Gardeners, we'll do some housekeeping before we start chatting about plants. First of all, please mark Thursday, April 18 on your calendars: that's the date of the next Yorkton and District Horticultural Society meeting. Our special guest will be Frank Woloschuk speaking about "Planning A Perennial Bed". Frank is a wonderful gardener, with many beautiful perennials in his own collection. If you have attended our flower show in August, you will probably remember the many stunning lilies that Frank exhibited in the show. So I know that he will have many great ideas about planning, designing, and planting a perennial bed. Remember that date: Thursday, April 18. That will surely get us in the "spring gardening" frame of mind, even if the weather doesn't!
Next, I'd like to tell you about a neat event in Regina on Saturday, April 27: it is called "Spring Into Growing Day", and it is put on by the Regina Horticultural Society and the Saskatchewan Horticultural Society. There are a wide variety of topics to choose from for the day: ten in all!
These topics cover everything from backyard vegetable gardening to orchids to pruning to landscaping using edible plants, ornamentals and grasses. You get to choose the sessions you'd like to attend. It sounds like a really interesting day! If you would like to attend or would like more information, log on to www.reginahortsociety.com or call Denise at (306) 331-9181. If you register for the whole day, your registration fee includes the sessions, lunch and coffee breaks!
I think there can't be anything more pathetic in the spring than the sight of an eager gardener standing in the window, looking out at the snow-covered yard! That would be me! Some very sweet, very dear friends gave us some bulbs that I can't wait for us to plant: the first is a beautiful lily called "Salmon Star". This little bulb journeyed all the way from Holland, and the package says "easy to grow", so I hope they are right! The lily is pale pink-salmon, with darker peach-colored freckles. It looks so lovely in the picture! Next is an exotic, handsome dahlia called "Arabian Night"; he is a dark and mysterious burgundy-purple color, and I think he will want a large flowerpot all for himself! The directions on the back of the package say "dig-drop-enjoy", so I hope that the dahlia has read the directions and will grow that easily for us! The third thing we were gifted with is a stunning calla lily called "Purple Sensation". I hope to plant this in a large pot as well, and I think it will look very pretty placed near "Arabian Night".
We've got the flowerpots, got the bulbs now all we need is the warm weather!
I want to share an observation with you; last year, we planted the ornamental grass "Karl Forster". It's a beautiful grass, about four feet tall, with graceful creamy-beige stems and delicate seed heads. With all the snow we had this year, I fully expected the stems to break. But the plant stayed upright through all the snow, and kept its shape and its color. It looks very beautiful in our winter garden. So if you are looking for a perennial that gives four season beauty, consider this easy care plant!
Have a good week, gardeners! Keep the faith that spring is coming!
