Avid gardeners and flower growers prepared for the annual Sturgis Horticultural show that is scheduled for tomorrow (August 16) with a workshop held on August 1. Karen Pfeifer of Kamsack instructed the workshop as she guided gardeners in the art of preparing their fruit, vegetables and flowers to be show-ready.
Pfeifer has been judging at local horticultural shows for 10 years with six years of judging at a provincial level. She has 21 years in the greenhouse business and has personally shown garden produce actively for numerous years.
"The workshop that was held showed how to prepare vegetables and flowers in a special way according to the criteria set out by the horticultural society," said Pfeifer. "Vegetables is my favourite forte to judge but I judge everything. I like to keep current with all the new varieties. There have been numerous changes throughout the years. Many of the societies have down-sized and included agricultural-related items in their shows. The interest is changing. and with more of a variety of people involved we have had to diversify to try to draw in the younger generations. It is very difficult to get new members involved which is largely due to many shows held during a weekday when many are working." she said.
Every year there is something different at each show, which tells Pfeifer that there are always new varieties of fruit and vegetables from gardeners across the local area.
"This will be a challenging year for judges at each show. Much of the flowers or produce have either finished blooming or have not bloomed or become ready for show stage. The weather conditions have made for a difficult growing season. We as judges take many conditions into consideration when judging shows,” stated Pfeifer.
We want to encourage people to come out on show day to see all the great displays that show exhibitors have worked hard to show. Horticultural shows are a great way for the older generation to share and preserve their wealth of knowledge," she concluded.
Local shows are open to members only but provincial shows are open to anyone who would like to showcase their fruit or vegetables. Kamsack will be hosting a provincial show this year.
The Sturgis Horticultural Society was formed in 1951 and has hosted many educational programs on topics that included tree pruning, grafting, making corsages, flower arranging, growing perennials, dahlias and lawns. Discussions have covered new varieties, plant pests, and landscaping, stated the Town of Sturgis: Harvest of Memories history book.
