Morningside Flood Infrastructure Project

Tree, shrub, and perennial planting is complete until fall, when a few more trees and the swale will be planted. There's still a bit of seeding to do where construction has gone on, and the roadway along Lynn/Kipling will get cleaned up and reseeded later. Maintenance and watering of the restoration areas is going on now through the fall. At the end of August, we will inspect all the plantings and flag those that will need to be replaced.

Here's a bird's-eye view of the pond from late July. The water levels are low in the photo after several days of pumping the level down so that a water level sensor could be installed in the pump station.

Weber Pond, July 2023

The U.S. Drought Monitor releases weekly updates. As of yesterday's map, Hennepin County is in severe drought. During severe drought landscaping can become stressed. The contractor has been watering the plantings. Remember that the plantings are under warranty – it’s in the contractor’s interest to keep them healthy.

We’re starting up the pump at Weber Pond. We’re drawing it down for installation of a water level sensor in the pump station next week. After installation is completed and the pump is turned off, the water level should slowly return to normal over the next few weeks. We’ll take advantage of the lowered water level and get some wetland fringe seeding in.

There is a lot to look forward to as plants grow. Native restorations can take up to three years to establish and reach their full beauty. Think of the longstanding gardening quote:

Year one, they sleep...

The surface may look patchy, but underground these native plants are building massive root systems that stabilize and improve the health of the soil.

Year two, they creep...

Plans begin to fill in above ground. Most of the energy is spent growing in size and deepening roots, but some will begin to bloom.

Year three, they leap!

Native vegetation becomes established and fills in the landscape. Plants reach mature sizes and blooms are more common.

Braemar Academy 9 Golf Course buffer in July 2017, in year two of establishment.

It's dry out there!

The contractor has been watering with a watering truck daily, getting around to all the plantings over the course of about a week. They are also working on a plan to mobilize some temporary irrigation.

Plants are stressed from getting planted as well as the heat and drought conditions. They may look better in the mornings and more stressed during the heat of the afternoons. Some of the trees that were bare root were dormant when planted. Let’s not count these trees out until we see how they look next spring. Also, some plant mortality is expected– it’s a reality of the work even in years with normal precipitation that not everything will survive. We increased the quantity during planning to account for this.

Lastly, the plantings are under warranty – it’s in the contractor’s interest to keep them healthy.

The Twin Cities is experiencing moderate drought conditions. May and June have been very dry, so dry in fact, that between May 15-June 14 the Twin Cities only received 0.26-inches of rain, making it the driest mid-May to mid-June on record. June is typically the wettest month for the Twin Cities, however, as of last week the Twin Cities has only received 0.09 inches of rain which is 2.08 inches below normal to date.

One of the many benefits of native and climate-adaptive plants is they can withstand Minnesota weather patterns, including dry spells. When these plants are established they won't need additional water; however, during this first year we'll be watering to give them a little boost. Plants get watered as they are planted and are being watered periodically after that.

All the bare root trees have been planted. Planting of container trees is in progress. Ball and burlap tree planting and plug planting are expected to start in the next couple of weeks.

Over the next few weeks contractors will be working around trees to remove the remaining buckthorn in the park and the Lynn/Kipling inundation area from the ungraded areas.