Thursday is the big day! Gardeners, remember that the Yorkton In Bloom tour will be on Thursday, July 24. The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society is delighted to be helping the City with this project, and we'd like to thank the City for coordinating Yorkton In Bloom every year! The Yorkton In Bloom Yard and Garden Bus Tour takes place on Thursday, July 24, with two tour times: at 9:00 a.m., and at 6:00 p.m. Tours leave from the Yorkton Public Library parking lot, north side. The awards will be presented during the morning tour. This will be your chance to get inspired as you see the winners in a variety of categories!
Congratulations to every gardener who entered to contest: you show a shining enthusiasm to make the City even more beautiful, plus an inspirational spirit to share the results of your hard work and ideas with other gardening friends. You all do us proud! I tip my gardening hat to all of you!
Grab your hat and a cool glass of iced tea and let's sit in the shade for a minute or two. Remember I was telling you how a kind friend gave me a stack of "Saskatchewan Gardener" magazines? Each one is a gem of information and entertaining reading! I bookmarked an article that I wanted to share with you, from the fall issue of 1999. Here's a title that catches your attention: "The Treasure Garden". Guess what it's about? The author, Mariette Viger, tells us about plants that have a place in folklore as being able to bring wealth to the person who grows them or even carries them in the purse or wallet! Who knew?
So I'll tell you some of them; maybe you already grow them and are already wealthy beyond measure, reading this from your villa in Monaco! If so, get the guest room ready and all of us, your gardening friends, will be over to visit you soon!
Allium, a perennial favorite in the garden, is one of the plants that is said to bring prosperity. If you grow basil for your pasta sauces, you will be interested to know that if you carry some in your pocket, you will attract wealth, and if you have a business, placing some basil near the doorway of your store will bring in more customers.
If you are growing bergamot (monarda) to attract butterflies, take a moment to rub the leaves on your money before you spend it, and it will come back to you. Bet this one is one you haven't heard of: gamblers used to wash their hands in a chamomile "tea" to help encourage a winning hand.
The elegant mugo pine is also said to be a powerful plant to attract riches. Poppy seeds will bring you financial luck. And if you wear a little corsage of snapdragon, then you will be safe from someone deceiving you in financial matters.
Isn't that fun? It seems that every plant has some sort of story or legend behind it, doesn't it! Although I think for us gardeners, we are already rich by being able to enjoy the immense pleasure of tending our gardens and savoring the miracle of the plants, the fresh air, and the bounty we can enjoy eating or savoring with the eyes. I know that I have absolutely priceless memories of family time in our garden, where we talked and laughed and cried and worked hard, but it was always a "happy tired" at the end of the day, as my precious parents used to say!
Circle August 12 on your calendar, that's the date of the Annual Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show. More about that as the date gets closer. Have a good week, and be sure to wear a hat!
