The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society was planning a road trip to Regina on June 14 to see Government House, with a stop at Fox Greenhouses in Fort Qu'Appelle. Unfortunately, the trip has been cancelled. Please note, the trip has now been cancelled. Hopefully we'll have another road trip planned in the future!
I'd like to remind our Hort club members that the annual pot luck supper/meeting is on Wednesday, June 18 at 6 p.m. If you want to double-check the details of the evening, please call Liz at 782-2830. This meeting is for members and significant others only.
I've been eager to tell you about a new plant - it is new to me, anyway, perhaps you are growing it already. It is called "Angelonia", and it has been a beautiful addition to our containers! Ours is a deep purple, and the best way I can describe it to you is that it has a growing habit like snapdragons, and the cheery little blooms look like a cross between a snapdragon and a tiny orchid. Very pretty!
But since I know nothing about this plant, I did some research, so make a cup of tea and sit with me for a few minutes and I'll tell you about it. If plants were people, this one would be a tanned, heat-loving person enjoying days on Ipanema Beach in Brazil! Why do I say that? This stunning little flower originally calls South America home. It loves bright sun and lots of heat, no worries there! It is very drought tolerant. The angelonia has an upright growing habit, and grows from one to three feet high. It is very low maintenance because it doesn't require fussy watering or deadheading. It will bloom all summer, and some varieties even have fragrance!
I also read that it attracts birds to the garden, and resists deer, for those of you with country gardens. And for the flower arrangers in the crowd, the angelonia is a lovely cut-flower as well.
It seems the angelonia ticks all the boxes for a great new addition to our containers or flowerbeds! I think it was a very lucky find!
This is another example of taking the plunge and trying something new: there are so many beautiful plants out there! Don't restrict yourself to the same old same old. Maybe the new choice won't be all you dreamed of, but then again, maybe it will! My precious parents were fearless gardeners, who tried new plants every spring without fail. I always think of how they would begin their garden day, with a cuppa coffee at our patio table in the back yard, and animated discussions about where they could fit in that new shrub they found at the greenhouse, or where to plant those new annuals. What joy they shared in their garden! And how lucky I was that even as a child, they always let me choose whatever I wanted to plant in my little "garden". Their wisdom in giving me that freedom taught me so much! I think about them every time I am working out in the yard, and I know it is their example that makes me an enthusiastic and ever-learning gardener. And there is always something new to learn. Always.
Have you noticed that the city planters are now planted up? I can't wait to see them in their full blooming glory! I tip my gardening hat to the planners and planters of those beautiful flower beds around the city; they make Yorkton look so wonderful and inviting!
If you are interested in a longer "gardener's getaway", the Saskatchewan Horticultural Association is planning their annual bus tour for July, heading south to the Weyburn vicinity. When I have more details I'll tell you more about it.
Enjoy spending time outside, and have a great week!
