Grand Ave. rain garden update

Last year, the city of Minneapolis cleared, mulched, planted, and maintained over 15,000 plants in nearly 200 rain garden basins along Grand Ave. between Lake Street and West 48th Street. These gardens are part of the city's ongoing work to improve water quality, manage stormwater, and enhance neighborhood green spaces.

Last week, the city's contractor finished spring cleanup work in many of the rain gardens. They removed leaves, trash, and weeds. They also mowed and trimmed overgrown plants to help new plants grow this spring and summer. Mowing is a standard part of spring maintenance for native plantings and supports healthy regrowth. No herbicides were used during this process.

What's next?

Late April: Maintenance contractor, maintenance crews, and city staff will walk the project to get an assessment.
Early May: Crews will restore planting areas, stabilize soil, and remove weeds or invasive plants as needed.
Early May: Double-shredded hardwood mulch will be applied throughout all planting areas to keep weeds at bay, retain moisture, and keep the soils cool.
2025 growing season: City contractor will continue to weed, water, and maintain the new vegetation.
These maintenance activities keep plants healthy and support pollinators like butterflies and bees, helping strengthen the local ecosystem and promoting biodiversity.

About the project

Grand Avenue was fully reconstructed between West 48th Street and Lake Street  in 2022 to improve the street condition, make safety improvements, improve public transit connections, and add green infrastructure to the area. The basins on Grand Avenue were initially planted with seed which yielded mixed results. Learning from the initial Grand Avenue installation and other projects, the city then opted for larger potted
plants instead of seeding for a 2024 restoration.

Type of green infrastructure: Bioretention basins and underground detention.
Functions:
• Collects rainwater from the roads, sidewalks, and buildings and lets it soak into the ground
• Reduces stormwater runoff
• Reduces pollutants discharged to our lakes, streams, and river
• Adds desirable plants and trees
• Reduces hardcover and greens the city
• Creates a community amenity
• Combines safety and environmental goals

Link to city's project page by clicking here.