Hasn't the weather been glorious, gardeners? I have to say that I find the cooler temperatures a welcome relief. It's a pleasure to work outside when it's not so hot.
Just one more last minute reminder: the first meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be held on Thursday, September 19 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sunshine Room at SIGN on North Street. Special guest speakers will be Joan Wilson and Paula Maier, talking to us about native plants. I'm sure it will be an informative and interesting meeting, and a great way to kick off the year! We hope you can be there!
And remember that our Fall Plant and Bulb Sale is on Friday, September 20 at the Parkland Mall, from 9:30 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. But if we run out of plants, the sale will end earlier. This is a one day sale, with lots of great plants at great prices. That's on Friday, September 20.
A dear friend and wonderful gardener was talking to me about the Cuthbert Grant rose the other day: someone had asked her where the name came from. You are probably familiar with the beautiful, hardy Cuthbert Grant rose; but do you know the background of the rose? I didn't, so it was time to do some homework!
I read that the Cuthbert Grant rose was developed in 1967 by Agriculture Canada. But the early history of Mr. Cuthbert Grant himself is fascinating. His father worked for the North West company, and his mother was a Metis woman. He was born in 1793 at a fort which was part of the North West company. The name of the fort was Fort Tremblant, and guess what, it was located near what is Togo today! Isn't that something? Cuthbert was a leader among the Metis people. Back in those early years, the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company were in a struggle, which over a period of several years resulted in battles and much unrest. In 1821, when the two opposing companies finally merged, Cuthbert was appointed to head a group of Metis people on the Assiniboine River. The name of the settlement was Saint Francois Xavier.
Cuthbert was a progressive thinker who developed a water mill, and later became a sheriff in the Assiniboine district. He died in 1854 after he fell from his horse.
For all his accomplishments in Canadian history, the rose we know as Cuthbert Grant was named after him, as part of the "Explorer" series of roses. This amazing line-up of roses was developed at the Morden Research Station in Manitoba, and includes a rose for every taste such as "Champlain" with bright red double blooms; the deep pink blooms of "Frontenac"; delicate white blooms with pink tinges from "Henry Hudson"; red-orange flowers with "John Cabot"; and single strawberry-pink blooms and a very hardy growing habit with "William Baffin".
The Cuthbert Grant rose is a compact, hardy bush-type rose. It is very resistant to common rose problems like mildew and blackspot. The blooms appear in clusters, and are a deep, velvety red, and they will bloom repeatedly over the summer. The rose likes full sun and well-drained soil. This is a great little shrub, with an average growing habit of three or four feet wide and high. If you are just beginning to landscape your yard, or are "re-decorating" your garden room, Cuthbert Grant would make a wonderful addition.
Have a great week, gardeners - enjoy your gardens!
