I did not join AHS until after having been to the convention here in MN this year. The financial advantages are:
2 hard-copy versions of the Hosta Journal, the only publication devoted solely to hostaholic enabling (to my knowledge)
1 online version of the Hosta Journal--different and bigger than the other 2
$15 voucher that can be used at many of the best hosta nurseries.

So, your net cost, if you use the voucher, is just $25 and the Hosta Journals are worth more than that, IMO.

i wonder if the voucher can be used in the vending area at the convention????

if i were local.. i might skip the conv hotel if budget is imperative.. though i would highly recommend you stay there.. if feasible ... at least plan on hanging out as many hours as possible ....

but do NOT miss the garden tour/bus rides .. that money is well spent ...

if you were to contact the local group that is sponsoring the show ... and joined.. and volunteered to be a bus captain .. you will get to go on the tours for free perhaps ... they need lots of peeps to do various things.. and any help is usually welcome ...

bus captains are usually pairs.. and you would make a great sidekick to someone who knows what they are doing ... so have no fear that some mystical knowledge is needed ...

ken

In order to be a bus captain at the convention last year in MN, I had to pay full price for the convention.

And we did not work in pairs. The peeps on my bus can tell ya... I worked alone.... "What bus are you on? What bus will you be on tomorrow?" Though I did offer up the mic to some aspiring comedian, who shall remain nameless. ;-P

I'm a pretty confident gal, but I don't think I'd take on being a bus captain without having been on the local society tour the year before.

I can't say for sure, but I'd bet that Naylor would probably accept the voucher at the vending area.... and maybe another vendor who frequents this forum. But I'd clarify that before you got there! You do have to surrender the voucher at the time of purchase.

I count 4 of the vendors at the convention who will accept the voucher. Here's a list of the vendors that will be in Marlboro this summer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vendors at AHS 2011

Another side to your question to consider - there is a lot of dollars and time volunteered to put on the convention that is never paid through your convention admission. If you can't do it now, consider it in the future. Think of it as investing a tiny bit in local and national orgs to keep an event like this going. Research, speakers, Hosta Journal, friendships, are all additional benefits or a membership.

You can also volunteer at the convention..... I did a few hours and met a lot of nice people I wouldn't have otherwise.

Paul

Here is a link that might be useful: New England Hosta Society

Thank you for your input. I will contact the NEHS and offer to volunteer at the convention. I didn't realize the bus trips were such a big part of the convention; but I can see where buses offer a great opportunity to see the countryside of our state, and visit gardens in the area. I hope some of the bus routes will allow you to drive through the center of small towns with village greens and white church steeples. Before you come to our state, take the time to look at a map. Notice how the names of the cities and towns near the coast are named after places in the UK; as you look inland the towns are named after individuals. One of the bus trips will include a visit to Cochato Nursery, which is where I purchase many of my plants.