See the fruits of gardeners’ work

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This article was published 02/07/2019 (2523 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A number of south Winnipeg resident are preparing to showcase the delights of their gardens as part of an annual flagship tour.

Nature Manitoba will hold its natural garden tour and plant sale — a fundraiser for the organization — on Sat., July 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

At the rain or shine event, ticket holders will have the chance to visit a variety of gardens in the St. Vital, Fort Richmond and Richmond West areas, where they may also be able to meet the green-thumbed homeowners.

St. Vital resident Tanis Minish is one of the homeowners who will open their gates to visitors on the tour.

Noting both of her parents were fanatical gardeners, Minish said she inherited their passion and eventually became “addicted” herself. Part of her love of gardening — in addition to providing a habitat for nature to thrive — is being able to challenge herself, and harness her creativity.

“Trees, for example, create a microclimate, and I like to try and push the zone a bit,” Minish said, adding the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum at the University of Minnesota is “a really good place to go for inspiration.”

“Gardening is a really satisfying hobby, and the process is magical. You have a vision in your head about where you want to put things, and you get to use your creativity. I’m also big into decorating, and big into colour,” she said, noting her front yard currently consists of hot colours such as red, white, and yellow.

When it comes to the upcoming tour, Minish said it’s not only for a good cause — it also gives local gardeners the chance to share the fruits of their labour with a wider audience.

“It’s always a nice group of people involved, and it’s a chance to say, ‘See, look what I’ve done,’” she said with a laugh.

“It’s an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday, and there are tour aficionados who do lots of tours each year. It’s a thing.”

On the day, Minish plans to have a tag team on hand to welcome attendees to her Pulberry-area garden.

“I’ll probably have my mom sitting in my driveway, a friend in the front yard, and me in the backyard — or vice versa,” Minish said.

“It’s important to be able to show people that come what is possible to do, and it’s nice to be able to show people that we can still be connected to our environment.”

Advance tickets are available at a number of locations in the city, as well as on Nature Manitoba’s website.

Go online at naturemanitoba.ca for more information.