Metro Blooms has worked with the City of St. Louis Park and its Rainwater Rewards program since 2018, when Metro Blooms installed 20 rain gardens in participating residents’ yards. Through the program, the City helps pay residents’ costs for putting in stormwater practices like rain gardens. We have partnered with Conservation Corps MN & Iowa, which provide crews to excavate the rain gardens. We do a consult with each resident participant, provide a design and order plants. The residents invest a little bit of ‘sweat equity,’ planting their own plants. The rain gardens divert rainwater runoff from entering sewers, soaking in and cleaning the water while protecting downstream water quality. And the native plants in the gardens provide pollinator habitat.