Garden Tour
2024 - Information Incoming - Saturday July 21st
Past Year Archives
2021 - Cultivating Resilience
Our passport garden tour once again took a virtual format in 2021: the Cultivating Resilience Video Series. The series was co-funded by the City of Saskatoon through an Environmental Grant. We once again hired Don Selby as our videographer and he did an incredible job. 2021 featured ten videos of gardens and public spaces around Saskatoon, with more of a community focus and only two private yards.
All videos can be found on our Facebook page and Youtube Channel Playlist. If you'd like to view all the videos and their descriptions on one page, we have included them in a blog post that also captures some behind the scenes information and useful links.
The tour wrapped up with a Gardening for Mindfulness virtual walk narrated by Kim West. If you would like to download the audio to this video for your own mindfulness practice, it can be downloaded download here.
Please read the following disclaimer prior to using the practice:
This presentation is for personal use only and is not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any disease, illness or health issue of the participant. It is also not intended as medical, psychological, psychiatric or physiological advice, and the narrative and visuals in this video are not facilitated by medical professionals. If you have a medical condition, psychological disorder or health concern, please consult with your doctor or a licenced health care professional before engaging in the mindfulness practices presented in this video. By using this video, you acknowledge you are solely responsible for the environment in which you use this video, and your own mental and physical limitations. You also accept sole responsibility for any personal or property harm or damage you cause yourself or others as a result of using the practices depicted in this video. Because movement is part of the exercise, please ensure your environment is safe from all obstacles and tripping hazards before engaging in the practices depicted in the video. Also, please ensure you do not exceed your physical or psychological capabilities and discontinue any activity, motion or visualization that causes you physical or mental discomfort. Although rare, some mindfulness participants find the exercises may trigger repressed memories, psychological trauma or other mental health issues. In such circumstances, discontinue the practices described in the video and consult with your doctor or licenced health care professional immediately.
2020 - Seeds of Resilience
City/Public Gardens - Robin Smith Meditation Garden
Enjoy the Robin Smith Meditation Garden and the Heritage Rose Garden at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo. These gardens were designed to create a contemplative area that shows the beauty of perennials in a restful setting. Saskatchewan Perennial Society Member Bernadette Vangool takes us on a tour.
Fruit and Vegetable Gardening
Rachel and Peter showcase a variety of methods for growing fruits and vegetables in their Caswell Hill yard, including wicking beds, a greenhouse, and an impressive hugelkultur bed!
If you'd like to learn more about the construction of Rachel and Peter's wicking beds, check out this video by Rod McLaren.
Native Plant Gardening
A wonderful example of a garden that uses edible and medicinal native prairie plants. Elizabeth describes how she created a space that builds soil and ecological diversity in her Caswell Hill yard.
Elizabeth's Prairie Plant Garden
Architectural Gardens
Located between the Galleria and Atrium buildings at the University of Saskatchewan, the Innovation Place and Boffins Gardens features a koi pond, a Japanese dry garden, waterfall, and ample greenery. Enjoy the picturesque setting and public seating areas, and maybe go and check them out for yourself in person!
Manager Kyla Ledingham takes us on a tour
July 31: Small Space Gardening
Ideas for a variety of different gardening practices for those with limited space. Boulevard gardening, growing plants vertically, alley plantings, and even rooftop gardening are just a few ways to maximize space if you have a small yard. Maxine describes how using every inch of her Nutana property increases her vegetable yield, builds community, and contributes to her holistic health.
Farm Direct
Farm Forty One is located just 15 minutes out of Saskatoon and uses holistic management to restore the soil ecosystem naturally, without the need for chemical treatments. They use a variety of sustainable gardening methods including wicking beds, no-till, companion planting, and rainwater collection.
Water Gardening
Water gardens open up new possibilities for plant species and create a tranquil, relaxing ambience. Janice takes us on a tour of her water feature and explains how her water garden has evolved over the years.
Urban Farming
Chain Reaction Urban Farm grows and distributes food using sustainable practices in the core of Saskatoon. Owner Jared Regier gives us a tour of the farm, highlighting how he uses interplanting, succession planting, and boulevards to maximize his production. You can also join Jared's Vegetable Academy community to learn from his experience and expertise!
Jared's Sustainable and Organic Urban Garden
Permaculture
here are many different definitions of "permaculture" but they all focus on mimicking natural ecological principles to create more resilient and sustainable landscapes. Heather and Jon's permaculture yard features rainwater collection swales, a mix of hardy perennials and annual vegetables, effective use of mulch, and more! If you'd like to see the transformation of Heather and Jon's yard during their 2014 permablitz, check out this timelapse video!
Heather and Jon's Sustainable Front Yard
Community Garden
The Stonebridge Community Garden is located in Peter Zakreski Park, one of over 50 community gardens in the City of Saskatoon. It is home to over 30 individual plots and several public gardens that anyone in the community can harvest from.
Garden coordinator Brittany and her little helper take us on a tour
Flower Gardening
Today we are featuring City Girl Flower Farm. Located on an acreage just outside of Saskatoon, Chantelle grows a wide variety of colourful (and even edible!) flowers for her flower arrangement workshops. The acreage is also home to a haskap maze and a newly planted apple orchard. In the video Chantelle discusses some of the challenges and rewards of being a new gardener.
Chantelle's Dreamy Flower Farm
Container Gardening
The askîy Project is operated by CHEP Good Food Inc. and is nestled between Saskatoon's Riversdale and Pleasant Hill neighborhoods in saskatoon. Zoe and Justice take us on a tour of this innovative container garden and share with us the meaning behind the project and some info on buying and supporting the Good Food Box project. You can support CHEP Good Food by purchasing produce through their food programs, or by donating to www.chep.org/donate.
The askîy Project is an urban agriculture internship that engages both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth to learn together about growing, harvesting, and selling food through an innovative model. Its five key focus areas are: growing food and food skills, enhancing cultural connections, promoting environmental sustainability, creating social enterprise, and engaging youth. askîy' is a Cree word meaning “earth” and 'kiscikânis is a Cree word meaning “vegetable garden”.
The askîy Project
2021 Cultivating Resilience Virtual Garden Tour
Our passport garden tour once again took a virtual format in 2021: the Cultivating Resilience Video Series. The series was co-funded by the City of Saskatoon through an Environmental Grant. We once again hired Don Selby as our videographer and he did an incredible job. 2021 featured ten videos of gardens and public spaces around Saskatoon, with more of a community focus and only two private yards.
All videos can be found on our Facebook page and YouTube channel [please embed the links to these in the text]. If you'd like to view all the videos and their descriptions on one page, we have included them in a blog post that also captures some behind the scenes information and useful links.
The tour wrapped up with a Gardening for Mindfulness virtual walk narrated by Kim West. If you would like to download the audio to this video for your own mindfulness practice, it can be downloaded download here. Please read the following disclaimer prior to using the practice:
This presentation is for personal use only and is not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any disease, illness or health issue of the participant. It is also not intended as medical, psychological, psychiatric or physiological advice, and the narrative and visuals in this video are not facilitated by medical professionals. If you have a medical condition, psychological disorder or health concern, please consult with your doctor or a licenced health care professional before engaging in the mindfulness practices presented in this video. By using this video, you acknowledge you are solely responsible for the environment in which you use this video, and your own mental and physical limitations. You also accept sole responsibility for any personal or property harm or damage you cause yourself or others as a result of using the practices depicted in this video. Because movement is part of the exercise, please ensure your environment is safe from all obstacles and tripping hazards before engaging in the practices depicted in the video. Also, please ensure you do not exceed your physical or psychological capabilities and discontinue any activity, motion or visualization that causes you physical or mental discomfort. Although rare, some mindfulness participants find the exercises may trigger repressed memories, psychological trauma or other mental health issues. In such circumstances, discontinue the practices described in the video and consult with your doctor or licenced health care professional immediately.