We're one week into August, gardeners, and while the gardens are still lush, there is a tinge of that "fall" look to them, isn't there! The pea vines are dry, and the rich growth of early summer has reached a plateau; now we wait for everything to mature!
It seems hard to believe, but the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society "Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Display Show" is coming up on Tuesday, August 14. Join us from 2:00 p.m. till 5:00 p.m. at the St. Gerard's Parish Complex, 125 3rd Avenue North, and enjoy a delightful afternoon of visiting with fellow gardeners and seeing a colorful vista of displays and exhibits of all kinds! Your admission includes coffee, tea, and dainties, too! So make an afternoon of it, bring a friend or two or three, and come see what's new!
This is the last week before the show, so I'd like to remind you that you don't have to be a member of the Horticultural Society to have an entry in the show. Guests are welcome to show items in the show: so if you have a great-looking planter that turned out just the way you hoped it would, or a houseplant that you're very proud of, please bring it to the hall before the show. This is not a judged show; there are no rules that have to be followed except to make a "pleasing display". That can be just one perfect stem of a flower! This is a display show, which means that people come to see the displays and enjoy the beauty of the garden! The goal is to encourage participation and appreciation of horticulture. So by all means, feel free to bring something to put in the show. There will be lots of Horticultural Society members around to assist you, and direct you the right display table, so there is no need to be shy! There are so many wonderful gardeners in Yorkton, and we can all learn from eachother!
Someone asked me if we have a lot of flowers planted in our garden; we do have some perennials, but I would say that the majority of our "flowers" are planted in containers. My dear SweetPea did this for many, many years, and it has a great many advantages!
First of all, most things will grow in containers; you just have to choose the right size of container. So whether you want to plant a collection of marigolds or a colelction of tall grasses, they will do just fine in the pot that is proportional to their growth habit.
Containers are so handy, because you can make such attractive groupings based on color or type of flower. A lovely terracotta planter overflowing with citrus-bright marigolds may pack more punch than planting those same marigolds in a row in your garden. Having the plants close together really makes the colors pop! With containers, you can move them around to where the sun is (or isn't), giving them the maximum growing potential.
And between you and me, a container is so handy to have to fill in those "bare spots" that seem to appear in our gardens, maybe where something didn't grow as fully as we hoped it would. It's so easy to set down a planter in that spot, and suddenly it looks as if it was all part of a master plan that we spend hours working on in the spring!
And I love the look of a collection of planters, not all the same, not all symetrical, but each one different in size, shape, or color. Or if you're using a plain black plastic planter, why not set it in an exciting basket?
The only down side about planters is that they require watering more often, but it's worth the effort!
Hope to see you at the show next Tuesday - till then, have a good week!
