I hope you were able to join the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society at our Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show this week. It seems that every year brings gardening challenges, and yet there is still so much to enjoy!
Thank you to all our guests who attended the show, it's a joy to share your company! Thank you to everyone who helped make the show a reality: all who helped to set up or take down; all who brought delicious baking; the servers and the kitchen team; our hostesses who greet the guests at the door; and of course thank you to all the wonderful members who took time from your busy schedules, showed your enthusiasm, and brought items to exhibit.
It's your participation and exuberance that make the group so much fun! Thank you, all!
On a recent trip to Saskatoon, we drove through some of the new developments to see what the "new" landscaping trends were around the new homes. I was pleasantly surprised to see many flower beds, and islands planted with a rich mixture of shrubs and perennials. I expected to see cookie-cutter landscaping: expanses of lawn, driveway, one or two shrubs, one or two rocks. Low maintenance, low interest. Instead, we saw a tapestry of plants and textures: colourful shrubs, breezy grasses, cheery perennials, and vibrant annuals all added to the mix. And one perennial I spotted repeatedly were lupins.
Lupins are beautiful, old fashioned flowers that are apparently making a big comeback. A whole new generation of landscapers and gardeners are rediscovering this beautiful perennial. Lupins grow to about 3 or 4 feet in height. They have lovely mounded foliage at the base, with flower spikes rising like colourful candles. They grow well in our cooler climate, enjoy a sunny location, and will even do well in poor soil conditions.
Lupins originally called the Mediterranean home, and long ago, our gardening friends, the Romans, spread lupins on their travels. "Lupin" comes from the Latin "lupinus", so named because of the wild and aggressive growing habit of some lupin varieties. While we nurture them as garden plants, some kinds do grow wild. Years ago we were in Nova Scotia in the spring, and lupins were growing wild everywhere, filling the ditches with their beauty! Imagine! Because they can fix nitrogen, they make good companion plants for squash and cucumbers.
Years ago, Mom had lupins in garden; they often seeded themselves, and although their offspring were not the colors of the parent plant, they were still so lovely! Very structural plants in the garden, adding a unique shape. So if you and I are stating a list of "plants for next year", let's add lupins to the list.
Have a good week, take some pictures of your garden at its peak to enjoy over the winter, and be sure to protect yourself against mosquitoes!
