Landscape for the river: free St. Paul workshop, tour Aug. 17th and 25th

Participants in the August 17th workshop will receive the excellent "Blue Thumb guide to Raingardens" (normally $18).

If you've been considering adding native plants, or perhaps installing a raingarden, rain barrel or compost bin — or if you'd just enjoy a long stroll through beautiful and innovative watershed-friendly gardens — this upcoming local workshop and tour are for you.

• Join us Wednesday, Aug. 17th, 6-8 p.m. at St. Paul's Wilder Center for a Friends of the Mississippi River workshop that always receives rave reviews: "Native Plants, Raingardens and Lawn Care for Water Quality."
  
  Led by River Stewardship Coordinator Karen Solas, this brief workshop quickly covers the essential how to's of river-friendly gardening and landscaping, and emphasizes local resources to help you get outside and get started. This workshop is now FREE, and participants also take home the excellent "Blue Thumb Guide to Raingardens" (normally $18).
  
  
• Thursday, Aug. 25th, 6-8 p.m. join FMR, Capitol Region Watershed District and Metro Conservation Districts for a guided tour of the award-winning raingardens of St. Paul's "Garden District."
  
  In addition to improving water quality, these raingardens are also a neighborhood amenity - contributing beauty, wildlife interest, and an opportunity for education in this subwatershed of Como Lake. The tour will involve walking on paved park trails and sidewalks for approximately 2 miles over a 2-hour time period.
  
  

Both the workshop and tour are FREE — thanks to sponsors Capitol Region Watershed District and the City of Saint Paul — and open to all. However capacity is limited to maintain a quality experience, so advance registration is required.

Ready to register?

To ensure a high-quality experience, capacity is limited and pre-registration required. To sign up, contact FMR Program Assistant Erika Guenther at or by selecting "Erika Guenther" in the dropdown menu under "Category" in our contact form. Erika can also be reached at 651-222-2193 x23. Please include: the name of the event, your name, address and phone number and the number in your party.

You will receive a confirmation email and additional details, such as directions and what to wear, from within, at most, a week. (If you have earthlink or an active SPAM filter, please add Erika's email address to your contacts to ensure receipt.)

For more information on these and other FMR events, such as the Minneapolis Oak Savanna Tour and the National Public Lands Day Cleanup near the Vermillion River, please visit our calendar.