Are you ready for some new plant additions to your garden? Then don’t miss the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society Spring Plant & Bulb Sale on Friday, May 27, 9:30 a.m. till 5 p.m. at the Parkland Mall. This is a one day sale, and as you experienced plant-shoppers know, be there early in the day for best selection, especially if you are looking for specific plants! There are always eager gardeners on hand to answer any questions you may have, so remember, that’s Friday, May 27 at the Parkland Mall, Yorkton.
As you know, I’m always encouraging gardeners to check out the wonderful variety of gardening books at the library; there are so many books with solid practical advice, plus beautiful books that inspire with their amazing garden photos. Whichever you choose, before you don your gardening gloves and head outside, the library can be part of your planting strategy! I found a great book that I want to tell you about: it’s called “Perennials for Saskatchewan and Manitoba” by Patricia Hanbidge and Laura Peters, and this could become any gardener’s handbook and guide! It talks about perennial gardening on the prairies, and has information about dozens of perennials. Plus it has fine color photos of each plant, which makes it so much easier to visualize them in our own gardens.
Under the section called “Getting Started”, we read that “Do not attempt to make your garden match the growing conditions of the plants you like. Choose plants to match your garden conditions. The levels of light, the type of soil and the amount of exposure in your garden provide guidelines that make plant selection easier.” That’s a very good beginning: if your garden is exposed to bright sunshine for most of the day, shade-loving plants like hostas or lamium may not fit into your garden design. And wishing won’t make it so! It is what it is. Likewise if you have a cool, shady yard surrounded by trees, the sun-worshippers like gaillardia or peonies may be challenged to do their best. We’ll have greater success if we choose plants suited to what we have to work with.
I know as gardeners we like to “push the envelope” and try to grow things that we are told will not grow here. But in terms of growing conditions in our yards, that is often something we have to accept.
Except when we don’t! Another part of the book talks about how we can often have “microclimates” in our yards. What is a microclimate? It is an area that for whatever reason can be more (or less) favorable for growing things. The book says this: “Microclimates can be created, for example, in the shelter of a building or stand of evergreen trees; in a low, still hollow; at the top of a barren, windswept hill, or close to a large body of water. Microclimates that raise the zone level a notch give gardeners almost anywhere in Saskatchewan and Manitoba the possibility of growing perennials that people who live in milder climates claim won’t grow here.” Probably many of us can create a little pocket like this, just by planting close to a building or a hedge that blocks the wind.
As I read this, I thought back to Mom’s beautiful yard. There was a little microclimate in part of it, (though we didn’t know to call it that at the time) with the house on one side, and large stands of lilacs along two sides. On a warm summer day, stepping into this sunny, semi-enclosed area was like stepping into a green sauna: the bees buzzed around the lilacs and peonies planted there, the lawn was lush and warm under bare feet, and the air was hot and still. We spent countless hours here, planting up planters on the patio table, having endless cups of tea and conversation, or enjoying meals in that quiet, private space. Walking ten feet further, out of this enclosed area, was like entering another garden as the breezes blew more freely and he space opened to the large part of the garden. Have you noticed any variance like that in your own yard?
So as you are perusing plants at the greenhouses (or at the plant sale!) consider your yard as you make your selections. And remember; try a new plant this year! Have a great week, visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca, and be sure to wear a hat when you’re out in your garden!
