News

Biography Of The Month

Metro Blooms has been thinking, “wouldn’t it be nice if the people we work with and outreach to knew us on a more personal level so we could really connect?”…  Read More

Wild Columbine

Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family) Scientific Name: Aquilegia canadensis Native and hardy early spring perennial which favors a variety of habitats including dry or even low woodlands, meadows, roadsides, peat bogs and bluffs…  Read More

Star Tribune

Metro Blooms “Neighborhood of Raingardens” work in the Powderhorn neighborhood aided in getting Powderhorn Lake removed from the MPCA list of polluted waters!

A Visit To The Garden State

Sometimes it’s nice to see the flowers of another region. Nick, our MN GreenCorps member recently took a trip to New Jersey. Lucky enough, it was right when fields upon…  Read More

Compass Plant

Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower) Scientific Name: Silphium laciniatum Course, hairy perennial herb with large woody root stocks, 3 to 10 ft tall, usually with a single, unbranched stem. Likes open prairies, and roadsides in…  Read More

Culver’s Root

Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) Scientific Name: Veronicastrum virginicum Native, colonizing wildflower from 3-6′ tall that grows in rich woods and moist prairies. Has a central taproot as well as underground running…  Read More

A Summer Of Garden Awards!

Mpls– It’s time for the Garden Awards! Nominations are being collected until August 6th: Anyone can nominate a garden on our nominations page. Everyone knows a garden or two they pass on…  Read More

Blooming Schoolyards

S. MPLS– This Spring, Metro Blooms has been submersed in the world of Environmental Education. To develop the Blooming Schoolyards program, we teamed up with Minneapolis Public Schools and STEM…  Read More

Splash Rocks And Dry Creeks

As water flows into a raingarden, the entrance point often receives the most stress from the incoming force of water. If water is coming off the street or driveway, this is also…  Read More

Prairie Smoke

Family: Rosaceae (Rose) Scientific Name: Geum triflorum Native Early Spring perennial favoring sunny, dry fields, prairies and open woodlands Watch for: Bunches of red/pink flowers bursting into a fuzz-like “smoke”. Leaves…  Read More

Cool Season Weeding

As mid-May surprises us with it’s vigor and business, so does the Spring weeds! Here’s some tips and pics for starting the year in control of the gardener’s ancient nemesis. Watch for…  Read More

MPR News

Highlighting the Bryant Neighborhood of raingardens. Incentives and particulars of community-level raingarden projects

Star Tribune

A follow-up on Bob and Debby Wolks’ Raingarden Anniversary Project (Southwest Journal): Sifting through the struggle of raingarden maintenance

Metro Blooms On WCCO

Metro Blooms with Sentyrz Supermarket on WCCO 4 News, 4/18/2012 N. MPLS–Lead Landscape Designer Michael Keenan recently spoke for Metro Blooms on WCCO News. Michael highlighted the Sentyrz Supermarket raingarden…  Read More

WCCO 4 News

Metro Blooms’ Lead Landscape Designer delivers raingarden wisdom during a WCCO interview at Sentyrz Supermarket in NE Mpls (aired on 4/18/2012)

And The Survey Says…

Here in the office we’ve been analyzing Raingarden Workshop surveys from years gone past, pulling out  trends and interesting snippets that can point us to a better awareness of our…  Read More

Spotlight Projects: Spring 2012

All of us here at Metro Blooms are excited for our 2012 projects… we have dozens!  😀There are two however that we’d like to describe more in depth: Urban Homeworks…  Read More

Fox Sedge

Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge) Family Scientific Name: Carex vulpinoidea  Native cool-season perennial sedge that grows up to 3 ft high. Grows in wet, moist meadows, marshes, lake shores, stream sides, and…  Read More

Asters: Purple Dome/ New England

Family: Asteraceae Scientific Name: Aster novae-angliae As a prime example of a native plant which is highly cultivated, this entry will look at both. New England Aster is a very…  Read More

Boneset

Family: Asteracea (Sunflower) Scientific name: Eupatorium perfoliatum Native perennial wildflower from 2-4 ft tall. Prefers low, moist to wet soils with plenty of organic material, with full to partial sun.…  Read More

Purple Coneflower

Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower) Scientific Name: Echinacea angustifolia  Perennial herb up to 2 ft tall, established predominately on the great plains, in dry upland prairies, often in rocky soil. Watch for: Long, alternate leaves and a…  Read More

Sneezeweed

Family: Asteraceae (Aster) Scientific Name: Helenium autumnale  Native perennial herb that grows on low-lying, moist prairies and other open spaces throughout the United States and Canada. Watch for: Alternate, lance-shaped…  Read More

Yarrow

Family:  Asteraceae (Aster) Scientific Name: Achillea millefolium  Perennial herb introduced with genotypes that are both native and introduced. Common in disturbed areas and open forests in the US, spread across…  Read More

Butterfly Milkweed

Family: Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed) Scientific Name: Asclepias tuberosa Perennial herb found on roadways, abandoned farmlands, open woodlands, and prairies. Sandy, loamy, or rocky limestone soils. Watch for: Lance-shaped alternate leaves smooth…  Read More

Blazing Star

Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower) Scientific Name: Liatris punctata  Perennial herb of prairies and native pastures. Dry, course soils. Watch for: Purple star-shaped flowers arranged in spikelike groups at the ends of stems.…  Read More