About
This garden is part of a larger restoration effort around Keller Lake and the nearby Keller Golf Course to bring native plants back to public spaces. Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, which has worked in these spaces for years, brought together students from American Indian Magnet, Water Stewards, Master Gardeners, and its own staff to plant the garden.
Minnesota’s waters and plants have deep traditional, spiritual, and cultural significance to the Dakota, the Indigenous Peoples of this land. Our partners at Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi selected the plant species to highlight native plants with importance to Dakota people as well as native pollinators. Students from American Indian Magnet School helped plant the garden and led a ceremony before and after the planting with Dakota Language and Culture Teacher Thomas Draskovic.
This garden is designed with plant masses, or larger groups of the same species together. This technique is helpful for maintenance because it is easier to tell which plants need to be removed when single species are grouped together. Mass plantings can also reduce the distances that foraging pollinators must travel between flowers to get adequate pollen and nectar. For a mass-planted garden, choose species that will have your garden blooming all year long. Also, pay attention to how “aggressive” your species are — otherwise, you may find one of your mass plantings taking over your entire garden.
