If you have your calendar out, be sure to circle Wednesday, Aug. 8; that’s the date of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society’s Annual Fruit, Flower, and Vegetable Show at St. Gerard’s Parish Complex. Here’s your chance to see the best of the gardening year: fruit and vegetable displays, cut flowers, plant displays, and flower arrangements. Your admission price includes tea or coffee and dainties, so please mark that date down and plan to join us!
A dear gardening friend gifted us with a beautiful new plant: a lovely burgundy anemone. While we had often heard of this plant, we were not familiar with it, so this is the perfect time to do some homework!
The anemone, also called wind flower, originates from the Mediterranean region. It is a perennial that likes well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Its favorite location would be a lightly shady area, although it will do well in full sun. The plant has a cluster of leaves at the base, then the pretty poppy-like flowers rise above on slender stems.
I learned that there are three kinds of anemones: the spring blooming kind; the variety that blooms in spring and summer and does well in sun; and the summer and fall blooming variety which likes light shade. I believe the new plant we have is the spring-summer variety, which comes in red, the stunning crimson color that we have, purple, white or blue. This plant would be a great addition to a garden, looking very elegant as it blooms.
It also has a romantic history: in Greek mythology, Aphrodite and Adonis were lovers. The other gods murdered Adonis, and in her deep grief, Aphrodite’s tears over his grave became anemone flowers. Likely because of this story, in the language of flowers, anemones represent forbidden love. Anemone: a beautiful plant with an interesting story behind it. All in all a great addition to any garden!
There are so many garden tasks in the spring, one of them being care of our mugo pines. At this time of year we see the slender shoots or candles at the tops of the mugo. These tender little shoots hold the growth of the entire season. To ensure that our mugo pine branches out and keeps a nice compact shape, we should “candle” it, that is, break off half of each of the slender shoots. We should do this before the shoots become woody in a few weeks. By candling the mugo, it will become thicker each year. Keep it in mind!
We are just days away from July 1, Canada Day. Several years ago we were in England on Canada Day. We brought along Canadian souvenirs to share with our friends, and after supper everyone began to sing the national anthems of their home countries. When it came to our turn to sing “O Canada”, our friends all stood, wearing their maple leaf pins, and sang with us. There was such affection for our beloved country from these far-away friends, it reduced me to tears. We were so proud to be Canadian!
The maple leaf is probably one of the most distinctive symbols for a country in the entire world, and our flag with this symbol flew for the first time in February 1965. In 1996 the maple leaf tree was recognized officially as Canada’s national emblem. There is even a maple leaf tartan that has the colors of the maple leaf’s color in the changing seasons.
We are so blessed to live here! On Canada Day, spend some time outdoors and savor the beauty that surrounds us. With glowing hearts, give thanks for our beautiful Canada!
Visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca. Have a great week! Happy Canada Day!
