The Corcoran + Phillips Pollinator Project helps residents in the Corcoran and Phillips communities of Minneapolis create pollinator habitat in their yards. It provides one-on-one consultations with landscape designers, training on how to care for plantings, plants, mulch, equipment, and labor to help people install bee lawns, pollinator gardens, trees and shrubs — at a… Read More →
With funding from Hennepin County and the City of Minnetonka, and in partnership with the Minnetoga Lake Association, this project targeted properties draining to Lake Minnetoga for the implementation of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) such as raingardens. The goal was to improve water quality, create pollinator habitat, and empower property owners to take action… Read More →
Maintaining raingardens to support clean water, provide habitat and save money
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 from getting into basements. I was so intrigued by the beauty of the native plants like Joe-Pye weed in the raingardens and curious about practices… Read More →
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 when do I do it?!” If you aren’t a Master Gardener or you are just a busy person and don’t have tons of time to… Read More →
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 evaluators from more than 1,000 nominations. The Minneapolis Garden Awards program has been recognizing outstanding work in publicly visible gardens since 1983. Photos of these… Read More →
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 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. Equity At Metro Blooms, we work to create the conditions for all of a community’s members to be meaningfully involved in environmental improvement
Our work only begins with the design and installation of raingardens, native plant gardens, and other stormwater best management practices. Time may heal all wounds, but when partnered with neglect, erosion, corrosion, weed infiltration, and random chance it can turn the most thoughtfully-designed, carefully-installed project into what we in the industry call “a mess.” This
For over ten years, we have been teaching residents throughout Minnesota how to plan, design, install, and maintain their own resilient yard. We began in 2007 by talking about a relatively new idea—a little thing called a “raingarden.” Over time, we incorporated what we learned about pollinators and other wildlife, lawn care, trees and shrubs,
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 on gardening gloves and received a short lesson on planting; within two hours, they had put in 477 plants, creating a beautiful green space that… Read More →
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.
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 us, engaging us to come and work in your yard or on the property where you live, or asking us to join with your organization… Read More →
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 what’s inspired our passion to continue the work that we do. What I find myself wondering most is “when will our next batch of Christmas… Read More →
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 field work with a big focus on education and community engagement. This past year we were able to work on projects with some really amazing… Read More →
Wow. I know I said last year was busy, but 2014 was so busy we hardly had time to blog about, well, anything. Over the last 12 months we’ve worked with some amazing partners to install 96 raingardens, 6 bisowales, 1 trench drain, and 4 permeable pavement systems. We’ve held 7 corporate volunteer events, educated 430 citizens… Read More →
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 everyone else a quick overview of all that’s been accomplished! Over the last two years, Metro Blooms, in partnership with the City of Bloomington and… Read More →
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. It grows well in sandy, dry, and slightly acidic soils. It is often found growing among Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) and Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea). … Read More →
