The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be holding their Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, November 27. This is a members only (and guests) meeting, and will include a delicious banquet, silent auction, meeting, and an exciting presentation by Vicky and John Ostrowercha on their travels to Holland's "Floriad" flower show. This is an amazing floral exhibition that happens only once every ten years! How exciting for us to share that adventure! If there is time, Debbie and Keith Hayward will do a brief presentation on their trip to the Mediterranean. Good food, great company, lots of travel and you don't even need your passport! Call Liz at 782-2830 for full details.
An enthusiastic fellow-gardener pointed out to me that soon we'll be getting our first seed catalogues! Isn't that exciting? As she said, it's so nice to get the mail on a blustery winter day and find a seed catalogue, full of the wonderful offerings for next spring! We haven't received any catalogues yet, but I'm sure it won't be long.
Do you have a ficus in your plant collection? I think the ficus is one of those houseplants that we take for granted because they grow well and don't cause us a lot of gardening anxiety. But they are beautiful plants, with lush foliage that still looks airy, easy to grow, and are long-lived, too.
The ficus has hundreds of cousins in the family Moraceae, or fig trees. The ficus plant that I am talking about is not the fig tree that gives us yummy figs for stewed fruit, and not the fig tree that provides the leafy covering for artist's models. I'm talking about the plant that is usually called ficus benjamina, or the "weeping fig". It's probably the most common ficus. These plants are houseguests that are very easy to please: put them in a spot with medium to bright light; water them in moderation; and they will be happy. I read that they like to stay in one spot, and if you move them around, they could drop their leaves. So once you find a spot that they seem to like and thrive in, keep them in that location.
Long ago, my darling Mom had a ficus in her home; it sat on the stereo along an east window, with filtered light, and was very happy there. It survived bouts of overwatering when someone else had to take care of it, and survived bouts of drought when I was taking care of it! It survived the eventual move to our home, although at first it seemed to just survive, not grow. But in time it settled in, and now it is doing very well. I am guessing that our little ficus is probably at least 35 years old. So as you can see, they make a great addition to our homes, and will be friends that are with us for a long time.
A very dear friend gave me a beautiful book entitled "Simple Tips for Gardeners" by Rachel Quillin. This lovely book has not only gardening advice, but tips for our "inspirational gardens" as well. I'll share a couple with you. For example, one tip advises us to tag a plant that we want to move while it is blooming; that way we will move the right one when the time comes. Such a simple but practical idea! On the inspirational side, here's one: "Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight." Wise words from Benjamin Franklin!
Have a great week, gardeners! And don't forget to add some finishing notes to your garden journal about what you liked best in your garden this year!
