Volunteer Spotlight: Barb Gasterland
Barb Gasterland is one of our longtime volunteers. She started out as a garden evaluator in 2005, when her interest in a raingarden movement happening at the time led her… Read More →
Search Results
Searched for: 2015
Volunteer Spotlight: Mark Pedelty
For our first Volunteer Spotlight, we have Mark Pedelty, a University of Minnesota professor whose involvement with Metro Blooms stems from some really interesting experiences. You might ask why a… Read More →
Winter Garden Maintenance
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… Read More →
2013 Triumphs And Lessons Learned
As 2013 winds to an end, we find ourselves spending a lot of time planning for NEXT year. At Metro Blooms we’re writing work plans for 2014, anxiously awaiting the… Read More →
Queen Of The Prairie
Family: Rosaceae Scientific Name: Filipendula rubra Queen of the Prairie is a rare, native perennial that favors high quality habitat. Named filum for “thread” and pendulus for “hanging”, this plant’s name refers to some species’… 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 →
Metro Blooms Garden Evaluation And Awards
On November 7th, 2013 over 150 people gathered at the Columbia Manor in Northeast Minneapolis to recognize beautiful Minneapolis gardens, and the people that create them, at our annual Minneapolis… Read More →
Fall Raingarden Maintenance
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… Read More →
Neighborhood Of Raingarden Installations 2013
Throughout the summer and fall of 2013, Metro Blooms has been working hard with the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa to install raingardens in five different neighborhoods in Minneapolis.… Read More →
Summer Raingarden Maintenance
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… Read More →
East Calhoun Neighborhood Of Raingardens
Last weekend, 14 families in the East Calhoun neighborhood of Minneapolis spent some time getting dirty and helping out the environment. What were they doing? Planting their raingardens of course!… Read More →
Blooming Schoolyards 2013
Many Metro Blooms supporters have not heard of Blooming Schoolyards, Metro Blooms’ K-12 outdoor classroom education program. And what a shame that is because I can tell you from experience… Read More →
Springtime Raingarden Maintenance
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… Read More →
The History Of Lake Nokomis
This past Tuesday, myself, Mark Pedelty (a professor at the U of MN), and three of his students had the pleasure of learning about the history of Lake Nokomis from… Read More →
Raingardens And Beyond Workshops, Soon To Be At A Community Center Near You!
Schnazy new title, and some new information too. This year Metro Blooms’ classic Raingarden Workshops are doing just what the new title says…they’re going beyond the do-it-yourself approach to raingarden design… Read More →
Lake Nokomis Water Quality Survey
Metro Blooms has recently taken on its largest survey yet. Throughout February we’ve been prepping, administering and entering oodles of data from our first ever KAP study (KAP stands for… Read More →
It’s In The Dirt! Bacteria In Soil May Make Us Happier, Smarter
This post was written by Naomi Sachs, a landscape designer and Founding Director of the Therapeutic Landscapes Network. Many people talk about the restorative benefits of gardening and the reasons… Read More →
Biography Of The Month
To kick off a new year of staff, board and volunteer biographies (that’s right volunteers, I’m coming for you next) I interviewed Bryan Pynn, Metro Blooms’ director of design and… Read More →
Rock For Raingardens
It’s that time of year again, you know, the time to dance, be entertained by good music and funny landscape architects and celebrate raingardens! In other words, it’s time for… Read More →
Blue Flag Iris
Family: Iridaceae Scientific Name: Iris versicolor Native emergent summer perennial favoring marshes, wet meadows, forested wetlands and shorelines. Watch for: Large blue to blue-violet showy flowers from May to July. Flowers often contain… Read More →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Early Spring Strategies For Your Raingarden
Ever get that pre-Mother’s Day planting itch? Early Spring is a great time to sneak a bit of color into your garden before the bulk of the plants start blooming!… Read More →
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 →
Earth Day 2012: Teaming Up With Project For Pride And Living
N. MPLS– This Earth Day, Metro Blooms is teaming up with Project for Pride in Living (PPL) to build a raingarden. Not just any raingarden mind you, but a raingarden… 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 →