The following column was published in local Sun Sailor Papers and the Southwest Journal. Released May 2007.

Cultivate a “Blue Thumb:” Plant for Water Quality

By Jim Calkins

First a howling blizzard woke us,
Then the rain came down to soak us,
And now before the eye can focus -
Crocus. ~Lilja Rogers

In our sometimes harried lives, the coming of spring can evoke feelings of connectedness with nature that are often lost in our man-made suburban and city landscapes.  Buds emerging on trees and shrubs, flowers pushing through the earth toward the sun, and the neighbors we meet anew after winter’s hibernation all remind us that we are part of a larger, natural order.  And, as we look forward to a new growing season, spring provides each of us with an opportunity to make certain our yards and shoreline properties are doing their part to help keep our lakes and rivers clean.

With the exception of storm sewers, water pollution isn’t coming from a big pipe anymore.  Most sewage treatment plant discharges and industrial point sources of pollutants have been cleaned up.  These days, it is primarily the storm water runoff and snowmelt from our houses, streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and other non-absorbent surfaces that transports pollutants to surface waters – our valuable wetlands, lakes, and streams.  To address this universal problem, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) is joining the Blue Thumb program, an initiative that encourages Minnesota property owners, businesses, and cities to promote clean water by 1) planting native gardens, 2) establishing raingardens, and 3) using plants to stabilize shorelines.

Native Gardens

Native gardens – planned collections of native trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers that are more likely suited to your location – are especially good at soaking up storm water.  And, because they are cold hardy and generally adapted to the weather conditions of our area, they can be much easier to care for.  If designed and established properly, native gardens require very little weeding, watering, mulching, or mowing and virtually no fertilizers or pesticides.  With help from native plant experts, you can design a garden that blooms throughout the growing season, provides valuable bird and other wildlife habitat, or beautifully fills a previously bare spot.

Raingardens

Raingardens, perhaps a better name would be runoff gardens, are carefully designed, planted depressions  that collect runoff (along with the pollutants it carries) from your house and property.  As the shallow garden basin fills with water, the water slowly filters into the soil where it is filtered before it feeds underground aquifers instead of traveling to storm drains and, ultimately, surface waters.

When designed properly, raingardens should dry out in a day or two, so there is no standing water to attract mosquitoes.  And, like native gardens, raingardens can provide important habitat for wildlife including birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects like dragonflies (wonderful insects that dine on mosquitoes).

On May 19 and June 9, Metro Blooms will be offering educational raingarden workshops for just $15.00.   To learn about these opportunities and register, visit their website at www.metroblooms.org.  Those who attend will learn more about urban pollution, residential raingardens, and how to use native plants to reduce runoff and protect water quality.  For Minneapolis residents, the information provided may even help reduce your Stormwater Utility Fee.

Stabilizing Shorelines

Residents with lakeside or riverside properties can also use native plants to help ensure their shoreline doesn’t contribute to water pollution caused by eroding soil, mowing adjacent to the water, or droppings left behind by geese.  Shoreline plantings can anchor the soil, increase water infiltration, and filter and absorb the pollutants carried in runoff and prevent them from reaching the water.  The density and height of shoreline plants can also discourage geese from making themselves at home along the water’s edge.

Blue Thumb was started by the Rice Creek Watershed District in the northeast metro area and is a partnership of natural resource groups, cities and local nurseries.  The Blue Thumb website is a great source of information on native plants, raingardens, and shoreline plantings.  You can find plant lists (and a list of nurseries that sell them), garden plans, and step by step instructions on how to establish the water-wise plantings at www.bluethumb.org.  Additional information, including ideas and templates for designing lake, stream, and wetland buffers, can also be found at www.minnehahacreek.org.

Blue Thumb founder Dawn Pape dreams of a day when planting for water quality is as welcomed, accepted, and practiced as the movement to reduce, reuse, and recycle.  With a little thought and a small investment of time and money, we can all help preserve our state’s valuable water resources by sprucing up our landscapes from a runoff and water quality perspective.

It’s spring!  And though the crocus are already finished blooming, the season is only just beginning and there is much to be done.  So, as alluded to in another of my favorite quotes about spring by Margaret Atwood – “In spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” – let’s get out there and start cultivating our blue thumbs today.

Jim Calkins, Minnetonka, is president of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board of Managers. He works in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota where he teaches plant propagation, landscape design, and landscape operations and management. He also coordinates the Master of Agriculture in Horticulture degree program.

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