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Blue Thumb Workshops: Resilient Yards, Bee Lawns, Planting for Pollinators
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Today more and more lawns include low-growing flowers like Dutch white clover, self-heal and violets. Often called “bee lawns,” they provide food for pollinators and generally don’t need the same care to stay healthy as more traditional lawns. Bee Lawns, Resilient Yards and Planting for Pollinators are the topics in this year’s Blue Thumb DIY workshops, where people can get ideas for strengthening their yard while protecting the environment.
The workshops are geared toward helping people create resilience in their yard so they can better “weather” severe heat and heavy downpours. Choosing plants wisely and knowing where to put them can provide shade and help cool a yard. Raingardens and other plantings soak in rainwater that would otherwise flow into storm sewers that empty polluted water into our lakes and streams. A resilient yard is also full of life; planted with well-chosen native plants, it provides important habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.
Blue Thumb offers three different workshops for 2021. Resilient Yards covers raingardens, alternatives to turf lawns, trees, native plantings and more. Bee Lawns is a “how-to” on converting a traditional lawn into a flowering bee lawn. Planting for Pollinators offers planting practices that benefit pollinators and the environment, with insights on pollinators in Minnesota.
Staff from Metro Blooms, Blue Thumb’s parent organization, lead the workshops, which start in March. Each workshop costs $15 unless otherwise noted. Scholarships are available on request. More information and registration details can be found at https://bluethumb.org/events/ or by leaving a message at 651-699-2426. Presentations will be recorded for registrants who are not able to attend.
Blue Thumb, Planting for Clean Water, a network of public and private partners working toward planting for clean water and pollinators, is coordinated by Metro Blooms, a nonprofit committed to resilient communities through the promotion, design, installation, and care of sustainable landscapes. Workshops are supported by: the cities of Minneapolis, Plymouth, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, Rochester, Mendota Heights, Champlin, Golden Valley; Hennepin County Master Gardeners; Minnesota Water Stewards; Rice Creek Watershed District; and the Washington County Conservation District. Info: www.bluethumb.org,
www.metroblooms.org.
