Road trip! The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be heading down the highway to Neepawa on Saturday, July 20. We'll be seeing the Lily Festival, plus other interesting sights. As you and I chat about this, I'm not sure if any seats are still available, but if you are interested to go, please call Liz at (306) 782-2830. Paulette, if you see this, could you please call Liz again-thank you!
Remember, the Yorkton In Bloom Yard and Garden Bus Tour takes place on Thursday, July 25. There will be two tours, one at 9:00 a.m. and one at 1:00 p.m. Both leave from the Yorkton Public Library.
And while you have your calendar out, circle Tuesday, August 13: that's the date of the Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at St. Gerard's Parish Complex, Yorkton. There will be a wide variety of displays and exhibits, and you admission price even includes coffee or tea and dainties! It's a lovely way to spend a summer afternoon, so mark that date down and be sure to bring a friend!
Are you bringing in garden flowers to enjoy? When I was a child, one of my favorite summertime projects was flower arranging. Sweet Pea always gave me the task of making flower arrangements every few days: one for the coffee table in the living room, one for the kitchen table, and one for her little desk. I had carte blanche to use whatever container I chose, and pick any flowers from the garden. What a wonderful learning opportunity she gave to me by giving me that freedom to experiment with flowers: some choices were great, others not so much! But I learned so much with every arrangement.
Sometimes I was concerned because there was "nothing to pick", at which time Mom would explain that I didn't need a whole lot of flowers to make a nice arrangement. She was always a great fan of the "Japanese" style of flower arranging, and though she didn't know the actual names or principles of this technique, she knew that it was beautiful.
Fast forward, now, to a hot day in the last week or two. As always, there was a pile of old gardening magazines close to my own desk, just like there always used to be close to Mom's, and one of them, "Gardenshed" from Summer 2002, had a lovely article by Trish Maharam called "Asian Artistry". This article talked about how a gardener designed her garden based on the principles of Japanese flower arranging, Ikenobo (EE-kay-NO-bo). This gardener actually went to Japan to study this special art form, and applied it to her entire yard, and you and I can learn from her ideas.
We should keep in mind that the garden (or our flower arrangement) is meant to inspire a sense of peace and harmony. The garden should look like it has been in place for a long time, and it should look natural to its setting, as though the elements of the garden belong there. We should incorporate sculpture or art into our landscape. Now, to bring those ideas to our own little flower arrangement, one lovely flower, perhaps a marigold or lily blossom, set amid greenery in a low bowl, can be a stunning miniature landscape. If we really have no flowers to pick, why not a selection of leaves of different sizes, colors, or textures. Add a special little ornament alongside, and make a tablescape that is special to you. Don't be afraid: you don't need special floral training to enjoy flowers! Just bring them in and savor what you have been nurturing in your garden since spring!
Have a good week, and be mindful of the heat: be sure to wear a hat!
