Metro Blooms works with Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) to maintain and inspect stormwater management practices at more than 20 sites district wide. These practices include raingardens, underground infiltration systems, permeable pavement, and wet ponds. Metro Blooms takes a sustainable, pollinator-friendly approach, and does not use herbicides. Vegetation management includes hand pulling weeds, planting and seeding… Read More →
We work with two Common Bond housing sites: Kingsley Commons in North Minneapolis, and Bii Di Gain Dash Anwebi in South Minneapolis. At Kingsley Commons, we inspect onsite raingardens and work with property management and landscape staff to share maintenance recommendations and provide training. At Bii Di Gain Dash Anwebi, we care for the raingardens… Read More →
In a raingarden, there will always be weeding, but you can make it easier on yourself if you have good timing and the right tools. That was one of the main messages at the first session of Sustainable Landcare: Raingarden Maintenance, a three-part workshop series organized by Metro Blooms’ Blue Thumb organization. The workshop was… Read More →
The Sustainable Need to Weed “How many of you, if we go out to weed right now, would know what you’re doing?” Anna Bierbauer, our Metro Blooms landscape designer, asks. In a classroom at Folwell School this summer, two Wilderness Inquiry youth raise their hands. Soon after a short lecture about two species of weeds,… Read More →
You’ve got this great new permeable pavement in your driveway. Now what? As with everything we value, some level of maintenance is required in order to keep it looking good and functioning properly. Our teeth, our cars, our relationships and yes, our permeable pavers too. But before we get into how to care for this… Read More →
Landscape and photo by Russ Henry, Giving Tree Gardens We often get questions in the fall regarding raingarden maintenance. One of our Landscape Designers, Andy Novak, recently shared this thoughtful information with one of our Blooming Alley participants, and we thought we’d share it with you all too since it’s very applicable to any area… Read More →
As you may have read in our recent blog post ‘Green Streets for Blue Waters’, our two year project in partnership with the City of Bloomington just wrapped up. The project included the addition of 18 newly installed curb cut raingardens and a fabulous vegetated bio-swale. After installations were complete, we were charged with ensuring these… Read More →
Seasonal Raingarden Maintenance Practices Each season has a small list of tasks associated with good raingarden maintenance practices. By staying on top of maintenance each season, problems can be avoided and maintenance can be a small task compared to a major chore. By taking a few minutes to peruse the garden, major maintenance headaches can… Read More →
It’s certainly been cold in Minnesota this last month, but it’s going to warm up this weekend and with that warm-up maybe you’ll start thinking about the up and coming garden season! Or maybe not, but in either case, we wanted to remind you of some winter maintenance practices for your garden so it’s ready… Read More →
Well folks it’s time. It seems to me like our spattering of 70 degree days are done for the year, which means you can trade in your lawn mower for a rake and don’t forget to wear your helmet when walking down the street, because those acorns hurt! It’s also time to put your plants… Read More →
I hope you’ve been enjoying your time in the garden this summer and if you just haven’t had the time to do much maintenance yet (gasp!) it’s about time you get out there! So here are a few tips for you when taking care of your garden for the remainder of the summer. Don’t worry,… Read More →
Now that the sun is finally beginning to shine a little longer and our days are getting a bit warmer (I said a bit, not a LOT warmer yet), we wanted to remind you of some simple spring time maintenance activities to help preserve the effectiveness and beauty of your raingarden. You should try and… Read More →
The project focused on private property owners and involved a coordinated outreach effort, educational trainings, and the installation of raingardens in the Linden Hills Neighborhood of Minneapolis. In addition to a raingarden installation, we performed follow-up maintenance visits with each participant the following year. The project expanded to include site consultations and designs for commercial… 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 →
In partnership with the City of Bloomington, engagement, design and installation of curb cuts and a backyard bioswale across 5 properties in Bloomington, Minnesota in the Minnesota River and Nine Mile Creek watersheds. Project also included maintenance training for participating properties.
The Cedar Isles Dean Neighborhood Association partnered with Metro Blooms and the Conservation Corps in 2014 to install 10 raingardens in the neighborhood. Participants attended a neighborhood workshop to learn more about raingardens, maintenance and native plants. Raingardens were excavated with help from the Conservation Corps, and residents planted their gardens.
Metro Blooms began working with the City of Champlin in 2014 to maintain large-scale raingardens that infiltrate runoff from the Champlin City Hall and Police Department. That partnership has expanded to maintenance of several other large raingardens at locations throughout the city with help from the Conservation Corps of Minnesota. We have continued this work… Read More →
We worked with the Cleveland Neighborhood Association to engage two blocks of residents to improve the environmental function and look of their alleyway through stormwater management and urban habitat. Projects included raingardens, native plantings, and permeable pavement. Project activities focused on building social capital within the neighborhood, and included an “Alley Party” and group maintenance… Read More →
Design Services Our ecologically-centered design services are available to help you create a resilient landscape. We start all of our designs with an onsite consultation with one of our qualified designers to better understand and personalize your design needs. Our staff includes trained landscape designers and landscape architects experienced in creating a design that fits
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
What does Equitable Engagement look like at Metro Blooms? At Metro Blooms, we define Equitable Engagement as the intentional participation of a community, with emphasis on those most impacted or underserved (renters, people of color, low-income or otherwise marginalized) by green infrastructure projects and those most often underrepresented within environmental improvement projects. Metro Blooms creates
We are working with community members to reshape and replant boulevards in several North Minneapolis neighborhoods where ash trees have been or are being removed. The ash tree removal is part of a program to manage the emerald ash borer infestation (more information is available from the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County websites). We
Metro Blooms We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that partners with communities to create resilient landscapes and foster clean watersheds, embracing the values of equity and inclusion to solve environmental challenges. Donate Blue Thumb Metro Blooms is proud to coordinate the Blue Thumb program, a partnership promoting ecologically functional landscapes to reduce runoff and improve
More and more, people understand the value of a raingarden as a green solution to preventing runoff that leads to water pollution and downstream flooding. At Metro Blooms, we are delighted to see raingardens becoming more common. Unfortunately, we see many raingardens — including ones that we designed and installed — in need of some… Read More →
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 →
When Metro Blooms is in the field, there’s a good chance that the crew on site are wearing yellow helmets. If so, they are likely a crew from Conservation Corps MN & Iowa, a longtime Metro Blooms partner. This organization has installed more of our raingardens than any other group we work with. In turn,… Read More →
Maintaining raingardens to support clean water, provide habitat and save money
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.
