Two stops: UMD rain garden and Hillside yard tour
Public Welcome Free Event Public Garden Tour Home/Private Garden Tour Free Public Parking
UMD rain garden: a brief visit to explore & discuss its history.
6:30 - 7 pm, meet at Lot B parking lot, enter on College St.
The rain garden covers approximately 1/3 of an acre and can hold over 60,000 gallons of storm water from 2.5 acres of the parking lot.
Chapter yard tour with host Jen Stenersen, 1141 N 6th Ave E in Duluth. 7:00 pm - 8 pm.
"Over the past 20 years, Jen and Melissa have transformed their small Hillside yard into an urban oasis for birds and pollinators, along with a large and bountiful veggie garden.
Jen spent 20 years as the Greenhouse Manager for Boreal Natives. She is just finishing her second summer as the Shoreview Natives Greenhouse Manager where she appreciates the opportunity to use native plants not just for restoration but for landscaping.
Their small front yard used to be dominated by three large spruce trees, shade loving natives and a small rain garden to capture sump pump runoff. Sadly due to spruce budworm these trees were removed two years ago. This created a whole new look to the front yard and room for new sun-loving plants.
In both their front and backyard, you will see native plantings that are brand new this summer to well established areas planted nearly 20 years ago. Including seed grown woodland plants and native shrubs.
On the narrow one-foot wide boulevard, Jen used Lawns to Legume Grant money to establish a short, dry prairie strip now in its third summer.
Also see examples of using native vines for privacy screening and ways to share a small urban backyard with chickens without having them destroy all the landscaping!"
Dress for the weather & bugs!
WO Plant ID markers will be available ($3. each)
Attracting Birds/Butterflies to Your Garden with Native Plants - full color spiral booklets for sale ($2. each)