First, some quick reminders: the Yorkton In Bloom competition is in full swing, with judging taking place Jul. 10 – 12. Good luck to all the entrants! Seeing the winning gardens will be a self-guided tour again this year, so if you’d like more information please call 786-1776. All these beautiful gardens are always an inspiration, so thank you and congratulations to everyone who entered the competition!
The Saskatchewan Horticultural Association’s Bus Tour takes place July 15 – 17, and is the “Honeywood Lilies In Bloom and The North”. It sounds like a wonderful tour; if you’d like to find out more please call Sheila Glennie at (306) 338-7304 for full information.
And one more very important garden note: Wednesday, Aug. 8 is the date of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society’s Annual Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show at St. Gerard’s Parish Complex. This show brings you the best of the gardening year: fruit and vegetable displays, cut flowers, plant displays, and flower arrangements. Your admission price includes tea or coffee and dainties. It’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon, so bring a friend and join us!
G’day, mate! Let’s chat about a plant that originally hails from the land down under, New Zealand and Australia. It’s the kangaroo apple. The five-dollar name for this plant is “solanum aviculare”, and it’s a cousin to the nightshade family of plants.
In its natural environment, it can grow up to twelve feet tall, in a shrub form. For us, of course, it makes a bold and beautiful addition to a flowerbed or in a planter. It will grow several feet high, and the large leaves are very pretty: we can compare them to the lobed shape of an oak leaf. The flowers are small compared to the size of the plant, and come in purple-blue or white. They look very much like potato blossoms. Because of where it came from, it likes full sun and can tolerate heat and humidity very well. It can also tolerate soil that is a bit heavier. (Just as a note: I read that when planting instructions says “full sun”, that is defined as the plant having “full exposure to direct sun for at least six hours each day”. Good to know!)
As for moisture, it likes evenly moist soil but well-drained soil. So no wet feet! For almost every plant, the amount of water it receives is very important. If we neglect to water them and they wilt, the roots are also drying up; if we leave them in this state too long, the plant will not be able to revive itself. On the other side of the coin is watering them too much, which is also dangerous because if the plant is waterlogged, air cannot get to the roots and they can begin to rot. Most plants do well in evenly moist soil.
And if we want to give our plant a little treat, we can apply some balanced fertilizer over the summer.
A plant like this is certainly a conversation piece, and would make a beautiful addition to your plantings. And if we want to get really exotic, we can call it the “poroporo” plant, which is what they call it in New Zealand.
Mark it down in your garden journal under “new plants to try!” It’s beautiful!
The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society maintains a website at www.yorktonhort.ca.
Visit us and see what’s new, and what’s coming up with the group!
Whether you are out puttering in your garden or sitting quietly and enjoying the serene atmosphere, savour every day in your garden! Just be sure to wear a hat! Have a great week!
