Let’s make a cup of tea, and I’ll tell you about a great gardening book I’m reading. It’s called “Best Garden Plants for Saskatchewan and Manitoba” by Patricia Hanbridge and Laura Peters. The book is divided up into these sections: annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs, roses, vines, bulbs, herbs, and ornamental foliage plants. Which one should we look at together?
Why don’t we take a glance through a few chapters? Under “annuals” we find many favorites such as osteospermum for full sun locations; bacopa and begonia for partial shade; coleus to bring variety and color to a spot in partial shade; dusty miller, an old favorite that loves a sunny spot; the versatile geranium; and cheery little million bells (calibrachoa) for non-stop show all summer. Can’t forget the bright and beautiful petunias for full sun; and if you have looked at seed catalogues this year, there are many wonderful sunflowers to choose from.
As I look through the “perennial” chapter, I remember reading in another article about someone who thought the king-pins of perennials were the peony, the daylily, the lily, and the iris. Do you agree? Beautiful as they all are, I see many wonderful perennials listed in our book, including bleeding heart and coral bells for areas with light shade; we can’t overlook the beauty of daylilies, which give a lush tropical look to our gardens even when they aren’t blooming; the easy-to-please groundcover dead nettle; and the pretty lady’s mantle (alchemilla) for light or partial shade areas. An interesting little factoid: did you know that this plant got its name because long ago in the middle ages, alchemists thought the dew in the centre of the leaves could change lead into gold? This plant is famous for how beautiful it looks when rain or dew is captured in the leaves.
The book also lists my favorite, hostas, and lamb’s ears, another warm and fuzzy plant that adds great color and texture to our perennial patches. The book also lists delphiniums, which I have mixed feelings about. True, they are stunning and architectural in our gardens…until there is a wind. It is very disappointing when those tall stems of blooms break. Do you agree?
The herb section is a short chapter but lists the powerhouse herbs: basil, chives, dill, lavender, lemon verbena, lovage, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Rosemary, sage, parsley and basil are the great regulars that we plant in containers by our back door. They are happy to be in containers, and planting them this way makes it so easy to have them right at our fingertips. If any of you are familiar with Dr. Amen and his books, he talks about using more herbs and spices for healthy flavorings in our food. As he points out, spices were once more valuable than jewels as the trading ships traversed the seas.
This is a great book with beautiful color pictures and directives about light, size, and moisture for each plant. If you are at the Library, do browse through the stacks for this book and many other great horticultural books; there is always something new to learn!
The next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. at SIGN on North Street. Our special guest speaker will be Warren Crossman talking to us about “Ornamental and Native Grasses For The Local Area”. Grasses add a beautiful, airy element to our gardens, and give wonderful new textures to our plantings. It will be great to learn about grasses that will do well here! Everyone is welcome!
Have a great week; visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca
