South Minneapolis Split

One Year in the making with many more years to come…

This garden and accompanying prairie (grown from seed) began in the Summer of 2023 with a cup of coffee and a few books. Andy had the perfect green grass that many suburban dads dream of… but he and his family wanted something different. They wanted to stop wasting time mowing. They wanted to stop pumping chemicals and H2O into the ground. They wanted their yard to contribute to nature and not extract.

Andy had been building a dream of this garden in his mind for some time and after reading Benjamin Vogt’s Prairie Up, he was inspired to start killing his grass. But he wasn’t sure of the next step, so he called on Northern Holler to collaborate. We set out on a journey together to turn this typical flat turf plot into an ecological minded garden that saves water, bolsters bio-diversity and creates habitat for local wildlife while still keeping with that traditional mixed border horticulture aesthetic that many neighbors come to expect.

Andy started first by solarizing his grass using clear plastic to heat-up, smother and choke the vegetation. Then we dug swales to act as passive rain gardens. Using the extra soil we dug out for those swales we piled at the sidewalk edge of his property to create berms to plant into. These tiny hills add movement, form, and dynamics to the landscape, but they also stop run-off. Much to the surprise of many homeowners, grass is really BAD at absorbing rain. Most of the water that falls runs off into the street, drains and ponds which causes catastrophic damage to wetlands by introducing an excess of chemicals and quantity of water the natural systems can’t bear. This kills native flora, leaving gaps for invasives to move in. This disruption in the water cycle messes with our ground water, streams, lakes, rivers and eventually oceans.

In October 2023, we planted hundreds of plant plugs and seeded a mini-prairie. In June of 2024 we returned to fill in holes from rabbit damage and added dozens of sedge (Carex Sp.) to create that all important “green mulch”. This is an example of the type of stewardship you sign-up for when you contract Northern Holler.

This was actually Northern Holler’s inaugural garden, and we think it represents our truth and mission. We aren’t the type of operation to drill holes, drop plants and never see you later. Our stewardship aims to build successful gardens that evolve over time and leave clients feeling confident and inspired. We want people to feel as though their gardens are doing good for the world and for themselves. Gardening is hardwork but it should still be fun!