Gardening with Native Plants

Updated 02/2025

In this class, you will learn about the difference between native and non-native plants and about reasons to grow more natives. You will also explore projects that use native plants in landscaping. Plus, the class will cover the basics of designing, planting, and taking care of a native plant garden.

This class topic is part of the “Plant Biodiversity” and “Pollinator Health” priorities of the Master Gardener program.

​If you enjoyed this class, please join us for another. Current and upcoming classes are posted on our website.

Class Handouts

• Slide Presentation (Slide print-out)

• Participant Class Handout

Online Resources

PRO-TIP: Google “site:edu native plants” (or site:gov) for research-based advicePRO-TIP: Write “site:edu" (or "site:gov") before adding your search term "native plants" to get research-based advice

General

●      Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Cultivating Native Plants

●      MN Board of Soil and Water Resources Pollinator and Biodiversity Toolbox,

https://bwsr.state.mn.us/pollinator-toolbox

●      University of Minnesota Bee Lab, Pollinator Education Toolkit

●      University of Minnesota Extension, Native Plants 

●      Xerces Society, Habitat Installation Guide: Upper Midwest

Native Plant Species and Sources

●      Audubon Society, Native Plant Database for Birds

●      Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

○      Plant Guide (shoreline focus)

○      Native Plant Encyclopedia 

○      Native Plant Suppliers, Landscapers, and Restoration Consultants for Minnesota 

●      Minnesota Horticultural Society,  Tips and Tricks for Collecting Native Seed

●      Minnesota Wildflowers: a field guide to the native flora of MN 

●      National Wildlife Federation, Native Plants Finder

Garden Projects and Design

 ●      Blue Thumb

         ○     Pocket Plantings

         ○    Container Plantings

 ●      Lynn Steiner, Landscaping With Native Plants of Minnesota

 ●      Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Shorelines 

 ●      Missouri Botanical Garden, Container Gardening with Native Plants

 ●      University of Minnesota Extension

         ○      Building a Rain Garden

         ○      Gardening in the Shade

         ○      Planting and Maintaining a Bee Lawn

         ○      Planting and Maintaining a Prairie Garden 

These sites offer plant recommendations and templates for garden designs:

 ●      Blue Thumb, Design Templates

 ●      Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota’s Native Trees and 

Best Native Yard Trees for Our Changing Climate

 ●      Wild Ones, Native Garden Plans

Site preparation

• Lawns to Legumes, A Quick Guide to Site Preparation 

• Xerces Society, Organic Site Preparation for Wildflower Establishment​

Books

• Holm, Heather. Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observer and identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Pollination Press LLC, 2014.

• Johnson, Lorraine, and Colla, Sheilal. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023. 

• Rainer, Thomas and West, Claudia. Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes. Timber Press, 2015.

• Steiner, Lynn. Grow Native: Bringing Natural Beauty to Your Garden. Cool Springs Press, 2016.

• Steiner, Lynn M. Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota - 2nd Edition. Voyageur Press, 2011.

• Tallamy, Douglas W. Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard. Timber Press, 2020. 

• Vogt, Benjamin. Prairie up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design. 3 Fields Books, an Imprint of the University of Illinois Press, 2023. 

• Vogt, Benjamin. A New Garden Ethic. New Society Publishers, 2017.

Organizations

• Blue Thumb and Lawns to Legumes grant program

• Wild Ones

• Xerces Society