The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will the hosting the First Annual Saskatchewan Horticultural Association Provincial Flower and Vegetable Display/Exhibit on Tuesday, August 10, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. There will be all kinds of beautiful displays and exhibits, and your admission gets you in to hear any or all of the guest speakers! Amanda Ryce will be talking about hostas at 11 a.m.; Calvin and Shirley Ulmer will tell us about gourd birdhouses at 2 p.m.; and we'll hear about floral arrangements with Joan Taylor at 3 p.m.. It's all open to the public, so if you would care to come and hear the speakers, you can do that. Or if you just want to come and see the displays and have coffee and a snack, you can do that. Or if you want to do both, you can do that, too! It all happens at St. Gerard's Parish Complex, 125 3rd Avenue North in Yorkton on Tuesday. August 10. Please plan to join us - gardeners love to share their thoughts and ideas about gardening!
In case you missed it, I'll give you a brief, armchair tour of our trip to the International Peace Gardens. As you know, we made a road trip there on July 24. Our day started bright and early as we boarded our buses at 6:45 a.m.; the excitement could have powered the buses all the way to the border! Everyone was very enthusiastic, and the whole trip became an adventure! We got to the Gardens, had lunch, then toured the grounds. We saw the Peace Tower: four concrete columns reaching 120 feet, with as much concrete below the ground as above it. We enjoyed the dulcet tones of the Carillon Bell Tower as the bells tolled over the tranquil setting. We toured the Peace Chapel, and the North American Game Warden Wildlife Museum. We also had a chance to see the 9/11 Memorial Site, with its centerpiece of steel girders from the World Trade Centre. The entire Garden is 2339 acres, which also includes various camping areas and the International Music Camp.
Then there was the garden area. It was obvious that the bad weather we experienced here all spring did not stop at the border. While you could see that the gardens would be and could be lovely, the plants hadn't reached their lush maturity as they probably would have in other years by that date. I know that all of us looked at the plants with gardener's eyes, and saw their potential with just a little more time and sunshine. I was wishing there was more: more sparkling fountains and pools, more intricate flower beds, more, more, more! I don't think there could ever be enough gardens to make us have our fill, especially if someone else is doing the weeding!
Thank you to everyone who came along on the trip, you all made it a fun and memorable event! Thank you to our fine drivers, who probably never realized that gardeners made so much noise or talked so much! And thank you to Liz, our president, for organizing the day for us: it was a great time! We enjoyed the jokes and the games!
The Garden of the Week contest is still in full swing, so if you'd like to enter your garden, please fill out an entry form at City Hall. Remember, the winner of this contest will be drawn; no judging is involved, so enter in the spirit of fun and relax!
Congratulations to all the Yorkton in Bloom winners, as well as everyone who entered the competition; all of you are helping to make Yorkton a more beautiful place for all of us to enjoy, and that makes your garden a winner!
Have a good week, wear a hat, and protect yourself against the mosquitoes!
