The next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the SIGN building on North Street. Our topic will be ikebana. Hope you can join us!
I wanted to tell you about a great new book I’m reading: it’s called “Native Plants For The Short Season Yard” by Lyndon Penner. Lyndon is a gardener that grew up in Saskatchewan and understands the challenges of gardening on the prairies. He has written a number of gardening books that are packed full of wonderful advice and suggestions for us prairie gardeners!
Why would we grow native plants? The write-up at the back of this informative books says that “gardening with native plants has lots of advantages, not only for your yard, but also for the ecosystem. What could be better than a beautiful, low-maintenance yard that preserves biodiversity and withstands the prairie climate?... topics include: how to ethically and responsibly grow native plants from seeds and cuttings; identifying the best plants for sunny, shady, wet, or dry spots in your yard; the plants best left to wild spaces and those you should avoid at all costs; advice from gardening experts who share their secrets and successes with native plants; protecting your garden with natural alternatives to herbicides and pesticides.”
I know many of you are interested in planting native plants in your garden. This book would be a perfect reference and guide. A guiding philosophy is planting the best plant for the best spot; as Lyndon says “I soon realized that if I wanted a plant to succeed, I had to place it where it wanted to be and not where I wanted it to be!” He goes on to say “As much as I love using garden plants that are not native where I live (such as dahlias and tulips), I have also developed a deep fondness for plants that come from the same place I come from.”
This book refers to “native plants” as plants that grow naturally in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Planting native plants is a gardening challenge, and this book explains in a practical and sensitive way the do’s and don’ts of growing native plants, and how to source them.
As I read, I’m learning about plants that we can use in our garden design, incorporating them with other plants. There are many wonderful plants listed, information about the conditions they like and their growing habits, and many interesting tidbits of information such as the beautiful First Nations story of Wapee the brave warrior and how the crocus got its furry stems. There are also suggested plants for different types of gardens, such as plants to feed birds, plants that can be used for nests, plants for butterflies and hummingbirds, plants for winter interest, plants that are drought resistant, etcetera.
So if you want to incorporate native plants into your garden landscape, this book will tell you all you need to know to get started!
I wasn’t sure where there were greenhouses that sold native plants. I did a bit of homework online and found an address for Prairie Originals in Selkirk, Manitoba (www.prairieoriginals.com); and if you go to www.saskforage.ca you will find some other sources. I don’t know if this list is up to date, but it is a start in your research.
Do you see how the days are getting longer? Doesn’t it make us “think spring”? Only 103 more sleeps till the May long weekend; but I know you and I will be plant-puttering before then! Have a great week!
