When Sonja Pawliw wakes up in the morning, she doesn鈥檛 pour herself a bowl of cereal or crack an egg over a frying pan. At the start of the day, without fail, she steps into her garden.
She walks under a wooden archway covered in one long grapevine. Last summer, her daughter took home 60 pounds of grapes from the vine. Pawliw kept 30 pounds and made jelly.
Pawliw gently touches her white lilies, which have won her countless prizes at flower competitions.
She makes sure the tomatoes, sweet peas, cherries, cucumbers, and kiwis are growing nicely. Most of them are safe to eat.
鈥淚 make several rounds before I make breakfast,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou want to know how everything is doing.鈥�
Pawliw鈥檚 garden is a testament to her hard work and dedication. It鈥檚 been a Yorkton staple for years. Hundreds of visitors flock to it every summer. Now, Pawliw鈥檚 receiving national recognition for her green oasis.
Pawliw is a recipient of the 鈥淐anada 150 Garden Experience鈥� award. It鈥檚 a certificate that acknowledges the best gardens across the country. A Toronto conference judged hundres of green beds and narrowed the field down to 150 winners.
When Pawliw heard she鈥檇 been nominated, she didn鈥檛 think it was real.
鈥淚 phoned my kids and I said, 鈥楧o you think [this award] is a hoax?鈥欌�� she says.
Once the conference concluded, the jury emailed Pawliw to congratulate her. At that moment, Pawliw knew it was true.
Pawliw is one of four winning gardens from Saskatchewan. The other three are owned and operated by governments, universities, or societies. Pawliw stands alone as the sole creator of her garden.
Of course, Pawliw doesn鈥檛 see herself as a big star. She鈥檚 just doing what鈥檚 comes naturally.
鈥淔lowers and gardening [were] in my blood...since I was knee-high to a grasshopper,鈥� she says.
When she was a child, Pawliw would spend her weekends watching her grandmother tend to her garden. When she got older, Pawliw built her own garden, always giving flowers preferred treatment. Pawliw thinks everybody should have at least one pot of flowers to tend to.
鈥淔lowers and gardening is a soul feeder,鈥� she says.
Pawliw appreciates the award, but she hasn鈥檛 let success go to her head.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a nice sort of pinnacle to my gardening,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t kind of makes me unworthy because I was [gardening] for myself. I wasn鈥檛 doing it...for glory.鈥�
Randy Goulden, who works with Yorkton Tourism, has pointed tourists to Pawliw鈥檚 garden for years. She鈥檚 thrilled for Pawliw.
鈥淚 was pretty excited for Yorkton, but more for her because she鈥檚 getting some of her well-deserved recognition,鈥� Goulden says. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a treasure.鈥�
Pawliw is an honorary member of the Yorkton Horticultural Society. When they found out she鈥檇 won, they surprised her with a red-and-white cake.
鈥淲e were proud of her,鈥� says Liz Jones, president of the society.
Back in her garden, Pawliw tends to her plants. She doesn鈥檛 have time to admire her award. It鈥檚 August and she has a lot of work to do. She closes the garden in September, which means uprooting and moving dozens of flowers and vegetables. People come to take the roots off her hands.
鈥淚n the spring, I want something new,鈥� she says.
Pawliw will rebuild the garden, entirely different, but still with that personal touch.
