YORKTON - As gardeners, we all know how good gardening is for us in so many ways. But guess what, it’s being recognized officially! Yes, Canada is the first country in the world to mark “The Year Of The Garden”. I invite you to visit the Canadian Garden Council site at www.gardenscanada.ca to learn all about it. First, though, let’s begin at the beginning. The site explains that the Canadian Garden Council began in 2014 to create awareness and develop interest in gardening in all sectors and “to champion the garden experience sector’s contributions to the well-being of Canadians, the sustainability of our communities, and to promote the joys and benefits of gardens, gardening, urban and municipal landscapes and living green infrastructure.”
From the home page, look at the menu on the left-hand side of the page and you’ll see “Year Of The Garden”. Click on that; let me quote their exuberant words: it is a “celebration of everything garden and garden-related in Canada”. The site goes on to say that this special designation for 2022 aims to “…inspire and inform Canadians about the many health and well-being, economic, and environmental benefits gardens and gardening provide, and along the way provide tips and tricks for gardening success and the enjoyment of gardens.”
This site is just great : lots of interesting reading, including information about Canada’s Garden Route, and a variety of garden inspirations. One that we can all easily do is “plant red”, in honor of pandemic front-line workers, and those who lost their lives during the pandemic. That would be an interesting challenge for us, gardeners: probably the first flowers that come to mind are red petunias, but there are probably a wide variety of red blooms that could grace our containers or gardens. Let’s make that our own personal gardening challenge.
There is also a page devoted to encouraging schools to have a garden, and they mention that their goal is that every school in Canada have a garden by 2025, whether “indoor or outdoor, ornamental or edible.”
The CGC has also chose a perennial plant for this year, the Schizachyrium scoparium . The site says that in the western region, this plant “can be a tricky plant unless you have reasonably dry, well-drained soil…two recommended cultivars…are Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues' and Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation'.” Time for homework! This plant with the fancy name was new to me, until I saw a picture of it. It is a lovely ornamental perennial grass, also called “little bluestem”, a name we might be more familiar with, and it likes a spot with full sun and very good drainage. It is tolerant of a variety of soil conditions, even clay. Once it is settled in, it is very good at withstanding dry conditions. Grasses are a wonderful addition to any garden: they add great visual interest, nice growing habits, and are usually quite carefree garden residents!
And marching with the parade of ‘planting red’, there is also a “Red Charm” peony that looks absolutely beautiful. This peony can be purchased from Vesey’s, and for each peony purchased, Vesey’s is donating a portion of the money to the Year Of The Garden project.
Take note: if you are looking for a garden plot, the Community Peace Garden has one plot available. If you are interested in this space, call Warren at 782-3249.
The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society is planning for a live April meeting; details to follow here, and be sure to visit our website at www.yorktonhort.ca to find out more as plans are made. Thank you to our friends at YTW for their great work. Have a happy week!
