Another successful year of "Yorkton In Bloom" has come and gone - congratulations to all the winners in the various categories, and indeed, to everyone who took part and made this community project so interesting! Thank you also to Darren Spelay and the City staff who give local gardeners the chance to take part in this exciting competition. I know that those of you who went on the "winner's tour" last week probably found all kinds of ideas for your own gardens!
It's hard to believe that it's August already. Weren't you and I just talking about what kinds of things we'd try in our gardens this year? And soon it will be time for yard clean-up. But there's lots of gardening to do before that! Please keep in mind that the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society "Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show" is on Tuesday, August 9, from 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. at St. Gerard's Parish Complex, 125 3rd Avenue North, Yorkton. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon: come enjoy coffee and dainties (which are included with your admission), and then stroll along and see beautiful displays and exhibits of this year's best in the garden! Everyone is welcome and we would love for you to join us, so mark that date down on your calendar!
I guess after the flood of 2010, we are continually watching the skies and hovering around our little plants, wondering what is going to come next! But you know, it seems to me that as I tour our garden, and go for walks and admire the beautiful gardens along our route, it seems to me that some plants are just looking better than they ever have before. Does it seem that way to you? One plant that particularly stands out for me are the daylilies; I can say that our daylilies have never looked so lush or bloomed so prolifically.
What a great, easy-care plant! Breath-taking when they are blooming, striking and architectural when they're not, daylilies belong to the hemerocallis family, calling Asia home, but now hardy in many parts of the world. I learned that there are over 60,000 cultivars in a wide spectrum of colors, sizes, and many even with fragrance. While each bloom lasts only a day, they produce so many flowers that they give us the illusion of being long-blooming. I read that though daylilies come in every color from yellows to pinks to oranges and bronzes, hybridizers are still unable to produce a blue daylily. Something for us to look forward to in the future!
Daylilies like the sunshine, and well-drained soil. Their clumps will expand over time, and as with all perennials, they will have to be divided eventually. But that just gives you more plants to enjoy or to share with other gardeners. We have a large clump of yellowy-orange daylilies in our garden, and I was sure they were the old favorite "Stella D'Oro", till a knowledgeable gardening friend assured us they were not. Stella is tinier and more compact than this gangly cousin, so while we don't know the name of this variety, it gave us a stunning show this year. Another beauty was a butter-yellow lily with blooms as large as my hand, and gently ruffled petals. It bloomed like it never has before!
That's it for this time - have a good week, wear a hat and mosquito protection, and be sure to join us at the show on Tuesday, August 9!
