Lawns 2 Legumes program gets $4 million boost, encouraging people to plant more pollinator gardens
ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- The changing climate is shifting the growing and blooming seasons for plants and flowers across the country. It's having a big impact on pollinators, like bees and butterflies, needed to spread pollen.
To combat the declining pollinator population, a state program called "Lawns 2 Legumes" provides funding and educational resources for people to plant their own pollinator gardens in their backyards. Homeowners can apply for grants to get reimbursed up to $350 to build their gardens.
Lawns 2 Legumes has existed since 2019, but in the current legislative session, a $4 million environmental budget passed allowing this program to continue on for many more years.
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Megan Showalter is a St. Cloud homeowner who was approved for this grant back in February. Now that the weather is warm, she has been prepping her yard for her garden by removing a rock bed and the landscape fabric underneath. Next weekend, she plans to fill the empty space with pollinator plants.
"Milkweed's a big one, and then Buttonbush is another one [on my list to buy]," said Showalter.
She expects it will cost her a little over $350 to build and plant, but says it's worth it.
"I think it's amazing, it's really kind of putting our money back into what we need," said Showalter.
Entire neighborhoods are also participating in the Lawns 2 Legumes program. Tara Brown volunteers with the Armatage Neighborhood Association in southwest Minneapolis.
Volunteers have been building pollinator gardens near apartment complexes and in public parks in their neighborhoods over the last few years. Most recently, volunteers of all ages helped plant two pollinator gardens at the Washburn Avenue Tot Lot park.
The program gives bigger grants for bigger projects for neighborhood parks.
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"Whether it was our neighborhood coordinator or Metro Blooms, who was a nonprofit that did the design around the pollinator gardens, we were able to pay them to do some of the work that volunteers just can't do," said Brown.
Metro Blooms helps both individual homeowners and neighborhood associations to either build and design pollinator and rain gardens, provide plants, or prep the garden.
Click here to learn more about Metro Blooms. To apply for Lawns 2 Legumes grants for fall of 2023, click here.