Another flower show for the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society is done, and it was not without challenges! We had heat, wind, rain, and hail! But gardeners are a hardy lot and we persevered! Thank you to everyone who attended our show, we always look forward to seeing you! Also, thank you to everyone from the horticultural society who brought entries, who helped set up and take down, who worked in the kitchen, serving, or at the door, and all who brought delicious dainties. Without your help, the show would not go on!
Isn’t it amazing how our gardens have gone from lush vitality into that very subtle, slow state of decline that comes after the peak of the summer? Even with the extreme weather aside, the plants were already changing, losing a leaf here or there, or starting to slow down gently. Not that they didn’t still look lovely, but they were getting that “end of season” look. Many gardeners I have chatted with told me the same thing: that plants this year seem to be a couple weeks ahead of where they normally are. Have you noticed that? We have: our onions have been lying flat for a while already, and look like they are ready to harvest. That doesn’t usually happen until later in August or even September.
So maybe this is nature’s way of reminding us to enjoy our gardens to the fullest every day! I was browsing through my stack of gardening magazines and found a gem, “Enjoy Gardening” from Jim Hole, publisher of “Lois’ Spring Gardening”. In the “Letter from the Editor”, Carmen Hrynchuk said this: “…when we first started dreaming about what this magazine should be, we decided that “reconnect” was one of the three umbrellas under which our editorial mandate would live. It was chosen along with “reflect” and “relax” to remind ourselves that gardening isn’t about perfection. It’s not about someone else’s standards. It’s not even about skill set. It’s about mind set – enjoyment! – celebrating the fact that gardening is about more than eliminating frustrating “Whys?” It’s about inspiring fearless “Why nots!” …Instead of focusing on how nature can undo your plans, admire that it has a plan of its own… Think of yourself as its partner, rather than its keeper.” Considering all things of the past few weeks, I thought this was a very profound statement. We are keepers of our plants, doing the best we can with what we are given. When all is said and done, nature has a plan as well, and this one rules!
Who said gardeners can’t be philosophers, too! Let’s be positive that there is still plenty of time to enjoy our plants, so where do we go from here? Let’s be sure that our plants are the healthiest they can be. Deadhead faithfully to ensure maximum blooms. Remove any dead or dying leaves. If a plant has already started to dry up (this happened with some of our lobelias), remove it from your planter. The other plants will fill in the gap. Water your plants regularly; they might even enjoy a tonic of fertilizer to rejuvenate them. If some have started to get leggy and unkempt (this happened with one of our petunia planters) take a deep breath and cut them back by one third or even half. It seems drastic but they’ll come back with more vigor.
Whatever else, don’t be discouraged because of the run of bad weather. One of my favorite “riddles” is this: what are the happiest and the saddest words of the English language? The answer? “This too shall pass.” Yes, even if we had an absolutely ideal summer, we know that our beatiful flowers will fade. The gardening season will end: this too shall pass. On the other side of the coin, our challenging growing year will come to an end and we can look forward to next year. This too shall pass, and next year will be better!
Till then, have a great week, keep up your daily garden tour, and be sure to wear a hat!
