Let's begin by saying congratulations to all the winners of the Yorkton In Bloom competition! It is so wonderful that you took up the challenge and entered the competition. Your efforts inspire all of us! A bouquet of roses to the City of Yorkton for organizing the Yorkton In Bloom competition each year, and to the members of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society who assist with the competition in various ways.
Please circle Tuesday, August 12 on your calendars: that's the day of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society "Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show". You'll see all kinds of interesting displays and exhibits while you enjoy coffee and dainties! The show is from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Gerard's Parish Complex, 125 Third Avenue North. Everyone is welcome!
I'd also like to tell you all about the 2014 Saskatchewan Provincial Horticulture Show on Tuesday, August 19 in Windthorst. This SHA event is hosted by the Windthorst Horticultural Society, who are celebrating their 60th show! Congratulations, Windthorst! Everyone is welcome to enter. Interested gardeners should note this is a judged show; if you would like a show book or more information, please call Carol Miller at (306) 224-4444.
Have you been to the Yorkton Public Library lately? Last time I was in, the Library staff had a wonderful collection of garden books on display. What a nice way to encourage us gardeners to take a break from the weeding and do a little reading! I took out a book called "Private Edens: Beautiful Country Gardens" by Jack Staub. What a beautiful, beautiful book! If you are looking for a book that will inspire how your garden looks, this is it!
Mr. Staub did a lot of research about how and why people have the kind of gardens that they do, their own "private Eden". He says this: "In the end, what I discovered was that, despite their considered differences - be they historic manors, modern aeries, or the most homely and charming of farms - three things seem to define them all, what I have grown to call "the three essential H's" of Eden making: heart, home, horticulture. In every case, the love of these owners for their land and their pride in its transformation shines upon it as brightly as a beacon. You can see it in their eyes. You can hear it in their voices. And it is the same heart that takes what is merely a house on a plot of land and invests it with the crucial emotional quality of "home", a place of soul-enhancing respite, consolation, and reconnection."
I thought that this was a very timely observation to share with you, following the Bloom competition last week. We all know how we love our gardens, whether they are large or small. We all truly put ourselves into the garden, with toil and ideas and imagination. And yes, it does become a place where we find rest for our souls, relaxation for our bodies (eventually, when the weeding is done!), and rejuvenation for our spirits.
This past week, our linden tree was in full bloom, its heavenly scent wafting over our yard. Each day when I was outside, I became a foster-mom to a nest of robins in our apple tree. I watched with pleasure as the babies grew under the devoted and tireless care and feeding of their parents. And when both parents were out gathering food at the same time, I quietly sat in the lawn chair, keeping a watchful eye on the nest, just in case a grackle or crow would come along. What excitement when the family left the nest on a bright, sunny morning; and how sad I was to see that the smallest baby didn't make it. I wept for him. Today, the yard is quiet and somehow empty without the robin family; but the scent of the linden and the beauty of the garden brings comfort. I hope it does for you, too. Have a good week.
