It is now officially spring! One of the first tasks we’ll be able to do when the snow melts is mow our lawns and clean them up after the winter. If you long for a beautiful, green lawn, take note! The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be holding their next regular meeting on Wednesday, March 21, 7:00 p.m., at SIGN on North Street in Yorkton. Our special guest speaker will be Jim Gorman, agronomist, talking to us about Lawn Care and Maintenance. Jim will be able to tell us what we need to do to have the lawn of our dreams! Everyone is welcome; you don’t have to be a member to come to the meetings. Bring a friend and join us!
Do you have a time to enjoy a cup of tea? Sit down for a few minutes; I’d like to tell you about an article I found in an old, old magazine. The magazine was “Lois’ Spring Gardening 2002”, an excellent reference book from the late, great Canadian gardener Lois Hole. In it, there is information about how to create a “privacy Screen” using perennials. I read this with great interest, because gardeners almost always have a corner of our yards that we’d like to shield from view: Our work area. Mom and Dad’s yard was big, and there was easily space for the “work area” where we kept the lawn-mower, stacks of planters, garden tools and pails of garden stakes and all the paraphernalia that every gardener uses on a regular basis. This area was surrounded by a neatly trimmed hedge of cotoneaster, and while it was handy for our work, it did not distract from the beautiful garden.
But many of us do not have the luxury of that kind of space in our yards, so the idea of being able to plant a living screen sounded very practical to me. Not only would a project like this serve a purpose, but it would look beautiful as well. Many plants were suggested, but the ones that I took note of especially were plants that grow easily, and that attracted bees. These plants are of varying heights, so they would make a very attractive screen/border.
Let’s begin with the taller plants: Delphiniums, hollyhocks, and monkshood are great, tall anchor plants. They’re hardy for our area, and when the lovely spires of blooms arrive, they are a very pretty sight in the garden. These plants will grow up to five feet tall, so you can see how they would be the ideal “screen”. Delphiniums can break in strong winds, though, so it would be a good idea to tie a tall bamboo stake by each plant so that they will hold their shape.
If you plant these fairly close together, you will have a solid bank of plants, but in case you want to add some variety in height for interest, you can go to the next level with plants like coreopsis for a bright pop of colour, daylilies for elegant foliage, or Asiatic lilies. These plants are also tried and true and easy to grow.
And if you wanted to add in yet one more shorter layer, you could use peonies, Jacob’s ladder (very beautiful foliage), or plant a frothy gypsophilia (baby’s breath). There are many plants you could choose from for a project like this, depending on how high and how wide you want your screen to be, but you can see how easily and beautifully this living screen would take shape.
Now that working in our gardens is a dream that is getting closer, it’s the perfect time to plan and be inspired for this year! I always encourage gardeners to head to the library and browse through the fine selection of gardening books. You’ll find something that will suit your taste, and give you many creative ideas!
Visit us at www.yorktonhort. Have a wonderful week!
