Family: Asteraceae
Scientific Name: Heliopsis helianthoides
A native perennial in Minnesota, most often found in full sunlight and dry to moderate soil conditions in prairies, roadsides, edges of fields and open woods. It is a vigorously growing plant, and considered a weed by some.
Watch for: Opposite leaves with coarsely serrated margins with leaf blades that vary in shape from oval to lance-shaped. The stem is smooth and flowers have an orange-yellow center disk with yellow ray flowers. The plant grows to about 3-4′ tall.
Other names: Early sunflower, Smooth oxeye, False sunflower, Oxeye daisy
History: Heliopsis comes from the Greek word helios, for “sun,” and opsis, for “appearance.” In the past, the Oxeye sunflower was used in folk medicine to cure fevers and malaria.
Tidbits: The Oxeye sunflower starts blooming in July or August and continues for up to two months. It is one of the earliest blooming sunflowers. Heliopsis helianthoides provides food for songbirds throughout the winter and its nectar serves as a food source for ground nesting bees, as well as butterflies and hummingbirds.
Gardens/Cultivation: Oxeye sunflower is one of the best hardy plants for a wildflower or raingarden border. It will survive in dry locations with little nutrients and in full sun to partial shade. It will establish easily from seed when planted in the late fall or early spring. The plant will grow in clumps of 2-4′ in diameter and they should be divided in the fall for best results.
__________________________________________________
Sources:
USDA Plants Database: http://plants.usda.gov
The University of Texas at Austin. Native Plant Database. http://www.wildflower.org/plants
of Friends of Lake Nokomis, and Julia Vanatta with Wild Ones. I learned more about Lake Nokomis that day than I thought there was to know, and I was intrigued so I went looking for even more information. I have to say, Lake Nokomis has a long and colorful history. If you’ve ever wondered just how and when it came to be (that’s right, it hasn’t always been a lake fit for swimming) read on and find out!
going beyond the do-it-yourself approach to raingarden design and installation and covering topics such as simple healthy lawn care practices more in depth. The information you’ll gain will be oh so helpful not only if you plan to install a raingarden this summer, but also if you just want to know how to take better care of the lake down the road by taking better care of your yard.
Metro Blooms has recently taken on its largest survey yet. Throughout February we’ve been prepping, administering and entering oodles of data from our first ever KAP study (KAP stands for knowledge, attitudes and practices). The idea behind a KAP study is to survey a population, in this case 700 residents in the Lake Nokomis subwatershed, before AND after a project to determine changes in people’s views and behaviors over time.
Many people talk about the restorative benefits of gardening and the reasons why it makes us feel good. Just being in nature is already therapeutic, but actively connecting with nature through gardening is value-added. And why is that? All sorts of reasons have been posited: It’s a meditative practice; it’s gentle exercise; it’s fun; it allows us to be nurturing and to connect with life on a fundamental level.
To kick off a new year of staff, board and volunteer biographies (that’s right volunteers, I’m coming for you next) I interviewed Bryan Pynn, Metro Blooms’ director of design and planning services. He wasn’t super keen on the idea of having his life chronicled on our blog at first, but after some time spent reviewing pictures of past trips, I think he really warmed up to the process. Bryan has been with Metro Blooms since 2009 when he, and half of the landscape design class of 2010, was hired as a landscape design assistant. But I’m getting too far ahead. What I really want to tell you about is how Bryan met the pandas, learned some Mandarin, ALMOST became a policy expert and hung with Steve, the coolest herpetologist in Nicaragua. 
raingarden workshops throughout the metro area and Blooms Day, an educational event combined with a plant sale and garden awards. Our Blooming Schoolyards program really took off this year as over 220 elementary students were educated on landforms, water infiltration and raingarden site selection and design. Some students even got to plant their own garden!
Colombia Manor in Minneapolis which was attended by over 200 Metro Blooms supporters. Finally, in December, we all got to celebrate the year at the Rock for Raingardens fundraiser at the Fine Line Cafe. 
Fine Line Cafe in downtown Minneapolis. Metro Blooms board members and staff, friends of the bands, landscape design assistants and Metro Blooms supporters were all in attendance as Hypoxic Punks, Wild Cathedral and Postina entertained us with their upbeat and dance worthy music (and dance we did, which Barb made sure of).
receiving an “award” from Metro Blooms’ landscape architect Bryan Pynn. Examples of these highly descriptive awards include the “Scooby Doo” award and the “Foreigner” award. Confused? You’ll have to join us next year as we’ll undoubtedly continue the tradition of this entertaining recognition. If you’re looking for some more photos of the bands and attendees cutting the rug check out our 
It’s that time of year again, you know, the time to dance, be entertained by good music and funny landscape architects and celebrate raingardens! In other words, it’s time for Rock for Raingardens.
Hypoxic Punks, Rock for Raingardens is only in its second year of existence. It’s taking place at the Fine Line Music Cafe in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday, December 12th this year. Doors open at 6:30pm, music starts at 7pm and will include fine numbers from the Hypoxic Punks, Wild Cathedral and Postina. Admission is $10 at the door with all proceeds going to support Metro Blooms and our mission to beautify communities and protect clean water through eco-friendly gardening.
Metro Blooms’ biography for the month of November (I know it’s really December, but only by three days!) is highlighting our executive director, Becky Rice. Becky may be the only other person in the office right now, but she was going to be our biography of the month anyway because she has super interesting stories to share!