YORKTON - It is hard to believe that is already mid-June; on Friday, June 20 at 8:41 pm CST we enjoyed the longest day of the year.
At that time the Northern Hemisphere will be tilting towards the sun to make that happen, and the sun will not set in the Arctic Circle on that day. Guess what happens Down Under? They have the shortest day of the year, and the sun does not rise. Talking to a friend in Australia, they are preparing for winter. Imagine!
Our plants will be happy that day, because they will enjoy the benefits of much more sunlight!
Pop quiz! What is myosotis? If you said forget-me-nots, you’re right! What a beautiful little plant, part of family that has about sixty species. The flowers are small and lovely with five petals, and a most heavenly shade of blue. If they could pick their favorite place to be, they’d love a spot with light shade and moist soil. I read that the more sunlight the plant gets, the more water it will need, so we have to be vigilant to not let it dry out.
There are two types of forget-me-nots, one a perennial, which is what most of us will grow, and the woodland variety which is biennial, which means that if we plant it this year, it will not bloom till next year.
I have read that forget-me-nots will reseed themselves and some gardeners might consider them invasive, but you know, when I read that, I often think it is a happy problem and easier to thin plants out than to be hoping to see them grow!
The word myosotis comes from the Greek word that means ‘mouse ear’, describing the shape of the leaves. Forget-me-nots would make a beautiful addition to the garden, since it is not very often that we can find blue flowers, is it. They definitely catch our eye, and as an added bonus they attract bees and butterflies.
In the language of flowers, forget-me-nots represent love and devotion. But there is another important symbolism to forget-me-nots. Picture it, July 1, 1916.
World War I is raging, and the terrible battle of Beaumont-Hamel during the Battle of the Somme involved a contingent of Newfoundland soldiers. There were soldiers from almost every community in the province. These brave and heroic men attacked the enemy head on.
780 men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment went bravely into this battle on July 1, and after thirty minutes of fighting, it was over. Only sixty-eight soldiers were left alive on July 2.
The regiment was annihilated. The following year, on July 1, 1917, the forget-me-not was chosen as the flower to wear on Memorial Day, July 1, to remember those very brave young men who died on that horrific day of 1916. May they rest in peace.
I know we have chatted before about planting a special plant in memory of someone dear. I hope that you will do so; it doesn’t have to be a big plant, but it will bring special memories each time you look at it. If you have forget-me-nots, remember these Newfoundland men on July 1.
The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will not be having any open meetings until September, because like you, we are all out working in our own gardens! Be watching our website at www.yorktonhort.ca for future meeting details.
Thanks to our friends at YTW for their great work. Have a wonderful week in the garden, and enjoy the longest day of the year!
