After one of the most brutal winters in recent memory, most Minnesotans are ready to enjoy the outdoors. For the homeowner, growing, mowing and babying their manicured turf lawn has been an American obsession for decades. The perfect lawn has been something to aspire to and suburbia has many miles of “green concrete” to substantiate our love affair with turf grass.
Fast forward to 2011 – clean water is our new national obsession! We now understand turf grass has very short roots; our traditional lawns can only soak up a quarter inch of rain; the rest is storm water run off – dumping water (filled with pesticides, fertilizers, oil, petroleum, trash, etc.) into our storm sewer systems that empty into our local rivers, lakes and streams. So what to do? According to the American Society of Landscape Architects, reduced lawn has recently been identified as a top trend in landscaping.
This beautiful raingarden is located in Stillwater, MN.
“Each year we get more and more customers who are interested in converting some of their front and/or back yard into a native garden area,” says Rose Brabender, Nursery Specialist at Hedberg Nursery in Stillwater. “Native gardens can be considered “messy looking” by many people (we are all so used to the “manicured look” of lawns – especially the front lawn) but the trick is to get professional help in the planning and purchasing of your native plants and grasses. There are literally hundreds of native plants and shrubs to choose from – that come in different heights, colors, shapes and textures. We encourage people to bring in photos of their yard so we can have a good discussion,” continued Rose.
Native plants are not only beautiful; they are beneficial. Butterfly Milkweed (in the front of this photo) attracts Monarch butterflies; Lead Plant, a prairie shrub, puts nitrogen in the soil.
“Native plants not only add beauty to your yard, but they also play an important role in reducing pollution in our rivers, lakes and streams” says Connie Taillon, owner of Cedar Hill Natives, a company that specializes in native plants and raingarden consulting. “Native plants have much longer roots than turf grass which help to soak rain water into the ground, filter polluted runoff, and stabilize soil; they are adapted to the local climate and, once established, generally require much less care than traditional landscapes – when grown in the appropriate location – no mowing, fertilizer, pesticides and little, if any, supplemental water is needed. In addition, they provide habitat as well as nectar and seeds for bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife.” Starting this year, Cedar Hill Natives will be growing and selling native plants at Hedberg Nursery. “Stop by the nursery to learn more about these beautiful and beneficial plants and how to incorporate them into your landscape,” concluded Connie.
“Besides native gardens, we see more and more people who want to put in a raingarden, said Eileen Filek, Water Garden Specialist, at Hedberg Nursery. ”Probably the key to a successful raingarden is placement. Home raingardens can be in one of two places – near the house to catch only roof runoff or farther out on the lawn to collect water from the lawn and roof. We encourage people to use the Blue Thumb website (www.bluethumb.org) to get more information on sizing and siting a raingarden. Also we encourage people to click on “Grants”. Many cities have homeowner programs where you can get reimbursed for at least a portion of your raingarden. Hedberg Nursery is proud to be a Blue Thumb Partner”, concluded Eileen.
This attractive raingarden not only helps with stormwater runoff, the homeowners get to enjoy the view from their flagstone patio. People are interacting wtih neighbors more by installing front yard gardens.
Converting even a small portion of turf into a native garden or raingarden can help reduce pollution to our beloved local waters. It isn’t hard to do and you can find professional help at Hedberg Nursery, located on Highway 36, just one mile east of the interchange of I-694 & Highway 36. For further information, log on to www.hedbergrocks.com.
