For years, Peggy Peterson has worked to establish and maintain a natural landscape in Big Lake, even as old homes and trees have been torn down all around to make way for new development.
Earlier this summer, she received a notice from the city saying that her yard was not in compliance because of its tall weeds. "I've always had milkweed, for Monarchs," she said.
Then the city sent a crew to mow her yard — destroying ferns, violets and oak seedlings, as well as peonies and tiger lilies. She complained to the city, which told her that neighbors had complained about her overgrown yard. The city wants to encourage landscape restoration, said public works director Mike Goebel, but Peterson's yard "got a little out of control."
"Control" is subjective, of course, especially at a time of clashing aesthetics between those who think residential gardens should have a manicured look and those who want to restore a more natural habitat.
"It's a confusing time right now," Peterson said.
As more home gardeners have embraced native plants and pollinator-friendly gardening, cities and towns have grappled to catch up and develop standards that balance the interests of nature-loving gardeners and neighboring homeowners.
"Cities are getting better," said Lynn Steiner, author of "Grow Native: Bringing Natural Beauty to Your Garden."
Gardeners who want to grow native plants without aggravating their neighbors need to pay attention to planning, maintenance and communication, she said. "You want to make it look like a tended landscape, not a weed patch." She offered the following suggestions:
Hardscape: Structures including fences, arbors, paths and patios can help tame a "wild" yard. The straight lines of these elements can balance and contrast with shaggy-looking plants.
Plant selection: Some native plants are more unruly and aggressive than others. "Select well-behaved clump-forming plants," Steiner said. Then tend them diligently. Native landscapes can be low-maintenance, but they are not no-maintenance, she added.
Gray-headed coneflower, for example, is popular with pollinators but also a heavy reseeder. "I deadhead, and I recognize the seedlings when they're small and weed them out."
Milkweed, which provides habitat for Monarch butterflies, also can get out of hand. "Milkweed is a dilemma," Steiner said. "It's hard for me to pull it out, but it definitely reseeds — in places you don't want a tall, spindly plant. You can't let every plant survive."
Choose natural companions: Go wild when deciding what to plant with what. "Nature is very good at plant combinations," she said. "You come out with a pretty nice looking garden using things that evolved together," such as a woodland garden filled with purple phlox, bloodroot, wild ginger and ferns. "When the ephemerals are gone, the others fill in," she said.
Prairie grasses are a good companion to prairie wildflowers. "Tall prairie grasses provide natural support to flowering plants, which tend to get floppy and need staking if they don't have taller plants around."
Communication: Educate your neighbors about what you're trying to do by inviting them over and introducing them to your garden, she advised.
"You can say, 'Look at this plant! It's pollinated by a very special bee.' "
Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784
@stribkimpalmer
