Communities in Bloom organizers in North Battleford plan on hosting an event in May to spur people on in their gardening efforts.
They plan to host a Gardening Workshop May 12 at the Don Ross Centre, designed to showcase tips from local experts about different aspects of gardening.
The event will be in Room 107 of the Don Ross Centre and is designed to be a come and go event, with coffee and desert and door prizes. Doors open at 11 a.m. and it will run well into the afternoon. It is timed to go ahead a week before Mother's Day.
Six local presenters have been booked to present, and the idea, according to Nora Rongve of North Battleford Communities in Bloom, is to "get people to start thinking about their yards and into the gardening feel."
The events are designed so that people can chose whichever ones they might want to attend.
At 11:15 a.m., Judy Dwinnel of Northern Nurseries will do a presentation about water gardening. Participants will receive a free Star Gazer Lily voucher.
At noon, Joyce Munn and Marilyn Heidel from Forest Hall Nurseries will speak on the subject of Planting Colorful Pots.
At 12:45 p.m., John Vogt, an arborist, is scheduled to appear on the subject of Shrubs and Trees: Pruning and Care.
At 1:30 p.m., Vermi Composting is the topic, with Jennifer Miller speaking.
At 2 p.m., Rose Favel is scheduled to speak on the topic of Gardening with Children: Community Gardening.
The final presentation is at 2:45 p.m. when Edwin Smokum of Over the Edge Lawn Care speaks on Lawn Management and Lawn Care/ Turf Management.
The event is free of charge and those seeking more information can contact Nora Rongve at 446-4589 (rongve@accesscomm.ca) or Charlotte Hamilton at 445-2683 (charlotte.hamilton9@gmail.com).
The event is meant to encourage enthusiasm in the community in the run up to the Communities in Bloom judging.
"It's about looking after your own space and keeping your own space beautiful and having pride in your own yard," Rongve said of the workshop.
Rongve said the city did well last year in earning four 'blooms' from the judges in the competition, so "we want to keep the momentum going."
The Communities in Bloom effort plans to kick off May 5 in conjunction with the United Way's Spring Clean-up, where volunteers will be roaming the green spaces around North Battleford collecting litter.
The actual judging is to take place later on this summer, and Rongve credits the city with being full on board in efforts to try to improve on the good showing of a year ago.
