Gardeners always look ahead, don’t they! There is a slight length of the days now, more visible at the end of the day than in the morning, but we are heading in the right direction!
There are other signs that spring is coming! One sign is that the 9th Annual Seedy Saturday is coming up on Saturday February 23, 2019, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at SIGN on Broadway (345 Broadway Street West). There is something for everyone: local seed vendors, local crafters, homesteading, canning, kids’ activity area, local initiatives and info booths, and a seed swap table. If you would like to be a vendor at the event, call Stacey at (306) 641-4239.
And speaking of seeds and the coming of spring, don’t forget that the Seed Library at the Yorkton Public Library also has a variety of seeds available for eager gardeners! Just stop in at the front desk and ask for details of how this wonderful free program works.
It’s time for us to wake up our geraniums; maybe some of you have done so already. Ours have been in the basement and look a little ragged. So what to do first? Depending on how you have stored you geraniums, whether in a paper bag or hanging them up, you will have different tasks ahead. Ours are in the containers they were growing in over the summer. I have read various things about getting them going again at this time of year, and several pointers seem to be consistent, so let’s have a cup of tea and discuss them.
Once we have hauled the containers out from their dark, cool spot, the plants will need a haircut. This is a startling thing to have to do after working to have them grow all last summer, but pruning them right now gets the plant working to produce new growth, rather than sending its energy into those pallid little leaves that are struggling along. Now the startling thing: from what I read, we should cut them back by half to three-quarters. Yikes! But thinking about it, this truly will get the new growth coming from the bottom, and it will be much healthier and sturdier than nursing along a spindly plant. We should start to see new growth in just a couple weeks.
Okay, step two. Give them a drink of water after their winter hibernation, and we could even give them fertilizer just to get their little plant juices going. This is also the time to move the plants where they can get some light. The winter sun is not that strong, but it will be enough to encourage the plant to get active again. From this point on, treat them like a regular houseplant with regular watering and feeding. The poor things won’t know what hit them after a long winter of peace and quiet, but won’t they be happy to get going for another season!
It’s a miracle, isn’t it, how the plants can go from that dormant state to become a beautiful plant that will bloom for us again this summer!
Between us, we probably have all kinds of plants saved. We also carried in our cannas and callas, leaving them in their containers. One of our callas is a real over-achiever and was sending up new leaves early in December. There’s always a plant that has to give us a challenge, isn’t there!
During these cold and blustery days, I encourage you to head to the library and browse through their great selection of gardening books. There is always something new to learn and looking at some books with those beautiful garden photos is inspiring and good for our winter-weary souls!
Visit the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society at www.yorktonhort.ca and have a great week!
