The Saskatoon Horticultural Society's Cultivating Resilience Video Series aired on Facebook and YouTube from August 3-13, 2021. All of the videos (as well as last summer's Virtual Passport Tour) will remain available on our YouTube page indefinitely, as a convenient playlist if you'd like to watch them all in order!
This series was made possible by funding from the Saskatoon Horticultural Society and a City of Saskatoon Environmental Grant. All videos were filmed and edited by Don Selby of DMS Photography.
If you'd like to view the videos as more of a list, or bookmark them, we've created this blog post for you. It also includes some links to the partners and participants who helped us out as well as a bit of behind-the-scenes info!
Day 1: Gardening for Beauty
We were pleased to kick off this year's video series by featuring Sharon's beautiful River Heights garden in Saskatoon. Sharon shares her expertise on peonies and other perennials and taking inspiration from international garden tours. Sharon is a longtime member of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society.
Day 2: Gardening for Future Generations
Gardening is a practice that can contribute to a healthy, beautiful community for us today as well as for future generations. In 2018, local spoken word poet and visual artist Kevin Wesaquate led a project in which 250 misaskwatomina plants (saskatoon berry) were planted in Riversdale. The key to building a healthier future is fostering mutual respect for the land. The misaskwatomina project is a symbol of reconciliation for generations to come. With this project, Wesaquate hopes to share the practice of misaskwatomina berry picking. In this video, Kevin explains the project and performs his spoken word poem called "Misaskwatomina".
You can read more about the misaskwatomina project here. If you'd like to visit the site, it is located along the riverbank between the Victoria Park Boat House and the water treatment plant. In the video, Kevin performed his poem at the Riversdale/King George Community Garden - we didn't plan for it but it turned out to be the perfect location!
Day 3: Gardening for Native Species
Our third video highlights how native species can be used right in your own yard. Chet Neufeld, executive director of the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan, shares his garden with us and teaches us about specific native plants that grow in his yard, how he captures and uses rainwater, and ways to nurture pollinators and birds.
Chet also provided some additional photos and information about his yard in the comments on the original Facebook post.
The SHS sells bee hotels similar to the ones featured in the video - if you are interested in purchasing one for your yard, check out the Merchandise page on our website.
Day 4: Gardening for the Urban Landscape
Have you ever admired the flower pots in many of the public spaces in Saskatoon? Large flower pots can be seen downtown, on Broadway, in Sutherland and Riversdale, and on medians on major roads every year. Heather from the City of Saskatoon explains how they design, plant, and maintain all 750 of their flower pots.
This video was filmed on Broadway Ave. Visit saskatoon.ca/flowerpots for more information on this program!
Day 5: Gardening for Students
During the COVID-19 pandemic, university students who live on campus (many of whom are newcomers to Canada) have been largely unable to access typical student social supports. Kensi, coordinator of the McEown Park Community Garden at the University of Saskatchewan, describes how the garden fosters community and encourages students and newcomers to live sustainably.
Day 6: Gardening for Naturalization
Saskatoon is fortunate to have parks that have been designed with naturalization in mind. Moira, from the City of Saskatoon, describes the work that the City's parks department is doing to re-introduce native grasses and wildflowers back into our parks. She also introduces us to the demonstration garden at the Nutrien Wonderhub and describes her vision for this space.
Day 7: Gardening for Biodiversity Conservation
Did you know that Meewasin is the largest urban conservation zone in Canada? Beaver Creek, just south of Saskatoon, is a conservation area that Meewasin manages. Erica and Kelton describe the horticulture and resource management work that is done to encourage native species and manage invasive species, and highlight specific species that can be found at the Beaver Creek site.
Day 8: Gardening for Joy
This super-sized video is going to fill your heart with joy! Join the staff and Elders at Sherbrooke Community Centre, a long-term care facility in Saskatoon, as they discuss how gardening has been a bright light during the pandemic, providing fulfillment, inspiration, and purpose in the community.
Sherbrooke is looking for help with some of their garden spaces - if you would like to volunteer, go to the "Get Involved" page of Sherbrooke's website to sign up.
Day 9: Gardening for Tradition
Wanuskewin Heritage Park is a living reminder of our sacred relationship with the land and the First Nations people. Some archaeological digs at Wanuskewin date back thousands of years making them older than the Egyptian pyramids; these sites provide clues to the daily existence of the early peoples. Honey takes us on a tour of the valley at Wanuskewin and tells us about the traditional uses of some of the plants found along the trails.
The information provided in this video is for informational purposes only. Please consult your health care provider before beginning any herbal treatments.
Day 10: Gardening for Mindfulness
For our final video of the Cultivating Resilience series, we invite you to come along with us on a mindfulness meditation walk at the Robin Smith Meditation Garden at Forestry Farm Park. This garden is maintained by volunteers from the Saskatchewan Perennial Society. Thank you for joining us for another great year of virtual garden tours in Saskatoon!
The audio track for this video is available for download on the SHS website.
