Native plant gardens highlight Minnesota’s natural beauty while supporting pollinators, wildlife, and the overall health of local ecosystems. By planting species adapted to the region’s environment, we help manage runoff—rainwater that flows over hard surfaces like rooftops, streets, sidewalks, and driveways, picking up pollutants on its way to lakes, rivers, and streams. Native plants absorb and filter rainwater where it falls, helping to reduce pollution in waterways and enhance flood control. Because they are adapted to Minnesota’s climate, they don’t require frequent maintenance. Once established, they’re pretty self-sufficient!

Once you determine your garden location and project type, you can browse lists of native plant species or use this native plant finder to discover plants that grow in your site’s sun and soil conditions.

Common sunny plants:

• Butterfly Milkweed
• Prairie Smoke
• Purple Prairie Clover
• Wild Bergamot

Common shady plants:

• Jacob’s Ladder
• Mountain Mint
• Pagoda Dogwood
• Wild Geranium

What About Cultivars?

Cultivars are native plants that have been genetically modified to look a certain way. While they look appealing, they provide little nutritional value to pollinators and don’t support the ecosystem like native plants do. You can spot cultivars in nurseries by looking for quotations around the plant name, an “x” between species names, or general whimsical names (ex. ‘Cinderella’ Swamp Milkweed). You can learn more about cultivars from Blue Thumb’s cultivars handout.