Minnesota Rain Gardens

The preparation work is always more than the actual installation…

Happy Spring!  Gardening in Minnesota presents us with challenges that those in warmer gardening zones don’t have to fret over.

We are in zone 4, and have been blessed with a nice gradual Spring, as opposed to, say, snow on Easter. Two days ago I had one crocus in one garden bed.  Today they are popping up all [...]

Rain gardens are a pretty new idea – they started in the late 1980s, when the Maryland Environmental Protective Department decided to set up a rain garden to capture the overflow of rain water that came off a parking lot.  The University of Maryland then started researching this idea, and Michigan and Wisconsin became big [...]

Another question customers ask when they are thinking about having a rain garden is worrying whether it will attract mosquitoes.  The good news – no, rain gardens do not attract mosquitoes!

7-12 days of standing water are needed for mosquitoes to lay eggs and breed.
Standing water in rain gardens last only a few hours.

Minnesota Rain Gardens
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Rain gardens should be created once the ground has been made level.
Here’s how to level the space:

First, dig out the area to the right depth.  Then lay a long 2×4 across the area, with a carpenters level on top of the 2×4.  When you find low spots, fill them with dirt.

Keep moving the 2×4 aqround, [...]

While rain gardens take a while to build, there are some short-cuts. Here’s a great tip, with two options (one much more environmentally friendly)?
If the grass is dead where you’d like to place your rain garden, digging will be much easier.

If you are comfortable using Round-Up, you can kill the grass quickly
Or, you can place [...]

The question many customers have is “What size should my rain garden be?”  The quick answer is that usually rain gardens are between 100 square feet and 300 square feet.

Smaller than 100 square feet?  It’s possible, of course, but such a small garden will have very little variety of plants.
Large than 300 feet?  Always possible, [...]

We’re working over in Eagan, MN again today.  I’m very excited about the progress we’re making on the tax credits for this rain garden/landscaping project – it looks like the client could save over $500 per year on state taxes.
Check out the border we’re putting in – all natural grasses!
Eventually about half the yard will [...]