Region
Twin Cities Metro Area
City
Minneapolis
Project Type(s)
Pocket Planting, Native Trees and Shrubs, Rain Garden
Template(s) Used
None
Site Conditions
Part Sun
Gardener Name
Phyllis
Gardener Comments
My project was to fill in an existing hill rock garden on our corner lot, to fill in a rain garden and create one other boulevard garden around a newly planted Kentucky coffee tree. I learned a great deal from all of the resources that were provided by the program on how to determine the correct plant for their position to sunlight, their bloom times and environmental conditions such as road salt. I read all of the information and attended a few live zoom classes.
My plantings that were present in my landscape were mostly cultivars. I was concerned that I would need to remove them to have a native garden for pollinators, but learned that it was okay to leave them there. I watch the bees and butterflies now come and look at the cultivars for a second then take off for the native flowers and spend a lot of time on them. It always makes me smile to know that I finally got it right.
I love going out to see my plants and pull weeds or check to see what needs trimming or attention. We get so many good comments from people out for walks or even stopping while driving by in their car. I feel like it pulls our neighborhood together.
Wildlife Observed
Many, many bees, monarchs, dragonflies, birds in the winter, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, I found two monarch caterpillars on my whorled milkweed about a month ago. The pearly everlasting always hosts many little caterpillars and the hyssop buzzes with bees as soon as it starts blooming.
