Sometimes it pays to be a pack rat! When I was sorting through some clippings the other day, I found a fascinating little color wheel, listing about 42 various flowering plants, plus their size, when they bloom, and their colors.
Clipped to this, I also found a great article that was in Canadian Gardening. The article was entitled "Color In The Garden: The Hot Border." The article talked about choosing bright colors for our gardens. Hot colors (reds, oranges, yellows, and purples) look good against buildings and fences, and can really light up a large space. The article recommended limiting your bright colors to small groupings here and there if you have a small yard.
Colors in the garden dance and sing, don't they! Muted colors speak to us in serene tones, while the hot colors shout at us as soon as we walk into our gardens. There's no reason why you can't have both! In a quiet, shady corner, choose white-blooming plants and gentle gray-leaved or mottled foliage plants; but in full sun, let bright reds and yellows do a tango that will be noticed as you approach your flower beds.While textures don't fall into the "color" category, I like to include them because they add so much to the rhythm of our gardens.
Let me tell you about some of the plants on that neat little color wheel. Looking for yellows? Look to achillea, helianthus (sunflower), rudbeckia and coreopsis. Mauves include liatris, sedums, bachelor buttons, hollyhocks, veronica, and balloon flowers.
Reds add flame to the garden with poppies, dianthus, gladiola, and petunias. We've all heard about those wonderful disciplined gardeners who plan out their flowerbeds so that as one thing stops blooming, another thing begins. Kudos to them! For myself, however, I find that I get too excited about the new plants that are waiting to come home with us: too many varieties, so little time! Maybe you feel the same way, too! So let's plant, with joy and abandon, whatever interests us, and not worry too much about timing the blooming periods!
The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be holding their next regular meeting on Wednesday, May 19. Our special guest will be Glen Tymiak speaking to us about growing tomatoes successfully. Glen is an enthusiastic gardener, and tomatoes are one of his many favorites, so he will be able to tell us everything we need to know!
Glen is also the Saskatchewan Horticultural Association president, and can offer encouragement to gardeners at all levels. We hope you can join us! That's Wednesday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the Yorkdale Student Centre.
And remember, too, that our Spring Plant and Bulb Sale takes place on Friday, May 21 from 9:30 till 5:00 p.m. at the Parkland Mall, Yorkton. You know what I always say about the plant sales: come early! The group has listed 5 p.m. as the time the sale ends, but if they run out of plants earlier, then that's when the sale will end. So be there early to avoid disappointment! That's Friday, May 21 at the Parkland Mall.It will be a busy summer, so I will keep you posted on all the exciting things that are coming up. Have a good week, enjoy working outside, and be sure to wear a hat!
