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Searched for: maintenance

City of Champlin Landcare

Metro Blooms began working with the City of Champlin in 2014 to maintain large-scale rain gardens that infiltrate runoff from the Champlin City Hall and Police Department. That partnership has…  Read More

Equitable Engagement

At Metro Blooms we strive to make engagement equitable through real relationships, supporting opportunities for silenced voices to be heard, and implementing what we’ve heard from those most impacted by environmental and social injustices. We prioritize partnering with Black, Indigenous, People of Color, renters, and low-income communities. Intentionality: We collaborate with local community members and…

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.

Ragweed and Goldenrod: Weeds to Watch This Week

(Above, a Canada goldenrod invasion) We’ve been doing raingarden maintenance lately. This includes pulling a lot of ragweed and Canada goldenrod. Read on for more about these invasives. Ragweed, Ambrosia Recently…  Read More

Choosing Turf Alternatives

If you want to change your lawn, ask yourself what you expect from your new landscape. How different do you want it to look? How much time are you prepared…  Read More

Creating Climate Resilient Yards

We live in unsettled times, and nowhere is this more evident than outside our own windows. Through them, we see more extreme weather events every year. Leslie Yetka, of the Freshwater…  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

Blooming Alleys Partnership Results

In our first post about the Blooming Alleys Partnership I described the collaborative meeting we had in April, here at Sabathani, with all of our project partners to figure out what…  Read More

What Is Blooming Alleys All About?

Blooming Alleys is a program of Metro Blooms that aims to protect waterways, create habitat, and transform communities by working with blocks of residents to re-imagine what their alleyway looks like…  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

Prairie Dropseed

Family:  Poaceae Scientific Name:  Sporobolus heterolepis This perennial prairie grass is native to the Central and Eastern United States and Canada.  It requires full sun and prefers well-drained soils.  For that reason,…  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

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

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

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

Star Tribune

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