investment should assist securing the future of the Hosta Garden. Benefits also include, increased visual aesthetic appeal; defines the garden; won’t rot equals lower maintenance; manufacturer guaranteed 20 years; keeps wildlife out (geese and deer); controls access to the garden, helps prevents random garden bed cut-through, plus other visitor damage, and conforms to SBG Garden Master Plan.

Contributions of any size are needed and welcomed! To contribute financially to the Hosta Garden Fence Project there are two ways. (Below contribution terms revised July 20, 2023):

Contributions of $500 or more will be acknowledged, by name, on specially designed signage displayed inside the Hosta Garden.

1. Tax deductible, make your check payable: ‘Friends of the Garden’, note memo line: ‘501(c)3 Hosta Garden Account’. For record keeping mail these checks to Friends of the Garden, Attn: Heather Parker, 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield MO 65807
2. Nondeductible, make your check payable: Greater Ozarks Hosta Society, note memo line: ‘Hosta Garden Fence’. For record keeping these checks to GOHS, J.J. Averett, 262 Blue Jay Way, Nixa, MO 65714. (Questions call J.J. 417.860.8763)

Thank you for considering and investing in the future of the Greater Ozarks Hosta Society Garden at the Springfield Botanical Gardens. For questions, more information or suggestions please contact:

Robert (Bob) Childress, president
Greater Ozarks Hosta Society
Email: ulmusfan1@gmail.com
Phone: 417.838.9454