First of all, gardeners, some housekeeping notes: the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society is planning a bus trip to Dauphin on Saturday, June 4. Plans are still being made but the trip will likely include visits to gardens and greenhouses. Are you interested in coming along? Members and non-members are welcome; just call Liz at (306) 782-2830 before Wednesday, May 18 if you are interested in this road trip and she can tell you all about it.
The next regular horticultural society meeting will be on Wednesday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sunshine Room at SIGN on North Street; our special guest will be Mr. D鈥橝rcy Schenk, retired horticulturalist from the U of R, speaking to us about 鈥淭rees and Shrubs For City Yards鈥�. There are so many new yards waiting to be landscaped, and so many established yards that might need rejuvenating, so we can all benefit from D鈥橝rcy鈥檚 knowledge and experience! Come out and get some new ideas and inspiration!
Then, on Friday, May 27, we鈥檒l be having our Spring Plant & Bulb Sale, 9:30 a.m. till 5 p.m. at the Parkland Mall. This is a one day sale, and you know the drill: be there early in the day for best selection, especially if you are looking for certain plants! Enthusiastic gardeners will be on hand in case you have any questions!
Work in our gardens is now in full swing, and I was wondering if you鈥檝e ever grown lamb鈥檚 ears?聽 The two dollar name for lamb鈥檚 ears is 鈥渟tachys byzantina鈥� and it originally called Turkey and Armenia home. This is a great little perennial plant, hardy for our area.聽聽聽 If you have never grown it, you will find that it is a versatile plant, a fine ground cover, or a nice plant to have at the edge of a perennial bed.聽聽 (Because of its low growing habit, and its strong network of roots, I think that lamb鈥檚 ears might also make a good soil stabilizer on a gentle slope.)
This plant is known for the foliage; later in the summer there will be some flowers spikes that shoot up above the leaves, but they are not significant in terms of flower-power, and some gardeners tell me they just break them off when they appear. The leaves are the stars, and their hues look beautiful with whatever is planted next to them.
Lamb鈥檚 ears grow about six to eight inches high, with silvery-grey leaves that are beautifully soft to the touch. If you have little gardeners in your family, this would be a great plant for them to add to their little patch, because they will love stroking the soft leaves. You can start the plants from seeds, but it is much easier to begin with started plants.
Lamb鈥檚 ears like full sun and can tolerate partial shade, but it will do best in a sunny location with good drainage. 聽
The plant does not have a problem with pests, is very low maintenance, and the only thing you might have to do is divide it every few years. After they have been around for a number of years, lamb鈥檚 ears might die out in the middle, and that is when dividing them will rejuvenate them.
A great plant to add to your perennial collection! Speaking of adding plants, let鈥檚 make a pact to try at least one new thing in our gardens or planters this spring.聽 We all have our favorites and that鈥檚 great, but let鈥檚 expand our gardening horizons with a new plant! It鈥檚 so exciting to see the beautiful plants that are out there, just waiting for us to take them home! So: at least one new plant, something you have never tried before! Okay? Okay!
Have a great week, don鈥檛 work too hard, and be sure to wear a hat!
