Can you believe it is almost the end of July? That means that it's almost time for the Yorkton in Bloom Competition Bus Tour! The tour happens Thursday, July 26. For complete details about tour times, please call Darren at 786-1776. You'll have a chance to see the beautiful winners of the Yorkton In Bloom competition, and no doubt get some inspiration for your own yard! Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone who entered the competition! Also, a round of applause to the City of Yorkton and everyone connected with the competition: it is wonderful that your vision and enthusiasm recognizes the efforts of the many fine gardeners in the city!
If you are heading down to Weyburn in August, keep in mind that the Saskatchewan Provincial Horticultural Show and Competition is on Friday, August 10. And closer to home, the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be holding their Fruit, Flower, and Vegetable Display Show on Tuesday, August 14 from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at St. Gerard's Parish Complex on 3rd Avenue. Your admission includes coffee, tea, and dainties. There will be a wide variety of all kinds of display and exhibits, and it's a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!
I'd like to remind you that you don't have to be a member of the Horticultural Society to have an entry in the show. Guests are welcome to show items in the show: so if you have a houseplant that you're very proud of, or a lovely rose opening up right at that time and you'd like to share it with us, please bring it to the hall before the show. This is not a judged show; there are no rules that have to be followed except to make a "pleasing display". That can be just one perfect stem of a flower! This is a display show to encourage participation and appreciation of horticulture. So by all means, feel free to bring something to put in the show.
Hort club members, you know how important and appreciated your participation is in the show; the last couple years have been a challenge for all of us, weather-wise, but this year has been better, so we can't wait to see what everyone has been doing!
We had a lot of house-keeping this week; so let's continue with a "garden stew" of tidbits of news about gardening! We planted "Bull's Blood" beets this year, and their foliage is just beautiful; delicious in salads, but also pretty to look at in the garden! We also planted a new variety of beet called "Albino"; I'll let you know a little later how that one turned out. We planted some herbs in planters, and they are doing very well this year, it must be the heat. One that is really taking off is pineapple sage. We tried a new grass in a large planter: the grass is called "King Tut", and while it was slow getting established because of being battered by earlier spring winds, it now looks stunning! It's very exotic looking, and it will definitely be on our list of things to plant again next year! The elephant ear finally came up; I had my doubts when we planted that large tuber, because we didn't know which end was up! But it has now made an appearance, and is very pretty with large, rippling leaves. Now is the time to take stock of your garden and see what is worth planting again next year, and which plants you might not try again.
The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society extends our sympathies to the family of one of the first members of the Society, Mrs. Eileen Skaluba, who passed away recently. Mrs. Skaluba was one of the "pioneers" of the Society, devoting much time and energy to help establish the club. These "pioneers" have given us much, and we will remember them always.
Have a good week, gardeners, and be sure to wear a hat!
