First of all, thank you to everyone who stopped by the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society’s Plant Sale last week; there were certainly many garden treasures to add to your collection! Thank you also to all members who contributed plants and worked at the sale, it wouldn’t have happened without you!
Education is an important part of the Horticultural Society. The group offers limited bursaries up to $150 to school classes for the “Junior Gardener” program. This program is to encourage young gardeners to get started in the fun of gardening: and also hopefully instill a love of gardening that will become a lifelong pleasure. For more information, please visit our website at www.yorktonhort.ca
We tried a new plant, and I wanted to tell you about it. I love plants that have leaves with unusual colors, and burgundy leaves are so striking! We tried a ruby-red beauty called “Purple Lady” Iresine, a plant with small, heart-shaped, wine-colored leaves and even darker red veins. Beautiful! Iresine is a plan that’s new to me, so I did a little homework and this is what I found. Iresine is a dainty cousin to the beautiful amaranth. It is also known by the unique name of “bloodleaf”, which fully describes the vibrant color in the leaves. The plant comes to us from Brazil, and has other memorable names like chicken-gizzard or beefsteak plant. How could we forget a plant with a name like that?
The plants like full sun but will also tolerate partial shade. Make sure they are in soil that drains well, and give the plants an extra treat by mixing in some compost. I learned that the colors will be especially vibrant if the plants are in full sun. I read that the plants like soil that is evenly moist, so we don’t want them to dry out completely between waterings (caution, here, gardeners: if they do dry out, do not overwater to make up for it!)
Also, I read that we should pinch or plants to give them a denser growing habit, and it’s not a bad idea to pinch off the blooms when they appear. The blooms are not that significant, and by pinching them off, the energy of the plant will go in into producing more beautiful, burgundy leaves.
Not only will these plants give a pop of exotic color to our outdoor planters, but if you are so inclined, you can bring them in as a houseplant in the fall. If you’ve got a south-facing window, the plant will love you! One article that I read said that as a houseplant, we should water the plant until water runs out the bottom of the pot, and very important, empty the dish or saucer below the flowerpot. Do not let water collect there because the plant does not like wet feet! And again, be sure that the plant does not dry out between waterings.
Truly, with plants like a ruby iresine, a feathery blue fescue grass, a dark green trailing ivy, and a lemony creeping jenny, we could make a stunning planter and not use any flowering plants at all!
Gardening has no rules about what goes with what, as long as the plants have similar light and water needs. Please promise me that before you finish planting this spring, you will try something new! There are so many astounding plants out there, and our local greenhouses have a wonderful selection for us to try. Let your imagination take you down a different garden path!
Have a wonderful week, gardeners; savor these breath-taking spring days!
