Creativity and community-building move beyond the walls of Watermark in the surrounding gardens, teeming with beauty and biodiversity. The landscaping is designed to beautify downtown Bemidji, support native pollinators and urban wildlife and serve as a demonstration area for visitors to learn about gardening with Minnesota’s rich variety of native plants, with the added bonus of acting as a retention pond for stormwater runoff.
Working in tandem with the Beltrami County Soil & Water Conservation District and “Birds Bees Butterflies Bemidji (BBBB)”, Watermark installed its visionary gardens in 2018 with over 1,500 plants. Featuring two plots in the south green space, a stormwater filtration retention pond for the north side parking lot and a teaching garden area near Watermark’s main entrance, these welcoming gardens are perfect natural areas for incorporating into arts education programming.
In addition to their visual appeal, the native plants featured in WAC’s gardens support important pollinating insects, birds and other wildlife, and provide a valuable resource for visitors to learn about local habitat conservation. Volunteers meet regularly throughout the growing season to keep the gardens tidy, collect seeds and visit with like-minded plant lovers. All are welcome at these informal garden get-togethers. To receive up-to-date information on the garden events schedule, email Leah at lgrunzke@watermarkartcenter.org
Our Pollinator Garden guide signage was funded by the Mississippi Headwaters Audubon Society & Neilson Spearhead Center through a grant from the National Audubon Society’s Coleman and Susan Burke Center for Native Plants.
The Mississippi Headwaters Audubon Society, Bemidji Monarch Project committee and several other local organizations and businesses have joined together in a campaign called “Birds, Bees & Butterflies – Bemidji” to promote the planting of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers in our community to benefit birds and pollinators.
