2012 Landscape Partnership Program

The 2012 Landscape Partnership Program is a collaborative effort among the Northfield Garden Club, Knecht's Nursery, MNDOT, and the City of Northfield. Funding for the project comes from a $5000 grant from the Northfield Area Foundation, a $10,000 award from MN DOT's Community Roadside Landscaping Partnership Fund, $2,000 from the Northfield Garden Club, and $4,000 in-kind donations from Knecht's Nursery. On April 22 and 23, 2012,  Knecht Nursery personnel, Jim Westlund, Todd Marnie and Ben Danielson, planted 64 trees along Highway 3 under the supervision of Leif Knecht, owner of Knecht's Nursery and Patti Strohmayer, landscape architect from MNDOT. The tree species planted along the highway include elms, maples, oaks, birch and flowering crabapples. Garden Club and community volunteers assisted with marking tree locations and will oversee mulching and weeding for the next two years. Knecht Nursery personnel will water the trees for two growing seasons. This major tree-planting effort has greatly enhanced the beauty of the southern gateway to our city.

The Northfield Garden Club is very grateful for the support, participation and approval of the Northfield Mayor Mary Rossing, City Manager Tim Madigan and the City Council, City Engineer Joe Stapf who was the city's coordinator for this project, the Northfield Streetscape Taskforce, T.J. Heinricy and his crew from the Northfield Streets and Parks Department and Patti Strohmayer and the MNDOT personnel who worked with us on this project.

Knecht Nursery employees planted the trees on April 22 and 23, 2012. After this the Northfield Garden Club members and community volunteers mulched the trees in the rain on April 28. Mulchers: Erika and Dan Tallman, EdDee and Ivan Imm, Norma Gilbertson, Peggy Anne Hawkins, Karen Adams, Deb Nordhausen, Elizabeth Olson, Donna Maus, Kris Vohs, Marilyn Finneseth, Richard Collman and Bill and Lu Lindstrom.