Pollinator-Friendly Yard Care

 Recommendations for Pollinator-Friendly Yard Care

• Plant native or naturalized species that flower at different times throughout the seasons.
• Flowering trees and shrubs are excellent sources of food and shelter too!
• “Leave the leaves” in fall – either let the leaves lie where they fall, or keep some areas of leaf litter in protected parts of your yard to provide winter habitat for invertebrates and other creatures that hibernate in our yards.
• Replace turf with flowering plants or bee lawns.
• Do not use pesticides or herbicides in your yard.
• Help prevent mosquitos by reducing any standing water in and around your yard (or replace water in  vessels like bird baths often)
• Replace turf with fine fescues that provide a similar look and feel but require less water and mowing, and capture more stormwater than Kentucky bluegrass.
• Mow in the late evenings when pollinators are less active.

 Pollinator-Related Resources

• UMN – Slow Mow Summer
• UMN Bee Lab
• UMN Extension Yard and Garden resources
• Bee Lawns
• Fine Fescue Lawns
• Blue Thumb project planning guides
• Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Resources – Great Lakes Region
• Xcel Energy offers rebates to purchase outdoor electric equipment, including lawn mowers, trimmers, etc.

Climate-Friendly Lawn Care Tips

• Mow based on lawn height, not day or month.
• Use the highest mower settings.
• Cut back no more than 1/3 of your lawn’s height at a time.
• Mulch lawn clippings for a natural lawn fertilizer.
• Mow in the evenings when pollinators are less active and less likely to be disturbed.
• Use an electric mower – they are quieter, simpler to use, and create no pollution! Check out Xcel Energy’s outdoor electric equipment rebates to help lower your cost.
• Reduce or eliminate the use of fertilizer. Excess nutrients from fertilizer causes algae blooms in local waterways.
• Consider replacing Kentucky Bluegrass with a turf alternative like fescue, which is more drought-resistant than traditional turf while keeping the same look and feel of grass.

Water Conservation

• Install a rain barrel to reuse rain water for irrigation around your yard.
• If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, install a smart monitor that will detect moisture levels and precipitation.
• Water in early morning or late evening.
• See our Water Conservation webpage for more information.

Looking for Help With a Pollinator-Friendly Garden Project? 

Grants are available for development of rain gardens, bee lawns, and other similar garden projects from the following places:

• Lawns to Legumes - apply for cost-share grants for up to $400 to create pollinator habitat.
• Local watershed districts also have similar grant programs for projects that improve water quality and protect native plants and wildlife!  Check which watershed you are in and learn more about their grant options:
  • Capitol Region Watershed District
  • Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District
  • Rice Creek Watershed District

Visit the University of Minnesota Extension Bee Lawn information page for details on how to plant and maintain a bee lawn.