C C OURIER NOR

crews spending dollars while in Yorkton.

But canola is just one facet of the processing done locally, with oat processing, flax crushing, and meat processing all contributing in a major way to the city.

Then of course are the implement dealerships, and fertilizer distributors and other businesses that exist only to serve farm customers.

Yorkton is certainly not unique in being a farm service hub community, but it is a very obvious example of how agriculture is critical in terms of business development in the province.

It is simply the province remaining farmbased at its core, and communities reaping the benefit as businesses develop to serve the ag sector. It has been that way for more than a century and will no doubt remain so for decades to come.

DEBBIE HAYWARD

habit, makes an excellent filler in between steppingstones, and is an invaluable herb in the kitchen to give zing to your cooking.

Oxlips were a mystery, but I discovered that they are a type of primula! Primulas, also known as primroses, are mainly spring bloomers. We all know them from the beautiful array we often see in grocery stores around Easter. They come in vibrant colors like yellow, red, pink, purple or white. Violets are familiar to us; they are a woodland plant that loves moist soil and filtered light. I was surprised to discover that “woodbine” is Virginia creeper. Virginia creeper is another hardy vine that grows easily here, and I think I like it best because of how it turns such a brilliant red in the fall.

“Musk roses” are a very fragrant type of rose. Largely developed by Joseph Pemberton of England, they are best defined as a cross between tea roses and multiflora roses. From what I read, scent seemed to be the main objective in their development. Musk roses have a rich, warm scent that is not what we think of when we think of roses, but a scent that is more like fruit, honey, and spices. One garden writer described the scent as “a potion of bliss.” Don’t they sound terrific?

Last but not least is “eglantine,” which is described as “sweet brier.” And when I found a picture, it looks like our wild roses. As prairie gardeners, we all know how lovely they are, even though they are wild and prickly! The summer before Keith and I got married, we spent an afternoon in the country, collecting buds from wild rose bushes to use in the dried flower petal confetti for our wedding. The afternoon was lovely, but it takes an astounding amount of picking to collect a few handfuls of buds. Who knew!

So imagine what a beautiful setting all those plants together would make! Maybe one year we can try a Shakespeare or biblical themed garden. That would be fun!

Don’t work too hard and have a beautiful week in your garden, especially on June 18, National Garden Day!