Region
Twin Cities Metro Area
City
Minneapolis
Project Type(s)
Pocket Planting
Template(s) Used
None
Site Conditions
Full Sun
Gardener Name
Elise L
Gardener Comments
Dry, east-facing front yard that gets full sun. We tilled and removed the sod prior to planting. Fortunately there were not many weeds on the site prior to install. The manual labor required to install (turning the sod, removing it, installing plants, covering with burlap and mulch) took a decent amount of effort. I was grateful for the help of my spouse with getting it done! I used compostable burlap sacks for landscape fabric, then covered those with wood mulch. It worked as excellent weed protection while the garden established itself the last 2 summers.
I learned that fall leaves really make the best mulch (added bonus is that they are free)! The areas of the garden that I left leaves on over the winter came back stronger in the spring and the plants had no trouble growing through them. I also learned to follow the spacing recommendations while installing the plants. Things filled in wonderfully and I love the way it looks.
Fencing it in was necessary for the first year (and part of this year) while things got growing. The rabbits and other critters loved to munch on my plants when they were tender young sprouts. I have a few holes this year from things that dried out last summer (keep it watered the first year!!) that I will be filling in with new native plants. On the whole, though, pretty much everything came back this year.
Finally, one thing I really appreciate having done is planning for contrasting foliage shapes and color, not just for flower colors. Native plants don’t always bloom as long as some cultivars, and planning for pleasant foliage contrast/shapes keeps it interesting even when there aren’t flowers.
This garden brings me daily joy: I love sitting on my steps and looking at what is growing, what is blooming, and all of the insects that it has attracted. The knowledge that I am contributing to the restoration of my local environment and supporting pollinators is wonderful. I am so grateful to have been able to participate in the program!
Wildlife Observed
Butterflies: Monarch, Black Swallowtail, Vanessa Atalanta, American Painted Lady
Other: Bumble bees, a variety of wasps, great black wasp (so cool!), red milkweed beetles, hover flies, moths, and more.
