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Rich Harrison on Landscape Design, People, Pollinators and Joy

A nonexistent raingarden is how Rich Harrison connected with Metro Blooms. He was the caretaker of the apartment building where he lived, and the yard there was a mess: a couple of trees had been taken down, stormwater was collecting, and nothing was growing. Harrison decided to put in a raingarden. He knew of Metro…

Person laying out plants in a garden in front of a house

Managing Stormwater With Neighborhood of Raingardens

This past summer, we teamed up with neighborhoods, cities, and the Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa (CCM) to install raingardens in residents’ yards and teach them about sustainable landscaping practices along the way. These efforts were part of our Neighborhood of Raingardens program, which aims to make clean-water planting projects easier and more affordable…

Summer Internship: Learning About Raingardens

One thing interns are sure to learn about at Metro Blooms is raingardens. This summer we hosted Althea Kuzniewski, an environmental studies major at the University of Minnesota. Althea came to us through the U’s Institute on the Environment, in an internship supported by Ecolab. She had the job of visiting and assessing raingardens we…

Gardening for Environmental Health

Board member Carol Kuechler’s story with Metro Blooms: In 2007, I first saw Metro Blooms’ work while touring two Minneapolis neighborhoods where raingardens and other stormwater management strategies prevented water…  Read More

Seasonal Garden Guide

As a landscape designer, the most common question that I get asked when walking around a yard with a homeowner is “How do I maintain all of these plants, and…  Read More

2015 Top Garden Awardees Announced

Metro Blooms is pleased to announce the 2015 Top Minneapolis Garden Awards.  These gardens represent some of the most beautiful, creative and sustainable gardens in the Minneapolis, selected by volunteer…  Read More

Two people pulling weeds in a yard as part of a yard maintenance workshops with Metro Blooms

CLCLT: Partnering With Land Trust Homeowners

Metro Blooms started partnering with the City of Lakes Community Land Trust (CLCLT) and the City of Minneapolis in 2023 to provide workshops on sustainable gardening and yard care to CLCLT homeowners. The land trust, a nonprofit based in Northside Minneapolis, helps make home ownership more affordable and provides support to its homeowners to maintain…

Walking path in Bunker Hills Regional Park by a site for a pollinator garden

Bunker Hills Regional Park

About This garden design showcases the many diverse ways you can bring native plants into just about any landscape. The photos show the site at the start of the process. Have a look at the design below to see the different plants and how they’re used. For a large area, consider a seeded pollinator meadow.…

Lebanon Hills Regional Park — Holland Lake Trailhead

About There is a native plant for every space — and the garden at the Holland Lake Trailhead in Lebanon Hills Regional Park is a showcase of just that! In a small footprint, this garden manages to showcase spring-blooming showstoppers, prairie plants for drier areas of full sun, shade-loving plants happy to thrive under a…

Who We Are

Mission Metro Blooms partners with communities to create resilient landscapes and foster clean watersheds, embracing the values of equity and inclusion to solve environmental challenges. Vision Engage communities to create resilient landscapes. Values Ecological health; environmental justice; education; inspiration; community engagement; and partnership

headshot man in suit and tie

John Kinara Appointed New Chair of Metro Blooms Board

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Metro Blooms is pleased to announce that John Kinara has been appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of Metro Blooms. Kinara, formerly Vice-Chair, takes on the leadership role from Carol Kuechler, who will continue to serve as a Board member. “This is a very proud moment for me, stepping into the…

Who We Are

Mission Metro Blooms partners with communities to create resilient landscapes and foster clean watersheds, embracing the values of equity and inclusion to solve environmental challenges.

front lawn with clover

Trio Landscaping: Designing Yards for Now and Tomorrow

How do you live in your outdoor space? Do kids play in the yard? Do you like to gather with friends? Are you a gardener? How will all of this change over time? Diana Grundeen of Trio Landscaping asks a lot of questions the first time she meets a potential client. She’s gathering the information…

Our Roots, Our Work

Metro Blooms grew out of a volunteer-powered garden recognition program, the Minneapolis Garden Awards program, which was first established by the City of Minneapolis’ Committee on the Urban Environment (CUE). Between 1979 and 2016, hundreds of trained volunteer evaluators visited thousands of gardens, every year recognizing and celebrating excellence, and inspiring a proud culture of…

Neighborhood Projects

For over ten years, we have worked with neighborhoods, cities, and so many other partners to install accessible and functional projects with their residents.

Mission + Vision + Equity

Mission Metro Blooms partners with communities to create resilient landscapes and foster clean watersheds, embracing the values of equity and inclusion to solve environmental challenges.

Equitable Engagement in Environmental Work

On June 18, dozens of community volunteers turned out to help Metro Blooms plant a raingarden at Riverside Plaza, a huge, high-density apartment complex in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. They pulled…  Read More

Autumn Ridge and Building Capacity

Metro Blooms is coordinating a major landscape renovation at an affordable housing complex in Brooklyn Park involving many partners, including residents, the owner, local government, a community organization and the watershed district.

Wrapping Up 2018 with a Great Big Thanks

Thank you, friends. Thank you for taking action this year to restore the ecological function of our yards and neighborhoods, whether you were attending our workshops, volunteering your time with…  Read More

A Year In Summary – 2016

The end of a year naturally brings about a desire to reflect on what we as an organization have achieved, what’s made us pound our heads on our desks, and…  Read More

A Year in Summary

As I began thinking about a summary of our year at Metro Blooms, I started thinking about what excites me the most about my job.  At Metro Blooms, we couple…  Read More

Green Streets For Blue Waters

Hello All, We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the participants of the Bloomington Green Streets for Blue Waters program for taking part in this important project and give…  Read More

Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle

Family:  Caprifoliaceae Scientific Name: Diervilla lonicera A fast-growing deciduous shrub, the Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle is insensitive to changes in light and is found in woody, shaded sites as well as exposed, rocky sites.…  Read More