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Boulevard Gardens

© Mary Henry

Have you toured the boulevard gardens in your neighborhood this summer? It's an easy thing to do as you walk, bike or drive the streets near your home. When I moved to Minnesota, I didn't know that the small piece of real estate between the sidewalk and the street even had a name, much less that it was a regulated space. Well we live and learn. I learned from conversations with a friend a year or so ago that there were regulations about how tall the plants in the boulevard could be and that ornamental grasses are just considered "grass" by the Minneapolis regulations. "Grass" can be no taller than 8 inches. At least at present. In the past year, the City Council has been persuaded that 24 inches is not tall enough for the residents to plant most perennials in these spaces, so they have increased the allowance to 36 inches. The grass question is on hold because they say it is too hard for inspectors to know what is an ornamental grass and what is an unrepentant weed.

The city of St. Paul still has a 24 inch regulation. Do you know what the rules are in your hometown? An article in the newspaper last April gave a sampling of suburban regulations surrounding Minneapolis that ranged from "no restriction" to "no planting allowed".

It is true that plantings that are too tall in the boulevard can be a visibility hazard to drive-by traffic especially near corners and can cause difficulty to persons trying to get in and out of cars. Fire hydrants and other utility connections as well as pedestrians need to be clearly seen, so the regulations are necessary, but 36 inches will clearly allow a wider variety of plants than 24 inches did. I found out that plants and most organic mulches can be used but other things, such as bricks, edgings, stepping stones, trellises, benches etc. need a permit before they may be included.

All of this came to my attention when we were approached about entering our yard in the City's Blooming Boulevard competition. I was puzzled because we have only grass in our boulevard. We have never been able to agree on what kind of planting to put there, so we have none. It turns out that, in Minneapolis, there are categories for other types of public plantings too. They judge front yards and back yards if they are clearly visible to the public from the street and alley respectively. There is a category for public plantings around churches, schools, community gardens and parks where they represent community effort. Five levels of excellence are awarded ranging from a Certificate of Appreciation to the Nate Siegel award which is a single boulevard garden chosen from among the First Place/ Exceptional winners. While I don't think there is much rabid competition among local homeowners for these honors, I am very pleased that the City notices and compliments the best of them (there are no monetary awards).

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