Lawns to Legumes Frequently Asked Questions

See the Eligible Expenses Guide. To summarize, your grant must be used to purchase native plants and vegetation, as well as supporting expenses including mulch, equipment rental, and contractor work. Please make sure you are not purchasing a cultivar or hybrid of a native plant.

Search for your plant on minnesotawildflowers.info.

If you do not find it on there, it probably is not a true native plant. You can also prevent purchasing cultivars and hybrids if you build your plant list off of our plant list resources on our website.

If you are really unsure about a few plants, you can email us at the L2L Helpline (L2Lhelp@bluethumb.org), but we do not have the capacity to go through your entire list.

No, but plantings must be Minnesota native species, preferably sourced from 175 miles from one’s location, or closer (with exceptions mentioned here). We recommend seeking out your local native plant nursery, but if you don’t have one near you, many native plant retailers in Minnesota offer delivery. See our Native Plants Nurseries and Retailers List for some recommendations.

Unfortunately, no. We are only allowed to reimburse you for receipts containing eligible expenses that are dated on or after the date of your notification.

Yes! You can plant in multiple areas as part of the grant. Just make sure it is clear in your photos where you added the new additions. Your existing garden does not have to be native plants, but all new additions under the grant must be (no non-native plants, cultivars, nativars, or hybrids).

Yes, as long as you can show all projects in your before and after photos. You can only submit a maximum of 4 before and 4 after photos.

Yes. Please indicate on your receipts which portions of your project you are requesting Lawns to Legumes reimbursement.

Yes, you can use transplanted plants. Please try to confirm that the plants you’re using are native. If you’re not sure, we’d prefer that you get or purchase native plants elsewhere.

There will be a place where you can enter the names of the native plants included in your project if you did not purchase them.

Work done by contractors may qualify for reimbursement as long as the services fall under the list of eligible expenses. This includes design work, site prep, and installation. The resident must be approved for the grant before any expenses can be requested for reimbursement. Keep in mind, the focus of your project must be on the incorporation of native plants, trees, and shrubs in your landscape. BlueThumb and MN BWSR have the right to refuse reimbursement if it is clear that project funds were not used for the primary purpose of creating native pollinator habitat. 

The Lawns to Legumes program reimburses plants that are native to the state of Minnesota. To search for Minnesota native plants to use in your project, use Blue Thumb’s Plant Finder, plant lists on their Resources Page, or the websites of retailers on our Native Plant Nurseries and Retailers list. To verify that a plant is native to Minnesota, you can use an online tool like Minnesota Wildflowers or the USDA PLANTS database.

This program is intended to create habitat for native pollinators. Native pollinators have evolved with native plants, which provide them the right nutrients and the right times of year, with flower colors that pollinators recognize. Hybrids and cultivars have not evolved with pollinators–they have been created by people to display traits that people prefer. It is unclear how much these changes have affected the benefit they provide to pollinators, so the safest and surest way to help pollinators is to put in the plants they know and recognize. See our Native Plants vs Cultivars handout for more information.

It would be best if you had plants that bloom in every season to ensure pollinators have habitat year-round, so we recommend aiming for 12 different native plants. There is no minimum size or number of plants you need to have.

Yes, grasses have “flowers” that bloom and grow in a structure called a spikelet. However, they don’t provide direct nectar or pollen to pollinators. Please try to incorporate three blooming flower species in your project.

Having plants that bloom in each of the 3 growing seasons is more of a recommendation than a requirement for the project. Most trees and pollinator lawns bloom early in the spring, before a lot of other food sources for pollinators appear, so it’s ok to stick with that!

Wait a few weeks! While fewer plants are available in the middle of summer, many native plant nurseries refresh their stock for the fall (August and September).

Yes, Lawns to Legumes plantings can be started from seed. Please use a native seed provider who does not treat seeds with harmful insecticides like neonicotinoids. And note that native plants from seed may take 3–5 years to fully establish.

Soil and containers can be reimbursable up to $100, as stated in the Eligible Expenses guide. Unfortunately we cannot reimburse grow lights.

Yes, just be sure to review that all plants in the kit are Minnesota native or eligible for reimbursement.

Yes, and yes. Feel free to add any plants you want; however, non-natives plants won’t be reimbursed (exceptions are mentioned here).

No, but every grantee who completes their project receives a free sign when they are reimbursed.

Yes, the yard sign we will send to you does not include a stake so you will need to get one of your own or use what you have. Stake materials are reimbursable. Using the drill holes, you can affix the sign to any wooden post or stake (which can be found at a standard hardware store). Feel free to get creative!

No, we will reimburse any type of mulch, but we recommend double shredded (sometimes called “premium”) hardwood mulch. It’s usually sourced more locally and does its job well.

As of Spring 2024, we no longer require a certain percentage of your project expenses to be for native plants. This is because some projects have lower costs associated with plant materials (seeding projects, pollinator lawns). However, keep in mind that BlueThumb/MN BWSR has the right to refuse reimbursement if it is clear that project funds were not used for the primary purpose of creating native pollinator habitat. If you’re not sure whether your project focus is eligible for reimbursement, please email the L2L Helpline.

Check out our Native Plants Nurseries & Retailers list!

Label where you plant your plugs or seeds. Popsicle sticks can work well for this. We share more tips in our All About Weeds Zine and plant identification blog post. 

We recommend putting out a watering gauge or even a tin can to catch the water and tell you how much the plants have received. For more maintenance tips, check out this blog post.

It is helpful to create a slight terrace and mulch to slow down and capture water. Water slowly to reduce runoff and erosion. Including native grasses and sedges in your planting can also help reduce erosion.

You can reach out to the Lawns to Legumes community on The Hive or reach out to local volunteer groups such as Minnesota Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, boy/girl scouts, church communities, or posting to a site like Next Door.

We recommend wire or mesh nets and cages to prevent them from reaching your plants.

Some native plants don’t tend to get nibbled as much, including native plants in the mint family and onion family (this includes wild bergamot, giant hyssop, and prairie onion). Plants that are rough, prickly, or hairy (such as black-eyed susan) also get gnawed on less. Use the Blue Thumb Plant Finder or ask your local native plant nursery for more recommendations.

Yes. Since snow levels are low in many parts of the state, you can apply your cardboard, mulch, or leaves in the late winter and plant in the spring (May or June). You can plant through your cardboard. Your weed suppression may not be as complete as opposed to sheet mulching for 6 months or more, but you will still be giving your planting a strong start.

Be careful around trees with sod cutters. Most trees have some roots near the ground’s surface because they rely on them for oxygen transport to their lower root systems. You can try carefully using a spade to remove grass near your tree. If your grass is already sparse by the tree, it may be safer to use a thicker layer of mulch where you’ll be planting near the tree.

Trees and shrubs planted in masses are helpful in landscapes where dogs may damage plantings. Turf alternatives are generally not recommended for areas used by dogs. Plant with your dog in mind – choose spaces that your dog does not frequent as often. You can mulch areas that get a lot of dog traffic to keep compaction down, but those areas won’t be a good fit for adding native plants.

Long-handled tools can be helpful. For more tips on how to take care of your body while gardening, check out this Accessible Gardening Guide.

It is helpful to mulch native plantings in landscapes where there is a high risk of invasive species to prevent establishment from seed. More frequent weeding will also be beneficial. To stop the spread of invasive species like garlic mustard, it is important to remove it before it blooms. Small infestations may be controlled by repeatedly pulling plants in the spring. Large infestations may be mowed several times in a season to kill plants and prevent seeding. Be sure to mow invasive plants before they bloom.

Native plants are resilient, but grubs can pose a threat to roots of native plants when they are first establishing. We’d recommend avoiding planting in areas that you know are heavily infested with grubs. You could try a pocket planting or a tree planting in an area that has been less impacted by grubs in your yard.

You can do a soil test. The University of Minnesota Soil Testing Lab offers soil tests at a low cost, however soil tests are not a reimbursable expense under the Lawns to Legumes grant. Soils don’t often need to be amended for native plants because these plants are already adapted to our current soil conditions. You can bring in a sample of your soil to your local native plant nursery and ask them what plants would do best in your soil.

In almost all cases, amending your soil is not necessary as native plants can be selected for a wide range of soils in Minnesota. Dry prairie plants are well adapted to sandy, nutrient poor soils. If you have extra compacted or nutrient-depleted soil, you can mix in some compost to the top layer of soil and also in the holes that you dig for each plug you plant. See more guidance on our Healthy Soil 101 handout.

Search out landscape supply centers in your area. In the Twin Cities metro, we use Hiawatha Landscaping in South Minneapolis. The other thing we recommend to some people is finding a way to use the soil on your site—is the ground around your foundation settling? If so, you can build it back up and help direct runoff away from it by piling more soil against it. Or, incorporate a cool berm into your planting.

Some native plants can take lead into plant parts but focusing on this approach isn’t recommended unless there is a plan for harvesting and removing plant materials each season. There is concern that species that assimilate pollutants may pose a risk to wildlife that use them as a food source. There is still a lot of active research being done on this topic.

If you are a spring grantee, yes! Check out this resource on Winter Seed Sowing. We would recommend having a Plan B in place so that you can still get reimbursed for some plants, for example, making room in your budget to purchase some back-up native forb (flower) plugs if your winter sown seeds don’t make it. We can only reimburse completed projects.

Most Lawns to Legumes plantings will not benefit from burning over routine clipping and other cleanup due to their smaller size. Larger prairie plantings do benefit from prescribed burning and city or county environmental staff can be contacted about local rules. In many cases mowing in late spring can be an alternative to burning. MN native nurseries and contractors with a focus on restoration may have experience with fire management. You can find some of these businesses through the Blue Thumb Partner Finder.

If you are a fall grantee, check out our blog post on fall planting. If you are planting seeds, wait until later in the fall (October 15th or later) unless there is good soil moisture. Planting seeds mid-fall should be avoided because this creates the risk of seeds germinating and growing into small seedlings that have a lower chance of surviving through the winter. Seeding right before the first option is a great option because it prevents birds and rodents from eating the seeds.

We do not require evidence of this, it is more of a commitment on your end to maintain your new project. We ask that you communicate the importance of the garden/planting to the new homeowner and ask they keep it. But you’re not responsible for what they decide to do.

After your project is completed, you will need to fill out the Reimbursement Request Form.

You will need your before and after pictures and your receipts. If your receipt does not list the names of the plants and/or materials you purchased, please take photos of your plant tags or prepare a list of the plant/materials names. The other two things you will need to know is the approximate size of your project (square feet or acres) and the total amount of time spent on your project.

We ask that you submit one reimbursement request with all of your receipts.

Once your reimbursement request has been reviewed and approved by our team, we process and mail your reimbursement check to you at the beginning of the following month. It will then take 2-4 weeks to arrive at your mailing address. Your check will arrive in a standard letter-sized envelope from Bill.com with a California return address. Please cash your check within 90 days of receiving it to avoid the check expiring.

We ask for your patience when waiting for reimbursement. Our team personally goes through each entry and reviews it for approval. As the timeline gets closer to the deadline, there will be a longer delay in getting requests approved.

You can request an extension by emailing the L2L Helpline at l2lhelp@bluethumb.org. If you are offered an extension, your grant will be deferred to the next cohort (For example, a spring 2025 grant would be deferred to the Fall 2025 cohort).

Our team carefully goes through each receipt and image to determine the reimbursement amount. It is your responsibility to make sure your items are eligible for reimbursement. If your full request was not approved, staff will include an explanation in your email notification.

You can email us at L2Lhelp@bluethumb.org to request an extension or ask us to remove you from the list. 

If you are a current Lawns to Legumes grantee, you should be receiving regular email newsletters from Blue Thumb. If you are not receiving emails or would like to update your email address with us, let us know at l2lhelp@bluethumb.org.

If you want to be informed of application windows for future Lawns to Legumes cohorts, you can sign up for email notifications from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.

If you’d like to receive general updates from Blue Thumb and Metro Blooms, you can sign up for the monthly Metro Blooms email newsletter.

As of July 2023, a new state law requires cities to allow managed natural and native landscaping. The law enables landowners to maintain managed natural landscapes in excess of 8 inches in height. Managed natural landscapes do not include turf-grass lawns left unattended for the purpose of returning to a natural state. More information here.

We ask all project participants to agree to maintain their plantings for at least three years to the extent possible. In the event that a resident sells their If you sell your residence, we ask that you communicate the intent of the landscape with the new resident and let us know you are moving so we can also share information about its importance and how to manage it with the new owner.

For privacy reasons we cannot share the addresses of other participants, but you are welcome to post in The Hive and see if there are others in your area who’d like to connect! Check Blue Thumb’s email newsletters for the invitation link to join The Hive.

At this time, we are not awarding second grants until everyone who applied has received one. Thank you for your interest! We hope you will still continue adding pollinator habitat to your space.

The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources has a RPBB fact sheet.

The Monarch Joint Venture has many monarch resources on its website.