Mid-Week Bits Of Home & Garden Inspiration

So, this post was supposed to be sent on Wednesday, but I simply ran out of time. For those who do not blog, what happens is that you write your blog on one program and then send it from a different one. It takes time to do up the email newsletters, and well, I did not have it.

I mean, it is totally for an exciting reason. We found out with little notice that we were heading off to Saskatchewan for a few days with our son. I tried to get this post ready to send right away, hence the title ; )

While here in Saskatoon, we are staying in an amazing co-housing apartment(?) building. The gardens are absolutely amazing, with a potager garden in back, a pond with fish, raised veggie beds, flowers galore. Many roses, clematis vines, lilies, shrubs and flowers to attract and feed the bees, birds, and beneficial insects. The gardens are humming! Happiest bees I have ever seen.

The ideas that I have garnered from being here! I have never been a huge fan of spirea, but after seeing how much the bees love them, I have changed my mind a little bit. I think there is room in the pollinator strip to add some, plus the front yard when we start working on that. Going to add so many more clematis, roses, hyssop, martagons...

At co-housing, everyone works together to keep the gardens weeded, the common areas cleaned, the three patios pristine. There are barbeques on all the patios for everyone to use, no one needs to put one on their personal patio. They have Weeding and Wine Wednesdays... I must say I am a bit smitten with that idea. I would love weeding buddies!

Some of the boulevard plantings.....

There is much more I could share, so many more photos, but I will leave you with these for now. I share these because they are growing in a prairie province. Meaning, we can all grow these, wherever we live. Hardy, happy, flowering gardens.

The fish in the pond. Is this not amazing?

Okay, on to the Gardening Bits....

My Cat's Pajamas Catmint is thriving, despite the cool spring, but the planters are sooo far behind.

Plants like this lovely Catmint are great companions for roses. Read here for other flowers that look great with your roses, make them shine all summer, and also help to keep them pest free and healthy.

My Pro-Cut White Lite Sunflower.

I like this read about the best sunflowers for pollinators. This white sunflower above starts off very cream coloured, like butter, before fading to white. The white moment is short, but is pretty whether creamy or white, eh?

Just when you thought you knew everything about growing potatoes... here are 9 tips for growing loads of spuds.

This backyard permaculture garden is absolutely amazing. As is this very, very lovely garden.

Here are some lovely ideas for a small garden, many pretty garden pictures. I have always said that if I did not have the dogs, need room for them to zoomie, I would be fine with just a small yard for a greenhouse and a bunch of potted plants.

I really liked this idea for labeling plants. I often leave the seed packets where I planted new seeds, as a reminder to self... so that I do not plant something else there ; ) However, I never cover the packets, just stick the in the side of the bed and remove them when the plants come up and the packets are illegible. So... I think this idea is pretty clever!

These recipes look really good, so had to share...

Sourdough discard hamburger buns. I made these, we loved them.

This vegetable, watermelon, feta cheese salad looks superb. Sharing because I really want to make it! Most of these items are great on my elimination diet, too. Eight pounds down in 3 weeks!

And lastly, this blueberry sour cream breakfast cake. As you all know, I have a thing for blueberry sour cream cakes, will try them all. This one is a family favourite, we make it often.

This Dog Days Iced Tea! Cannot wait to make it.

The potager at the co-housing.

Have A Great Week-End

Tanja