Honeywood (Dr A.J.Porter) Heritage Nursery near Parkside will be hosting its Lilies in Bloom event July 20 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The annual event acts as a gathering site for many vendors who exhibit their wares. Visitors have previously witnessed the art of wood carving and lathe work, stained glass art, home made jewelry, locally produced honey, embroidery, and Friends of Honeywood preserves, to name a few.
Guests will have an opportunity to walk through the many lily and memorial gardens and purchase nursery stock or take a wagon ride through the heritage site. Food and refreshments will be available all day while visitors have an opportunity to visit with friends or listen to the musical entertainment by many local entertainers.
Lilies in bright shades of yellow, orange and red and of varying heights decorate the landscape along the road leading into the heritage site. Despite the amount of moisture this year, site manager Judy Harley, her staff and volunteers have worked diligently to keep the fields dry.
"Although we replanted a large portion of the large lily field by the road, there is still a vibrant display of orange, yellow and red lilies," commented Harley.
"Laura Cleveland, the most recently hired staff, has been a beneficial addition to the organization as she continues to assist with the many horticultural tasks at Honeywood," added Harley.
Ticket sales for the organization's second cash lotto is well underway. The early bird draw will be made on July 22. All tickets purchased before midnight of July 20 will be eligible for the early bird draw consisting of one $5,000 prize and five draws of $1,000. The grand prize, subsidiary prize draws and 50/50 draw will be made on Sept.13 following a three-day radio-thon with CJWW. All tickets must be purchased by midnight Sept.11 to be eligible for the final draw prizes. Grand prize draw of $100,000 will be made as well as ten $1,000 and ten $500 cash draws.
"Only 2,500 tickets will be sold with ticket prices at $100 each," commented Harley. Tickets can be purchased at Honeywood Nursery, Parkside General Store, the directors and by calling the toll free telephone number 1-855-947-3425.
Money raised through the lotto this year will go towards the construction of a "misting" greenhouse.
"The addition of this building to the nursery will allow us to propagate many of the rare trees and shrubs as well as Porter's fruit and shrubs found at Honeywood," explained Harley. "To date, we have had to rely on outside sources for our trees and shrubs and do not have a source for some of the unique plants. The ability to propagate our own materials will ultimately lead to new funding sources and possibly open up a means to offer these plants to other greenhouses and retail outlets."
The original log home and yard maintenance equipment continues to require upkeep and repairs.
For more information about the cash lotto and Honeywood Heritage Nursery seasonal events call 306-747-3307 or visit www.honeywood-lilies.ca
