Happy holidays to all of you
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- Published on Thursday, December 22, 2016
By Patricia Hanbidge
Saskatoon School of Horticulture Principal
The beginning of a new year is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, but also to plan for the upcoming year. For gardeners, it is a chance to take the time to look at what worked over the last growing season and of course, what didn’t! If you happen to be a gardener who found that not much worked, don’t worry — there is still hope! Each of us will have had different experiences that reflect our tastes, styles and the level of expertise we have as gardeners.
Gardeners are never just gardeners; many do different things in their “other lives.” They are doctors, lawyers, teachers, janitors, chefs, parents, grandparents and work at every profession imaginable. The common thread that brings them together is their love of gardening. I have often wondered how it is that gardening can remove all barriers in society and bring together people who would normally never interact. I have come to the conclusion that gardening is like an ever-changing tonic that adds health and happiness to everyday life. However, on the Prairies, winter can be long as the snow piles up, and we long to see the tender greens of spring.
Winter is a blessing. It allows us more of that contemplation time to enable us to plan for spring. Take this time to evaluate how well your landscape worked for you. A good landscape will suit your specific needs. Most people want a landscape that is beautiful, requires only a small amount of maintenance and not endless amounts of money! If your landscape did not fulfill all your dreams, then right now is the time to start to make changes.
Perhaps you might want to also evaluate how you did as a gardener. Personally, I am not much on making new year's resolutions but at the last Prairie Master Gardener gathering, making resolutions turned out to be a big topic of conversation. Here is a sampling for your enjoyment.
Gardeners should never lay their heads down until all the weeds in the garden have been successfully eradicated. What this translates as is gardeners should never sleep :) As you know, weeds never take a break, regardless of how inhospitable your garden is.
Another one that brought a lot of chuckles is to ensure you take out a membership at your favourite local gym. This would ensure that those early spring sore muscles would not be forced into overdrive when the snow melts. A resolution such as this would ensure we also all maintained our healthy physiques throughout the year and if we decided to take a quick hot holiday, we would look great on the beach!
Tools were also a big topic of conversations with visions of the latest gardening gadgets dancing in our heads. As gardening is such a big part of our everyday lives, it somehow makes more sense to ensure you are investing appropriately in your favourite hobby! Needless to say, gift cards for the stores and garden centres catering to our passions were high on the list of great gifts. Some gardeners were even planning holidays that were close to distribution houses that would offer them an opportunity to purchase their favourite tool directly.
During this quiet time, we hope you and yours will enjoy looking out at the garden from the warmth inside your home, and that dreams of spring will prosper. May all of you have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.
Hanbidge is a horticulturist with Saskatoon School of Horticulture. She can be reached at 306-931-GROW(4769) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Like us on facebook at Saskatoon School of Horticulture, follow us on twitter @horticulturepat or check out our website, saskhort.com.
