Resource Library

A wide range of information is available here - please explore each section!

Background information

• Less lawn for a healthier Minnetonka
• Options for reducing your lawn
• Why native plants?
• The benefits of native plants
• Native plant nurseries and landscape services
• Getting a soil test
• Find your property lines
• Have utilities marked before you dig (Gopher State One Call)

Design Tips & Templates

• Create your garden plan
• Principles and design for residential pollinator habitat
• Plan a project
• Pollinator garden design tool
• Shade garden design template
• Rain garden design template
• Sunny and short design template
• Soft landings planting design (under trees)

Installation & Maintenance

• Calculate the number of plants needed for your project
• How to install and maintain native plant habitat
• Installing turf alternatives
• Pollinator garden maintenance
• How to germinate native seeds
• Seasonal care of trees in different life stages

Plant Lists

“Right plant, right place” is a popular gardening tip – and for good reason! Each species is adapted for particular growing conditions of light, soil type, moisture and space. Instead of choosing plants and then finding a space for them, start with the space and pick plants most likely to thrive there.

• Using hardiness zones in climate-smart gardening
• MN Native Plant Encyclopedia
• Minnesota Wildflowers online field guide
• The Best Plants for 30 Tough Sites
• Blue Thumb Plant Finder
• Xerces Society plant finder
• Native plants by bloom time
• Low-growing plants for sunny sites
• Native plants for wetlands
• Rain garden options
• Shade garden options
• Gardening in the shade
• Ground cover species
• Container garden species
• Buckthorn replacement species
• Plant lists, fact sheets and posters
• Best native yard trees for our changing climate
• List of climate-adapted urban tree species
• Choosing the right tree or shrub for your area
• Trees and shrubs for pollinators

Focus on Habitat

Plants and soil are the beginning of food webs in our yards and natural areas – they are the source of nutrition for animals, from pollinators and other invertebrates to birds and diverse wildlife, in all their life stages. The following resources can help you build those food webs and create essential habitat to support a complex and fascinating food web in your home landscape.

• Nesting and overwintering habitat for bees
• Yard best management practices for pollinators
• Trees and shrubs for pollinators
• Gardening for monarchs
• Plant milkweed for monarchs
• Plants favored by the rusty-patched bumble bee
• What are keystone plants?
• Container gardening with keystone plants
• Keystone plants by ecoregion