Watching the slow emergence of Saskatoon berry buds brings a welcome sign of life this May.
Watching the Slow, Promise-Filled Start for Our Native Saskatoon Berries
There is nothing quite like the anticipation of waiting for a native northern favorite to wake up. Our Saskatoon berry bushes are testing our patience a bit this year, tracking almost a week behind their usual schedule. In this part of the country, May weather can be a real unpredictable mixed bag, and it looks like these hardy shrubs decided to hit the snooze button just a little longer than last spring.
Thankfully, the waiting game is finally paying off. If you get right up close to the branches, you can see the tight buds slowly starting to stretch and split open. It’s the very beginning of a beautiful transformation. Before we know it, those subtle, swollen tips are going to erupt into a gorgeous display of delicate white flowers and fresh, vibrant green leaves.
Watching the Saskatoons kick into gear is always a highlight of the season because it signals a major turning point in the garden. They are incredibly tough plants, built to handle whatever a northern spring throws at them.
Saskatoon bushes are some of the earliest plants to bloom in Northwestern Ontario, making them incredibly important for local pollinators. Because they flower in May when most other plants are still waking up, they provide a critical, early-season food source for native bees and insects emerging from hibernation. Having these reliable blossoms open early helps jumpstart the local ecosystem just when pollinators need it most.
We like to keep tabs on how our different plants, vegetables, and berries perform each year. Watching the bare planters fill out during the summer is the main highlight of gardening. Documenting the milestones from week to week gives us a good reference for what worked well by the time the season ends.
We are absolutely thrilled to watch the branches fill out over the next few weeks and see this year’s growth take shape.
About our Program
The Art Borups Corners Land Lab is a summer program in Northwestern Ontario that runs annually from May to September, combining participatory arts, land-based learning, and small-scale agriculture. The program grows strawberries, raspberries, saskatoon berries, vegetables, and herbs while exploring food security, food entrepreneurship, and sustainable rural living through creative, hands-on activities. In 2026, the Land Lab is also introducing milkweed stands at several sites to help support endangered monarch butterfly habitat and promote pollinator conservation through environmental arts education.
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