Gardeners, we are in for a treat this week! The bus tour to see the winning Yorkton In Bloom winners is on Friday, July 22, with two tour times: 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. The bus leaves from the north parking lot at the Yorkton Public Library. For more information call (306) 786-1776 or (306) 786-1750.
And before we know it, the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society’s annual “Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show” will be here! It is on Wednesday, August 10 from 1:00 PM till 5:00 PM at St. Gerard’s Parish Complex, and your admission includes coffee or tea and dainties! Please plan to join us! Bring a friend, (or two or three!), have coffee, and browse through the beautiful displays and exhibits. Horticultural group members are eager to show you what their hard work in the garden has produced, and seeing lovely plants and flowers is a lovely way to spend the afternoon! Everyone is welcome!
I was referring back to my notes from talking with Marjorie Harris, and one shrub that she mentioned was “Black Lace” sambucus. Sambucus is the elder or elderberry family, and is native to North America and parts of Europe. My homework tells me that there are two types of elderberry, the American and the European. Black Lace is of the European variety. While it is listed as hardy for zones four to eight, we should check with knowledgeable folks at the greenhouses and see it we can give it a try, because it sounds just so lovely!
Black Lace has dark purple foliage, with stunning leaves that are deeply cut like a Japanese maple, and pretty pink flowers. The shrub will grow up to eight feet wide and eight feet high, so it would make a beautiful backdrop in a garden. Black Lace, and all elders, likes full sun. They can tolerate a bit of shade, but will do their best basking in full sun. They like soil that has a lot of organic matter and holds its moisture to some degree (not soggy soil), and once they are established, they are quite forgiving about moisture levels.
Another shrub that Marjorie mentioned was sumac “Tiger Eyes”. Time for more homework, and the Fine Gardening site had this to say about Tiger Eyes: “Lemon-lime foliage, fuzzy stems, and intense fall color make this sumac cultivar a standout. It grows into an upright, rounded form about 6 feet tall and as wide. New growth emerges chartreuse. Fall brings leaves of yellow, scarlet, and orange. Flowers are yellowish green…. This plant spreads by suckers and can be invasive. The species is native to North America.” Sounds beautiful, right?
But beware! I found another site, examiner.com, that said “The straight species of this plant, Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), naturalizes to form large colonies. It appears the same is true for the Tiger Eyes cultivar. Small space gardeners should use extreme caution when planting this shrub. It may stay tidy and neat for up to three years or so, but will surely send out underground runners at some point in time. According to Michael Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, ‘considerable thought should go into proper siting.’ His suggestions for use are in mass plantings or river and stream banks, where it can naturally colonize. Avoid using Tiger Eyes Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac as a specimen (or stand-alone plant), or foundation plant.”
There is so much to learn! Always talk with the experts at the greenhouse before planting anything that will be a permanent part of your landscape to avoid costly mistakes!
Have a great week and be sure to wear a hat and sunscreen!
