The first meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, September 19 at 7:00 p.m. at SIGN on North Street. Our special guest speaker will be Jenn Fedun speaking to us about “Prairie Plant Practices: Domestic Remedies and Healing Rituals”. This sounds like a fascinating topic, a great way to begin the year. Everyone is welcome; you don’t have to be a member of the group to come to the meetings but if you want to join, new members are always welcome, anytime!
Then, also this week, it’s the Annual Fall Bulb and Plant Sale, Friday, September 21 from 9:30 a.m. till 5 p.m. at the Parkland Mall in Yorkton. If you want to replace, restock, or rejuvenate your garden, this sale offers you the perfect chance! Gardeners will be on hand to answer your questions or offer some plant suggestions. Everyone is welcome!
If you are shopping for fresh garden produce, remember that you can find locally-grown produce at the Yorkton Gardeners’ Market, every Saturday from 8:00 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. The last selling date is September 29.
Many people mourn the end of summer, but I love the crisp fall days. Fall is such a beautiful time of year! There is something very satisfying about cleaning up the garden and putting things away and getting all our plants ready for their winter rest.
This is a time of many tasks. Pulling out our gardens and emptying our containers is one of the first. If you have a compost pile, many of the plants can go on the pile, but if the plants have any sign of disease, be sure to throw them away in the garbage.
If you have a lot of containers, some may still look as though they still want to be part of your garden scene. You can make new groupings with some containers, creating a “fall” display, but if the containers are looking season-worn and not very robust, empty them now before it starts to get cold. My precious Sweet Pea waited too long one year, and got so chilled doing this task that she caught one of the worst colds of her life. After that, we were not so determined to have those plants out there past their “best-before” date!
The discussion about cutting back perennials is, well, perennial! Some gardeners like to have a nice neat yard going into winter and like to cut everything back; some like to leave the perennials to catch snow and provide a sanctuary for beneficial bugs. We always leave anything with seed heads, as they provide a snack for the birds in the winter, as well as winter beauty in the garden. And we are careful not to rake up every last fallen leaf in the garden. because these are a cozy haven for ladybugs, some of the best friends a garden can have.
This is the time to clean up our garden tools before putting them away: wipe away any soil that has stuck to the implements. You may want to sharpen shears and snips so that they will be ready for spring work. Clean planters before putting them away.
This is also the time to put markers by certain perennials. I think that every gardener has had the experience of accidentally digging in a spot in the spring where there is already a perennial that has not yet appeared! Oops! All we need to do to remedy that problem is take a few minutes now to put in a few wooden markers. Problem solved! The garden is beautiful at this time of year: enjoy it! Visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca and have a great week!
