News from May, 2007
- The rise of Southwest’s blue thumbs
- Cultivate a “Blue Thumb:” Plant for Water Quality
- Teen soaks up rain gardening knowledge
News Archive
All Months in 2007
The Rise Of Southwest’S Blue Thumbs
Southwest Journal, Thursday, May 17, 2007
A primer on building your own rain garden
Backyard puddles and basement flooding used to be the norm when it rained at Kathleen Davies’ Linden Hills home.
“Now I don’t have either,” she said. “And I don’t have to mow.”
These days, wetland plants in Davies’ backyard rain garden drink the water that used to gather in pools on her lawn or drain into her basement. The master gardener for the University of Minnesota Extension Service also planted a rain garden in her front yard to prevent water ...
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Cultivate A “Blue Thumb:” Plant For Water Quality
First a howling blizzard woke us, Then the rain came down to soak us, And now before the eye can focus - Crocus. ~Lilja Rogers
In our sometimes harried lives, the coming of spring can evoke feelings of connectedness with nature that are often lost in our man-made suburban and city landscapes. Buds emerging on trees and shrubs, flowers pushing through the earth toward the sun, and the neighbors we meet anew after winter’s hibernation all remind us that we are part of a larger, natural order. And, as we look forward to a new growing season, spring provides ...
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Teen Soaks Up Rain Gardening Knowledge
Every spring for 13 years, Meng Xiong has watched storm water form a large puddle alongside his home on St. Paul's East Side. So, when the opportunity came this year to build a rain garden to soak up excess water, the Central High sophomore jumped at the chance.
During a visit last week, I found Meng Xiong and his friend Houa Lor digging the side-yard garden with three Ramsey County Master Gardeners - Betsy McNulty, Linda Neilson and Rochelle Robideau. Meng Xiong says his parents, brothers and a cousin have helped dig, too.
The ...
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