This list includes upcoming in-person and virtual workshops, as well as resources you can explore at your convenience for deeper learning.

Upcoming In-Person Workshops & Presentations

Click to see details and register. Advance registration is required for all events.

• Managing Buckthorn workshop - Tuesday, Mar. 10
• Garlic Mustard workshop -Thursday, May 7

Learning Modules & Videos

Buckthorn:

• Winning the Battle Against Buckthorn learning module
• Buckthorn workshop video

Garlic mustard:

• Controlling Garlic Mustard learning module
• Garlic mustard workshop video

Rain gardens and shoreline buffers:

• Raingardens and Shoreline Buffers workshop video
• Raingarden Maintenance video

Tree care and maintenance:

• How to Plant a Containerized Tree video

Another option... Volunteer with us!

Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills you can apply at home, while helping the community and meeting new people. Volunteer events typically take place between April and November. Visit our website for upcoming dates, locations and registration.

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

Background information

• Less lawn for a healthier Minnetonka
• Cues to care
• Got buckthorn?
• Learning to identify buckthorn
• Why 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, Installation and Maintenance

• Ways to eliminate turf
• Create your garden plan
• Calculate the number of plants needed for your project
• Principles and design for residential pollinator habitat
• Starting from scratch - how to design a wildlife-friendly landscape from the ground up
• 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)
• How to install and maintain native plant habitat
• Installing turf alternatives
• Pollinator garden maintenance
• Yard best management practices for pollinators
• Maintain your rain garden
• 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
• Minnetonka plant list
• MN Native Plant Encyclopedia
• Minnesota Wildflowers online field guide
• Blue Thumb Plant Finder
• Xerces Society plant finder
• Native plants by bloom time
• The Best Plants for 30 Tough Sites
• Choosing low-growing native plants
• 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
• Ash replacement list
• 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.

• List of priority plants for pollinators
• The Milkweed Effect
• Monarch plant list
• Gardening for monarchs
• Plant milkweed for monarchs
• Nesting and overwintering habitat for bees
  
• Plants favored by the rusty-patched bumble bee
• What are keystone plants?
• Keystone plants by ecoregion
• Trees and shrubs for pollinators
• Container gardening with keystone plants

Incentives are options that help to reduce the cost of your actions for resilience.

• Native Plant & Seed Sale runs Apr.-Sept. – This sale is offered online through our partners at MNL (a Minnesota-based native plant nursery). You'll find a wide selection of plant plugs and seed mixes for a variety of growing conditions. Pricing is discounted from retail for Minnetonka residents, and pricing for plant trays includes shipping. Discount coupons are available to Minnetonka residents, while funding lasts. Visit sale website for more information.

• Compost Bin Sale – Begin making soil from your kitchen and yard waste. Compost bins are offered at a reduce price (compared to retail) - contact Christine at 952-988-8442 to request an information sheet and pricing.

• Tree and Shrub Sale – Diverse shrubs and trees are available at a reduced price through this lottery-based sale, which takes place every spring. Watch the Minnetonka Memo for updates, or subscribe to the Natural Resources monthly e-bulletin.

To request a site visit or learn more about this program, please complete a Resilient Minnetonka application and the program coordinator will get back to you with more information. See below for an outline of components that may be available to you through Resilient Minnetonka.

1. Site visit

A site visit is a free or low-cost one-hour visit to your property, helping you begin to identify and prioritize ways to build resilience into your landscape. While funding lasts, site visits may be provided through the city or your watershed district. Visits are scheduled in blocks through the year, typically May through mid-November..

2. Design

Your site visit will help identify and prioritize a collection of goals for resilience on your property. A planting design is often the next step. Resilient Minnetonka offers education and resources to help with this process, and funding may be available for some projects.

3. Installation

Once you have a design for your resilient planting, it's time to install. Resilient Minnetonka offers guidance and funding for some projects.

4. Residential Buckthorn Pick-up

Good planning is essential for effective buckthorn control. Please visit the Workshops & Education tab, where you’ll find links to our online buckthorn learning module, buckthorn workshop recording, and upcoming buckthorn workshops to help you learn the most effective strategies for success.

If you're interested, apply to the Resilient Minnetonka program to request buckthorn pick-up and other technical assistance to help you be successful.