Eden Prairie Pollinator Garden · Prairie in Progress
We've planted native grasses and wildflowers here to support bees, butterflies, and native wildlife.
Thank you for helping us protect this emerging ecosystem.
Bumble bee
Wild bergamot
(Monarda fistulosa)
Happening now
Now2026
The young plants are growing roots more than flowers. Landbridge mows several times this year so seedlings get sunlight, so there may be little to see right after a mow. Please stay off the lot while it establishes.
Latest update · October 13, 2026: Welcome: follow the garden as it grows
Please enjoy the planting from the edge. Staying off the lot helps the young plants get established.
About the project
This lot north of Corporate Way is one of two tax-forfeited properties Hennepin County is using to build climate resilience under its Climate Action Plan. It is being restored as a native prairie that feeds bees, butterflies and birds, and gives the people who live and work nearby a greener place to enjoy.
Hennepin County sponsors the project through its Climate & Resiliency department. Landbridge Ecological prepared the site, sowed the seed, and maintains the planting. Resilient Cities & Communities (RCC) leads community engagement, keeping neighbors informed and involved.
The site was sown with seed rather than planted with nursery plants. Native prairie plants spend their first years growing deep roots, so there is not much to see above ground at first. Expect about three years for the prairie to get established and around five for a full show of flowers.
Location
Lot north of 7690 Corporate Way
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
The garden is the long strip of land under the power lines, just north of 7690 Corporate Way.
Please enjoy the planting from the edge. Staying off the lot helps the young plants get established.
What's growing
6 grasses and 15 wildflowers, all native to Minnesota, chosen to feed pollinators from spring through fall.
Golden Alexanders, Prairie Alumroot
Yarrow, Prairie Cinquefoil, Black-eyed Susan, Common Milkweed, Hoary Vervain, Wild Bergamot, Fragrant Giant Hyssop, Mountain Mint, Whorled Milkweed
Stiff Goldenrod, Showy Goldenrod, Heath Aster, Smooth Blue Aster
Schizachyrium scoparium
Handsome all year. It is a host plant for several native skipper butterflies, and ground-nesting bees dig in the bare soil between its clumps.
Photo: Public domain
Zizia aurea
One of the first prairie flowers each spring: an early meal for small native bees and a host plant for black swallowtail caterpillars.
Rudbeckia hirta
Often one of the first wildflowers to bloom in a new prairie. Watch for it in the first few summers.
Asclepias syriaca
The monarch butterfly's host plant: monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed. Its sweet-smelling flowers feed many bees and butterflies.
Photo: Amos Oliver Doyle, CC BY-SA 4.0
Monarda fistulosa
The flower on our sign. Bumble bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all visit its shaggy blooms, and its leaves smell like oregano.
Photo: Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 4.0
Solidago speciosa
A late-season feast for bees and migrating monarchs. Goldenrod doesn't cause hay fever; that's ragweed.
Timeline
Prairies grow slowly. Here is what has happened so far and what comes next.
Completed: Winter 2024–25
Hennepin County, Landbridge Ecological and RCC began planning the restoration, and RCC started mapping the businesses, neighbors and organizations around the lot.
Completed: Spring 2025
After letters went out to neighbors, trained Landbridge crews carried out a prescribed burn in March to knock back invasive plants. The soil was then tilled to loosen years of compaction.
Completed: Summer 2025
A second tilling, targeted treatment of invasive plants, and removal of dead branches readied the ground. RCC hosted conversations at the garden and shared the plans at local events.
Completed: Fall 2025
Landbridge sowed a mix of 21 native grasses and wildflowers chosen for Minnesota pollinators.
2026Now
The young plants are growing roots more than flowers. Landbridge mows several times this year so seedlings get sunlight, so there may be little to see right after a mow. Please stay off the lot while it establishes.
Coming up: Spring–Summer 2027
Xcel Energy plans work on its power-line easement across the site in spring/summer 2027. Some planted areas will be disturbed and replanted afterward. Once that work is done, hands-on community events like plant ID and weeding sessions can begin.
Coming up: 2028
As the prairie reaches its third growing season, expect many more wildflowers. Landbridge continues maintaining the site through 2028.
Coming up: Around 2030
Around year five the prairie should bloom from spring through fall, with community partners helping care for it over the long term.
Updates
This is where RCC, Hennepin County and Landbridge Ecological will share news about the Eden Prairie Pollinator Garden: what is blooming, what is coming up, and ways to get involved.
Check back as the prairie grows.
The 2025 story
Before any seed went in the ground, RCC knocked on doors and visited the businesses around the lot to introduce the project, share the planting plan and lot map, and hear what neighbors hoped to see.
Lunch-hour conversations at the garden drew the best turnout, and having Hennepin County and Landbridge staff on site meant neighbors got detailed answers. RCC also shared the project at the Eden Prairie Sustainability Fair, the Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair, and Legacy Gymnastics' parent-student celebration, where students were especially excited about pollinators.
Neighbors said they would love benches or a small resting spot, signs explaining the native plants, colorful blooms through the seasons, and chances for young people to volunteer. Those ideas are shaping what comes next.
Thank you to Landbridge Ecological, WAND Digital, Friends of Eden Prairie Parks, Eden Prairie Forestry and Natural Resources, Legacy Gymnastics, and Hennepin County's Climate and Resiliency department for helping bring this garden to life.
Partners & contact
Sponsors the project through its Climate & Resiliency department.
Prepared the site, sowed the seed, and maintains the planting.
Leads community engagement, keeping neighbors informed and involved.
Gladys Mejia
Program Director, Resilient Cities & Communities (RCC)
Didier Bolanos Gonzalez
Grant Manager, Hennepin County
Janna Jonely
Project Manager, Landbridge Ecological
Hands-on events like plant ID and weeding sessions return in 2027, after Xcel Energy's easement work. Want to hear about them? Email Gladys Mejia.
