Congratulations to all the gardeners who entered the City of Yorkton “Yorkton In Bloom” competition. Judging has been taking place this week, but I think everyone who had the enthusiasm and exuberance to enter the competition is a winner! I tip my gardening hat to you all! Remember that the bus tour to see the winning entries will be on Friday, July 22, with two tour times: 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. For more information call (306) 786-1776 or (306) 786-1750.
I’ll also remind you at this time that the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society’s annual “Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show” is on Wednesday, August 10 from 1:00 p.m. till 5:00 p.m. at St. Gerard’s Parish Complex, and your admission includes coffee or tea and dainties! Please mark the date on your calendars and plan to join us! Bring a friend, have coffee, and browse through the beautiful displays and exhibits. Group members are excited for you to see what their hard work in the garden has produced: be it vigorous vegetables or dainty cut flowers; interesting flower arrangements or stunning planter displays! It’s a lovely way to spend the afternoon! Everyone is welcome!
And for your own information, you can always check what’s happening with the group by visiting our website at www.yorktonhort.ca
I’d like to tell you a bit more of the gardening gems I learned from Marjorie Harris when I was lucky enough to chat with her a few weeks back. Perhaps you have one or two of her books; I have several, and she is a wonderful gardener and fascinating person to talk to! One thing I asked her about was color in the garden; in one of her books she mentioned that strong color in the garden can be overwhelming. I asked if this was true for all sizes of gardens?
She said that “…color doesn’t matter. My color is based on the foliage color. Blooms are an extra thing that happens… you think about what you see, and that’s the variety of foliage.”
Marjorie also spoke with great enthusiasm about one of her favorite plants: “Lespedeza is a plant I’m crazy about. It grows about six feet every year, that is a plant I would totally miss!”
I asked her to spell it for me, because this was a new one for me. So here’s my homework: lespedeza is a flowering plant that belongs to the pea family, but is a cousin to the clover family. There are trailing and shrub varieties, so I am guessing that Marjorie was talking about the trailing plant. I learned that these plants can fix nitrogen, so they are beneficial to the soil.
They sound very easy-care, their only requirement being full sun. The catch is, they are not hardy to our zone. But as we have chatted about before, a sheltered garden and some winter protection can help us push the envelope and be a little more daring in trying more tender plants. So if you are feeling adventurous, you may want to try this perennial.
Marjorie also commented that “sometimes gardeners have no sense of the whole. Where does my garden fit in? My garden influences the gardens all around me.” She explained that all gardens reflect upon each other because for example, if your neighborhood has many large, mature trees, many of you will be growing more shade-tolerant plants. Or, if your neighbors are planting traditional gardens, the harmony of the area would be changed if one gardener decided to plant something very different. Thinking of our gardens as a living, breathing organism that an entire neighborhood indirectly shares is a very interesting concept! Something for us to mull over as we take our daily garden strolls!
Have a great week!
