With the thought of the warm days to come – you know, the ones that weatherman has assured us are on the horizon – many of us are itching to do something garden-related. Well wish no more, there are several great gardening and horticultural events going on in the Calgary area this month.
Calgary Horticultural Society Garden Show – This Saturday April 13 and Sunday April 14. Held at beautiful Spruce Meadows, this show is a must for anyone who even thinks about gardening or landscaping. With over a hundred exhibitors, each offering up unique and creative garden solutions, you can also participate in several hands-on workshops, take in an informative lecture or two, and stop for lunch at the artisan-style café they have set up. And don’t forget to take your kids – there are numerous fun things for them to see and do too! With admission only $10 per person, this is clearly one of the cheapest ways to spend a fun afternoon in the Calgary area. For more info, take a boo through the Calgary Horticultural Society’s website www.calhort.org or call 403.287.3469.
Eat to Live Chestermere Seminar – The Urban Gardener – Wed April 17.6:30pm
Right here in our back yard, we have a wonderful resource to help us get on track and maintain a healthy lifestyle: the public library! If you haven’t already taken in one of the Eat to Live seminars at the library, make a note on your calendar to attend the session this upcoming Wednesday. The topic for the week is “how to be a gardener extraordinaire.” Touting themselves as “a casual group” that encourages “sharing ideas, tips, recipes, resources and anything else related to healthy living,” the folks at the library have really gotten a grass-roots movement going for the Chestermere/Langdon/Delacour/Cheadle and area crowd. Bring your ideas, questions, comments, and pen and paper to the Chestermere Public Library on April 17, 2013 at 6:30pm! The seminar is free of charge; you may register in person at the library, by phone to 403.272.9025, or just drop in! Further information is available at the library’s website: www.chestermerepubliclibrary.com .
Community Crop Garden Society Lecture – Friday April 19, 7-9pm. One of the joys of edible gardening is sharing your bounty with others…consider joining a community garden. Great for those with little space in their own yard, for newbie gardeners trying to learn the proverbial horticultural ropes, and for any of us that like to make gardening a social event! Community Crop Garden is a wonderful volunteer association that helps gardeners do just that. Dan Jason, owner of Salt Spring Seeds, will be leading the lecture, discussing seed-saving, prairie food security, and sustainable gardening. The session is being held at Richmond Knob Hill Community Association, 2433 – 26 Ave SW. The cost is $20 per person; registration is through the Calgary Horticultural Association’s website: http://www.calhort.org/events/seeds-for-the-future.
In this age of technology and information, you would think the age-old practice of gardening would go out of style. Quite the contrary is the case, however, as more and more people jump on board the healthy-living movement. Not limited to digging in your own backyard, gardening is incorporated into a modern lifestyle that values sensible eating, environmental sustainability, physical exercise, beautification of society, and sharing some great laughs with like-minded people. One of the best gardening jokes I have laughed at occurred this morning, right in my own greenhouses…”Say, Tricia, you have a piece of something on your nose,” one of our planting crew chortled after I broke the bag of soil I was lifting. “Oh bull manure” I said (or at least I said something that sounded roughly like that), “I do not, you guys are always putting me on.” Well, turns out bull manure was exactly what I had on my face…it wasn’t a bag of soil that I broke…
We gardeners never take ourselves too seriously!
