Thank you to everyone who attended the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society’s “Fruit Flower and Vegetable Show” last week; we were so happy you spent the afternoon with us! The show is the culmination of the year’s best, and we are very happy to show the results to our gardening friends. Thank you for coming! A big bouquet of thanks goes to everyone in the Society who brought entries for the show: it was wonderful and inspiring to see so many beautiful things! And another bouquet of thanks to everyone in the group who helped in so many ways to make the show happen: set up, bringing lunch, serving, working in the kitchen, greeting guests at the door, and taking the whole show down at the end of the day: thank you all!
Caution! Handle with care! Wear protective gloves! These are not warning that we usually associate with our garden plants, but there are some that while beautiful, still must be treated with extra-special care. A dear friend of ours recently had painful-looking burns on his hands and wrists. We were surprised to learn that these were not from an industrial accident but from handling a gas plant.
Gas plant? That’s right: in the wonderful and wild world of plants, there is a plant called the gas plant (dictamnus). This plant originally grew in Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but can be grown here as well. Those adventurous gardeners who have this plant say that it is a beautiful bush, and indeed it probably is. It grows about three feet high, with spikes of pale purple-white flowers. It has a scent that was described to us as “exotic spicy” or like lemon. The plant does seed itself, although this is a lengthy slow-growing process that takes years for the small new plants to bloom. It sounds like the plant is fussy about being disturbed or moved in any way. Perhaps this is Mother Nature’s way of protecting us and encouraging us to leave it alone!
But… and this is the scary part… the bush is covered in a substance that is flammable! If a spark is near by, the entire bush will literally go up in flames! Hot weather seems to accelerate the production of the flammable substance, a volatile oil. Not only that, but in the case of our friend who was trimming the bush in his garden, the substance that is on the plant and oozes from the cut portion of the stems can cause a painful condition called photodermatitis if it comes in contact with your skin. More homework: what is photodermatitis? It’s like an allergic reaction to the sun, because the sun is what makes the condition flare up and become itchy and look like a severe burn. Ouch!
I know many gardeners like to push the envelope and try new plants; I can’t say that this is one I’d want to try, would you? I like our garden to be a place of peace and tranquility, not scary plants! But if you have one of these plants, please be aware of the possible dangers, and handle it with extreme care!
Just a reminder: if you want to go shopping for some locally-grown produce, remember that the Yorkton Gardeners’ Market happens every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. till noon at Melrose and Simpson streets in Yorkton (north parking lot of the Prairie Harvest Christian Life Centre). To register as a seller, email ethelda61@hotmail.com or tymiak.g@sasktel.net or call Glen at (306) 783-7040.
Visit us at yorktonhort.ca Enjoy your gardens, have a great week, and be sure to wear a hat!
