HAMLET OF GRAY
  • Home
    • Bulletin Board
    • Gray History
    • Pioneer Windmill
    • Gray Hall
    • Gray United Church
    • Gray Rink
    • Gray Recreation Club
    • Voluntary revitalization
    • Photos around the community >
      • Drone photography
      • local wildlife photographs >
        • Past Events >
          • Pork on your Fork
          • Cinderelly
          • Canada's 150th birthday
          • Halloween Caberet - Brooks
          • Matt & Alyson Halloween night
          • 2018 fireworks
          • Canada Day 2019
          • Covid-19 iSOLATION
    • cemetery
    • Gray in the news
  • Information for Residents
    • Hamlet Board
    • RICETON FIRE DEPT
    • phone listing
    • GARBAGE & RECYCLING CALENDER
    • Plans of town
    • bylaws and permits
    • Water Information
    • walking routes
  • administration log in
    • school
    • school BEFORE PVSD
  • volunteer opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • The ties that bind
  • centennial celebration video
  • rev Garden Tour 2022
  • The Old Relic Rust Home
  • House for sale by owner

Adding a little colour to Gray

Hamlet of Gray Pocket Gardens Update

The windmill well has been planted with some of our AAS annuals. Thanks to John & Laurie Hozempa.
​The center flowers are Celosia Asian Garden that will  shoot out feathery Pink and white plumes, and they are surrounded by Mega Bloom Polka Dot & Pink Halo Vincas. This centerpiece in town is looked after by John Hozempa.
The front of the pumphouse was filled with fresh garden soil by Dan & Donna Melnik.
It was planted with more AAS winners. The front was planted with Evening Scentsation Petunia's that are very fragrant in the evening, wonderful for your nightly stroll around town. Behind them are some award winning Holi dwarf zinnias, their bright red flowers should  peek over the petunias as they grow. We are just waiting for some baby sunflowers to get big enough to transplant in the back of the new bed. The pumphouse is being tended by Donna Melnik and her little parade as she tests the water.
The front and side of the school is starting to bloom with the historic irises we acquired a couple of years ago.  It was interplanted with our remaining AAS winners. The front of the school has lots of marigolds  between the irises and miniature "superhero" marigolds for the front. The larger marigolds are Yellow Duck, Gold Duck and Orange Duck.
Thanks to Jhovie and Evelyn Melnik, we now have all our ducks in a row.

2020 has been designated the year of the iris by the National Gardening Bureau. This coincides with the American Iris Society's 200th Anniversary this year.
We coincidently planted 200 irises in 2018 that should bloom this year. Please feel free to water and weed if you notice they need to be tended to.
Picture

2020 Plantings

Picture
May 23rd, 2020 - so it begins

2019 Plantings

Windmill Planting
by John Hozempa, Laurie Hozempa, Ashley Hozempa, Carter Brunas, Todd Brunas and Dolly Picard

Additional irises planted at the school from Can-West Iris Society


2018 plantings

Irises being lifted from the "Back 40"  in Manitoba for shipment to Gray

Picture
Picture
Picture

Planting Day in Gray, Sk.....40 degrees in the shade

Original Posting Summer 2018 (still an ongoing project)

   The Can-West Iris Society has graciously donated a collection of irises to the Hamlet of Gray for town beautification.
These are strictly for landscaping purposes within the Hamlet of Gray.
The ones they had arranged to send us are originally from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario when they remodelled their iris gardens four years ago,
and some from the private collection of a long time member of the Canadian Iris Society. 

They have been overwintering on a perennial plant farm in Manitoba ever since with the intention of being vetted for authenticity, and that hadn’t happened yet.
The owner of the perennial farm wanted their piece of real estate back for their own commercial plants.
​There were also contributions of irises grown from seed from the median iris society from Dolly's Flower Garden.
as well as donations from members of the Can-West Iris Society and leftovers from their annual sale the end of July.


We started at the school first, because the beds are pretty much ready for planting. We would like to enlist the help of anyone who is willing to plant some in their front gardens at least over the winter until a proper bed can be built at the hall and/or wherever else we want to add a little colour to.
Preference for plants given to those who will plant in their front yard in the Hamlet so they may be seen from the street,
​First priority given to those within the hamlet that help with planting.


For anyone wanting a cheap way of dressing up their front yard, they would be able to grow them out into clumps over a couple of years, and then divide them up for donation to other public places around the hamlet, keeping a some for themselves or trading with neighbours.
​
Please let us know if you're interested and how you would like to help.
-Dolly Picard & Donna Melnik
royal botanical laking garden
how to grow irises on the Canadian Prairies
shortcut to known irises planted

We Would Love to Have You Visit Soon!

Connect with the Gray & area community
  • Home
    • Bulletin Board
    • Gray History
    • Pioneer Windmill
    • Gray Hall
    • Gray United Church
    • Gray Rink
    • Gray Recreation Club
    • Voluntary revitalization
    • Photos around the community >
      • Drone photography
      • local wildlife photographs >
        • Past Events >
          • Pork on your Fork
          • Cinderelly
          • Canada's 150th birthday
          • Halloween Caberet - Brooks
          • Matt & Alyson Halloween night
          • 2018 fireworks
          • Canada Day 2019
          • Covid-19 iSOLATION
    • cemetery
    • Gray in the news
  • Information for Residents
    • Hamlet Board
    • RICETON FIRE DEPT
    • phone listing
    • GARBAGE & RECYCLING CALENDER
    • Plans of town
    • bylaws and permits
    • Water Information
    • walking routes
  • administration log in
    • school
    • school BEFORE PVSD
  • volunteer opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • The ties that bind
  • centennial celebration video
  • rev Garden Tour 2022
  • The Old Relic Rust Home
  • House for sale by owner