Now that we have moved into milder temperatures after the recent deep-freeze, we can start to focus on spring again! We received our Lindenberg seed catalogue awhile back; it’s a joy to look at, with color photos of the plants and great write-ups. As you and I have chatted about many times, please get yourself on mailing lists for seed catalogues. All you have to do is ask, either by going on-line or sending off a written request. Seed catalogues are full of exciting gardening information, not only about what’s new for the coming season, but also how to plant and care for plants that we know and love.
I love to see what’s new for the garden! The Lindenberg catalogue has a fine selection of hostas, my favorite perennial! There is one featured on the cover of the catalogue called “Raspberry Sundae” and this is the description listed in the catalogue: “green leaves with irregular edges and cream centres, and raspberry red stems and flower stalks, deep lavender blooms.” Doesn’t that sound interesting? Hostas make an elegant and long-lasting addition to your garden, happy to grow for many years in the same spot. They’re a plant that will give your garden years of beauty. Hostas will always be linked in my mind to our dear little Toby, who seemed to think that the best spot to lay down in the entire yard was right smack on top of the fullest hosta plant! He’d have a big doggy smile on his face, looking very pleased to have discovered this spot to survey the yard! You’d think that when a black Lab lies down on a plant, it would get all broken. Surprisingly, it didn’t; not very much, anyway. How we miss our little “hosta inspector”! But back to the seed catalogue!
Other interesting plants listed include a new strawberry, “Aloha Berry” with white flesh, red seeds, and the flavor of pineapple! Or how about a yellow bleeding heart called “Sulphur Hearts”. There are so many things to read about! I’m just telling you about the latest catalogue that we received, but the same goes for all seed catalogues: they are a wealth of information, fun to read, and a place to begin your seed shopping for this year!
Speaking of seeds, get out your calendars and circle Saturday, March 12. This is the day of the 6th Annual “Yorkton Seedy Saturday — Prairie Sun Seed Festival”. It goes from 12:30 p.m. till 4:00 p.m. at Yorkdale School. There are many things to see: local organic and heirloom seeds, seed swap, kids interactive station, and of course, interesting speakers. There is no admission, but there will be a silver collection at the door, and/or non-perishable food items that will be donated to local food security groups. That’s Saturday, March 12 from 12:30 till 4 p.m. at Yorkdale School.
The next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, February 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sunshine Room at SIGN on North Street. Everyone is welcome! As we’ve mentioned before, you don’t have to be a member to come to the meetings: if a topic interests you, please come and join us! There is an interesting year ahead with a variety of speakers; I’ll tell you more about it as the dates get closer. Please check our website www.yorktonhort.ca to see what’s new!
Have a great week!
