Heal the land.
After Bellflower, repair excavated soil or sterilized spaces. Rebuild soil health with compost and leaf mulch. Then, plant shade-tolerant, native shrubs (Pagoda Dogwood, Witch Hazel, Fly Honeysuckle) and grasses (Prairie Dropseed, Oak Sedge) to restore root structure, suppress new weeds, and support pollinators. Use native perennials such as Big Leaf Aster to fill in the gaps and cover the ground.
Prioritize dense planting and ground-level coverage to prevent recolonization. You will likely have resprouts: quickly return to digging or targeted spraying, preserving as much native vegetation and soil as possible.
Give insects a home.
After Bellflower, build your soil with a thick layer of hardwood mulch to retain moisture, regulate temperature, and suppress new weeds. Add logs, branches, or stumps to your beds…deadwood provides essential shelter for insects, fungi, and food for birds, helping you rebuild a functioning ecosystem in your new, Bellflower-free oasis.
Native gardens don’t have to be unkempt! Stay on top of weeds early. Snip what you can’t dig, and don’t let invaders flower.
Stay vigilant. Creeping Bellflower may return from missed roots, windblown seed, or neighbors' yards. Sadly, some Minnesotans are still letting this plant bloom, spreading their Bellflower to their neighbors. That’s why we need an immediate noxious weed designation by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
If you need help, when signing the petition you can request support from a BELL NO! organizer. Together, we can stop the spread and take back our neighborhoods, yard by yard.