I hope you were able to join us at the Saskatchewan Horticultural Association Provincial Flower and Vegetable show last week. In spite of the wildly unsettled weather that we had all spring and summer, it was a great show! Thank you to everyone who attended - I'm sure you enjoyed the day and found some inspiration for your own garden.
Thank you to our knowledgeable speakers: Amanda Ryce, Calvin and Shirley Ulmer, and Joan Taylor, who shared their information and ideas with us. And thank you to all the members of the clubs who made it all possible: those who worked so hard to set up, the gardener-bakers who baked yummy goodies for our guests to enjoy; our dedicated phoning committee who called everyone; all the exhibitors from near and far who brought in such lovely entries; the hard-working team who worked the day of the show, doing everything from welcoming guests at the door to serving coffee and dainties; and everyone who helped clean up afterwards: thank you, all! It takes so much work behind the scenes to make an event like this happen, and you all made it seem effortless and beautiful! A bouquet of thank-you's to all of you!
Special thanks, also, go to Liz Jones, the president of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society, and Glen Tymiak, the president of the Saskatchewan Horticultural Association. Liz and Glen worked tirelessly to coordinate so many details, combining their enthusiasm and expertise to make the show a success! Thank you both! It was great!
So what comes next? To me, it always seems that once the show is over, the rest of the summer disappears in a heartbeat, but that doesn't mean that things fall into a lull! Quite the opposite! The first meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society is on Wednesday, September 15 at 7 p.m. at Yorkdale Student Centre. Our special guest will be Frank Woloschuk, who will be telling us about "Getting Your Yard Ready For Winter: Everything You Wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask!". There are just as many details to take care of in the fall garden as there are in the spring garden, so I know we will learn a lot. Frank is an experienced speaker and a gifted gardener, and he'll tell us what we need to know!
And don't forget, the Fall Plant and Bulb Sale happens on Friday, September 17 at the Parkland Mall, from 9:30 a.m. till 5 p.m. You can still make additions to your plant collection, and they'll have time to get settled in before winter. The selection is really nice, the prices are great, and experienced gardeners will be on hand to answer any questions. This is a one day sale, and you know what I'm going to say next: come early! If the plants run out, the sale is over! So don't plan to come late in the day, we don't want you to be disappointed! That's Friday, September 17.
I guess we can safely say that in many ways, 2010 was "the year that wasn't" in the garden. I know some of you had lovely gardens, in spite of all the inclement weather. Our garden was not one of them, and seemed to struggle all season. It's a lucky thing that we gardeners are an optimistic bunch and just say, "There's always next year!"
Have a good week; wear a hat, and guard against mosquitoes!
