Succulents in the Garden. Starting a Backyard Greenhouse. Improving Your Photography. These are just a few of the exciting and informative courses waiting for you at the University of Saskatchewan’s always popular HortWeek, July 7 to 13. With more than 30 workshops and tours, there is something for every garden enthusiast.
Dreaming of creating your own backyard oasis? Don’t miss Sunday evening’s free lecture by CBC Radio personality Lyndon Penner. He will share his secrets on creating privacy in your yard – call (306) 966-5539 to reserve a seat. Later in the week, Penner give workshops on keeping creatures out of your garden, Prairie Cherries, and more.
Sara Williams, author of several prairie gardening books, including the recently published Gardening, Naturally: a Chemical-Free Handbook for the Prairies (with Hugh Skinner), will help you choose only the very best in Perennials – The Enduring and the Fleeting. In Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, she will lead you in making smart, low-maintenance, water-conserving landscape choices.
For a fresh approach to landscaping, Design Lessons from the Chelsea Flower Show promises to be a popular workshop. Landscape architect Ingrid Thiessen will analyze the design elements showcased in the stunning show gardens of the Chelsea Flower Show in London, England and teach you how to successfully apply these in your own garden. Later in the week, she will walk you through more fundamental design lessons, including site assessment and design principles in Residential Landscape Design – Part 1 2. Be sure to bring measurements of your property to class as you’ll be creating a landscape design for your own new yard.
The classes are amazing but the real fun of HortWeek is all the nice people you meet. By popular demand, we’ve brought back the Meet and Greet on Monday evening. Other social activities include the free guided tours. See the latest research results in fruit, vegetable and ornamental plant breeding by touring the U of S Plant Sciences greenhouses. Or tour Patterson Garden, one of Saskatoon’s best-kept secrets. Established in 1966, this four-acre arboretum houses nearly 600 perennial shrubs and trees. It is an invaluable resource for landscape planning.
Browse the book sale each day or get a taste of some of the exciting cultivars coming out of the University’s breeding programs in Wednesday’s plant sale. Six cultivars of the interesting new ornamental Under the Sea coleus and the popular U of S cherry and haskap plants will be available for sale as well as many other fruit and ornamental plants.
HortWeek is sponsored by the University of Saskatchewan Master Gardener Program. Master Gardeners are trained horticulturists that volunteer their time and knowledge in their local community. To get your certification, all of the core classes are offered during HortWeek including education in soil science, insects, disease control, botany and more. For more information on the certification program please visit http: //ccde.usask.ca/mastergardener. But you don’t have to be a master gardener to take these or any of the classes during HortWeek. Classes are open to everyone.
For more information or to check out the entire HortWeek workshop line up, brochures are available from your local greenhouse or by visiting http: //ccde.usask.ca/hortweek.
You can also call (306) 966-5546 or email master.gardeners@usask. ca for more information about HortWeek classes.
Vanessa Ross-Young is the co-ordinator of the University of Saskatchewan Master Gardener Program.
This column is provided as a public service by the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (www14.brinkster.com/saskperrennial; hortscene@yahoo.com
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
July 7 (Saturday), 9 a.m.: Labour and Learn at the Robin Smith Meditation Garden and Heritage Rose Garden – Forestry Farm Park and Zoo. Bring a few hand tools. An excellent opportunity to learn the finer points of gardening from the more experienced while volunteering to beautify a small part of Saskatoon. Rain date: Tues, July 10, 6: 30 p.m.
July 15 (Sunday), 1: 00, 1: 30 or 2 p.m.: Saskatoon Horticulture Society Annual Bus Tour of some of Saskatoon’s finest home gardens. Tour lasts about three hours, departing from Lawson Heights Mall. Reservations required. Called by noon, Friday July 13 to reserve your seat: (306) 249-1329 (Marj) or (306) 382-4061 (Shirley). $20 society members/$25 non-members.
Gardenline is open for the season. Shouldn’t my corn be taller by now? How can I control aphids? Call 966-5865 or email gardenline@usask.ca at the University of Saskatchewan with all your yard and garden questions. http: //agbio.usask.ca/gardenline.
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