The first meeting of 2013 for the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will take place on Thursday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sunshine Room at SIGN. Our guest will be Warren Crossman speaking about food security. Everyone is welcome; but please note the new day, Thursday, February 21. Everyone is welcome! You don't have to be a member to comer to the meetings; if you have an interest in plants and/or gardening, please join us!
It will be a busy and interesting week! On that Saturday, February 23, don't miss the 3rd Annual Prairie Sun Seed Festival at Yorkdale Central School. There will be exhibits and presentations on locally grown food, food security, gardening, food preservation, and much more! That's Saturday, February 23.
The cold has been a bit much, hasn't it! Wanting to think ahead to spring, I found an interesting article in "Better Homes and Gardens" about the top gardening trends for 2013. Let's sit down together and we'll chat about them. There were many interesting ideas: one was "fragrant flowers". It's such a simple idea that perhaps we forget about it in our continual search for new plants and new colors. The article suggested planting flowers that have a beautiful fragrance, something that we can sit back and enjoy on a warm summer day: alyssum, roses, lavender, sweet peas, nicotiana, and the list goes on!
The next idea was one that really appealed to me: growing plants that have variegated foliage. I have always enjoyed plants with unusual foliage, even if they don't bloom. They can be just as beautiful as any flowers, and will outlast flowers and look great all season!
The article mentioned incorporating bulbs into our garden landscapes: something that we can do this year, but won't be able to enjoy till next year. Still, scout out your garden this spring, and keep the bulb idea in mind when fall approaches.
This idea was fun! They called it "mixed bouquets", but they meant mixing flowers and vegetables together in an arrangement! The picture they had was of assorted white flowers and the little miniature kale in variegated green and white. Cute! I was thinking this is something you and I could do right now: if we got a bouquet of cut flowers from the grocery store, and then walk through the produce section and pick out a couple veggies to match. How about glossy red peppers with red mini carnations? Or salmon-colored alstromeria with carrots (the kind sold in bunches) tucked in among the flowers? Or pink carnations with a luscious bunch of dark purple grapes cascading over the side of the vase? I LOVE that idea! Promise me you'll try it; I will, too!
The next idea was what they called "mini-homesteading", but they defined that as growing your own vegetables and fruits, and having some level of self-sufficiency and control over what we are eating. For many of us prairie gardeners, this is not a new concept, but one that is obviously having a resurgence of interest. Even if we aren't canning and freezing a lot, but just eating fresh produce over the summer, it is really a nice feeling to grow your own veggies and know exactly how they were grown in terms of fertilizers or pesticides.
There are still more ideas I want to share with you from the Better Homes and Gardens article, but we'll chat more about that next time. For now, I just want to remind you about the next horticultural meeting on Thursday, February 21, and the Prairie Sun Seed Festival on the 23rd. Mark those dates down on your calendar, and have a good week!
