CARLTON — The Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District’s annual Pollinator Powerhouse native plant sale is getting even more native.
For the first time, Carlton SWCD is partnering with Shoreview Natives, a Two Harbors-based nursery specializing in plants native to the Northland, to provide the plants at this year’s sale, which is June 26 at the Carlton Land Department Building.
“We’re just really pumped to have super seeds sourced to our area,” said Alyssa Bloss, district manager of the SWCD.
The SWCD began taking orders on March 6 and will continue through June 12. Orders can be placed on the
Cartlon SWCD website.
Plants include 36-pack kits designed for specific purposes, such as attracting butterflies or withstanding hungry deer. Seed mixes, trees, shrubs and individual plants will also be sold. Orders can be filtered by things such as sunlight, soil types, bloom time and color.
“We are able to provide a broader assortment of options for folks than they previously had,” said Jen Stenersen, greenhouse manager at Shoreview Natives.
The native plant kit sale has become a statewide and even out-of-state destination. People come from as far as Ely and Iowa to pick up the kits, making it the biggest native plant sale in Minnesota for the past several years, according to Bloss.
Since Stenersen began working at Shoreview Natives, it has ramped up production and is finally at capacity to support a sale of this size, she said.
“This is a really big sale, and we feel like we’re up to being able to provide the quantities that they’re looking for,” Stenersen said.
All sales are handled directly by Shoreview Natives, allowing SWCD to focus more on the June 26 event’s festivities, which Bloss said will include music, food trucks and workshops.
“It just gives us more of an opportunity to really have fun and be there to visit with the community,” Bloss said.
Bloss said Shoreview is meticulous about how seeds are sourced, with plants native to the Northland biome instead of just to Minnesota.
Conventional grass lawns and conventional landscapes aren’t great habitats, nor do they do much to benefit soil health, Bloss previously told the Pine Journal. Native plants, by contrast, extend far beyond benefiting pollinators. They offer deep root systems that capture stormwater runoff, prevent erosion and foster healthy soil. Because they are naturally adapted to the environment, they also require fewer natural resources to maintain.
Alyssa Bloss from the Carlton County Soil and Water Conservation District helps install a rain garden at the Cloquet Public Library on June 22, 2021.
Jamey Malcomb / Duluth Media Group file photo
The SWCD also works with local landowners to help them establish pollinator gardens. The SWCD will discuss goals and timeframes, conduct a site visit, and use tools like aerial imagery, soil maps and historical data to develop a plan and establish a garden. SWCD also can provide a document that acts as a blueprint for maintaining the garden.
The SWCD recently received a grant from the Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources to partner with Shoreview Natives to establish native pollinator plantings around county buildings and parks, Bloss said. It also received a grant to rebrand the district with a new logo and color scheme celebrating its 65th anniversary, which will be soft-launched at the event.
“We’re really pumped to be offering more services and just really grateful that the community has helped us become so big,” Bloss said.
Macklin Caruso is a reporter for the Cloquet Pine Journal. You can reach him at mcaruso@pinejournal.com or 218-461-8278.
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