Back To All News

VIDEO: The Easy Way to Plant a Pollinator Lawn (and Why You Might Already Have One)

Easy Bee Lawns graphic

Fall is a great time for planting, and that includes grass seed. But instead of just fortifying your traditional, monoculture turfgrass lawn, why not add a little diversity to your yard to help our pollinators?

Dutch white clover in a field.
Dutch white clover (seen here in a Minneapolis park) is an excellent source of food for pollinators in early spring. (via Flickr)

Pollinators lawns, also known as bee lawns, comprise a mixture of turfgrass with a variety of low-growing, flowering plants such as Dutch white clover. They’re growing in popularity as awareness spreads of the challenges facing pollinators. They also provide some benefits to homeowners, including reduced mowing needs.

We made a short video (see below) demonstrating the basics of planting a pollinator lawn in an urban yard. We demonstrate how to plant a pollinator seed mix over an existing lawn (i.e., over-seeding), as well as how to plant the same seed in bare soil.

We chose a weedy yard to stage our demonstration, in part to illustrate the point that many weeds like dandelions and creeping Charlie also serve as pollinator habitat, especially in the early spring. To be clear, you’ll get the best results if you can remove these weeds before planting your pollinator lawn. But if some of those weeds survive, know that it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

If you watch our video and you’re feeling ready to roll up your sleeves to help our pollinators, we recommend the University of Minnesota’s Bee Lab website as a resource. There you can take a deeper dive into bee lawns as well as other options likeΒ pollinator gardens and native plants.

Latest News

Tree leaves turning yellow and orange on the Mississippi River

MWMO Newsletter – September 2024 – Fall Colors Coming SoonπŸ‚

In This Issue: Fall Colors, Graco Park, Visiting ‘A River Connected’ Exhibit, Planning Grant, Staff Updates, Upcoming Events and More Read the Newsletter
September 30, 2024

GovDelivery

View More
MWMO monitoring team staff conducting water quality testing near the Stone Arch Bridge.

MWMO Newsletter – August 2024 – Fall is in the Air Edition πŸπŸ‚πŸƒ

In This Issue: Fall Yard Care, Connie Fortin on Low-Salt Design, New Art Exhibit, Job Openings, Upcoming Events and More Read the Newsletter
August 30, 2024

GovDelivery

View More
Aerial view of footpaths in MWMO backyard.

MWMO Newsletter – July 2024 – Shovel-Ready Edition πŸ‘·β€β™‚οΈπŸš§

In This Issue: MWMO Backyard Renovation, Podcast with Kevin Reich, Opportunity Crossing GSI, Green Team Update and More Read the Newsletter
July 31, 2024

GovDelivery

View More