35 Native Pollinator Plants in Minnesota
Minnesota's diverse ecosystems are home to a remarkable array of native wildflowers, crucial contributors to the state's flourishing biodiversity. In this exploration of Minnesota's native wildflowers, we have listed out 35 different plants that will give a burst of color to your landscape while supplying an important source of habitat food for bees, butterfly’s and other pollinators that traverse the state's landscapes, ensuring the continued vitality of its rich natural tapestry. Ask KG how we can
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.
BLUE:
Anise Hyssop ( Agastache Foeniculum)
- Blooms : Summer
- Size : up to 4 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, part shade, shade
- Soil Types : Sandy, well-drained soil
Smooth Aster (Aster laevus)
- Blooms : Summer into Fall
- Size : Up to 4 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun
- Soil Types : Well drained, loamy soil
Blue False Indigo (Baptisia Australis)
- Blooms : Spring into Summer
- Size : 3-5 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun
- Soil Types : Moist, well drained, or clays. Tolerates lime
Northern Blue Flag (Iris versicolor)
- Blooms : Spring into Summer
- Size : Up to 3 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist, Wet
Blue Cardinal Flower (Lobelia siphilitica)
- Blooms : Summer into fall
- Size : Up to 5 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade, Shade
- Soil Types : Moist, Wet, Clay, Loam, or Sand
Wild Blue Phlox (Plox divaricate)
- Blooms : Spring
- Size : Up to 20 inches tall
- Light Requirement : Part Shade, Shade
- Soil Types : Moist, Sand, Loam, Clay
Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans)
- Blooms : Spring
- Size : Up to 20 inches tall
- Light Requirement : Shade
- Soil Types : Moist
Blue vervain (Verbena hastata)
- Blooms : Summer into fall
- Size : Up to 6 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, part shade, shade
- Soil Types : Moist soils
GREEN:
Prairie Alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii)
- Blooms : Spring into Summer
- Size : Up to 3 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade
- Soil Types : Dry, Sandy/gravelly soil
ORANGE:
Butterly Weed (Asclepias tuerosa)
- Blooms : Spring thru summer into fall
- Size : 1-2 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun
- Soil Types : Prefers well drained, sandy soils
PINK:
Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum)
- Blooms : Spring into fall
- Size : Up to 20 inches tall
- Light Requirement : Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist Soil
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
- Blooms : Summer into fall
- Size : Up to 5 feet tall
- Light Requirement: Sun, Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist
Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)
- Blooms : Spring
- Size : Up to 18 inches tall
- Light Requirement : : Sun, Part Shade, Shade
- Soil Types : Dry to moist
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)
- Blooms : Fall
- Size : Up to 5 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade, Shade
- Soil Types : Moist, humus-rich soil
Wild Geranium (Gernium maculatum)
- Blooms : Fall
- Size : Up to 6 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist soils
PURPLE:
Michaelmas Daisy (Aster novae-angliae)
- Blooms : Fall
- Size : Up to 6 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist soils
Large Beardtongue (Penstemon grandifloras)
- Blooms : Summer
- Size : 20” – 36” Tall
- Light Requirement : Sun
- Soil Types : Sand Soils/lime to chalky soils
Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea)
- Blooms : Summer
- Size : Up to 2 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun
- Soil Types : Dry
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- Blooms : Spring into fall
- Size : Up to 4 feet tall
- Light Requirement : : Sun, Part shade
- Soil Types : Well-drained, sandy or richer soils
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum)
- Blooms : Fall
- Size : Up to 6 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist, Wet
Prairie Blazing Star (Monarda fistulosa)
- Blooms : Spring thru Fall
- Size : Up to 5 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade
- Soil Types : Dry to moist
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
- Blooms : Spring thru Fall
- Size : Up to 5 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Party Shade
- Soil Types : Dry to moist
Bracted Spiderwort (Tradescantia braceata)
- Blooms : : Spring into summer
- Size : Up to 18 inches tall
- Light Requirement : Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist to dry soils
RED:
Red Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis)
- Blooms : Spring into Summer
- Size : Up to 3 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Part Shade, Shade
- Soil Types : Dry to moist
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
- Blooms : Spring to fall
- Size : Up to 6 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade, Shade
- Soil Types : Moist, wet
Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
- Blooms : Summer to fall
- Size : 2-4 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist, wet
WHITE:
Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)
- Blooms : Spring thru Summer
- Size : Up to 30 inches tall
- Light Requirement : Part Shade, Shade
- Soil Types : Moist, sandy soils
Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
- Blooms : Spring into Summer
- Size : Up to 6 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun
- Soil Types : Well-drained soils
YELLOW:
Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
- Blooms : Spring thru Summer
- Size : Up to 2 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade, Shade
- Soil Types : Dry
False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
- Blooms : Summer
- Size : Up to 5 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade
- Soil Types : Dry, sandy soils
Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
- Blooms : Spring into fall
- Size : Up to 5 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part shade
- Soil Types : Dry to moist
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Blooms : Spring to Fall
- Size : Up to 3 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun
- Soil Types : Dry to moist
Sweet Coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)
- Blooms : Summer into fall
- Size : Up to 6 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist
Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
- Blooms : Fall
- Size : Up to 6 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist
Golden Alexander
(Zizia aurea)
- Blooms : Spring into Summer
- Size
: Up to 3 feet tall
- Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade
- Soil Types : Moist
This list is a great start when looking at incorporating native flowers into your landscape plans. Adding these plants will be a great start to attracting butterfly’s’, supporting bee populations, and bringing a splash of color to your yard! If you would like to have one our experienced representatives, come out and walk through your property to help create a plan for installing new plantings, you can
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For more great information, check out our page on Pollination gardens and bee friendly lawns
If you like more information on any of these varieties listed or would like to learn more about native plantings follow the links below:
For more great information, check out our page on Pollination gardens and bee friendly lawns
If you like more information on any of these varieties listed or would like to learn more about native plantings follow the links below:
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When Pergolas Don’t Last, There’s Always a Reason After nearly two decades of building outdoor spaces across Medina, I’ve seen what happens when pergolas aren’t designed for Minnesota’s conditions. You can spot them a mile away—posts that lean, beams that twist, and concrete pads that have heaved out of level after just a couple of winters. It’s not because homeowners cut corners intentionally. It’s usually because whoever built it didn’t account for what our climate really does to structures that aren’t anchored right. Medina’s heavy clay soil doesn’t drain well. It holds moisture, freezes solid, and then expands like a hydraulic press pushing on everything above it. When pergolas are set on surface-level post bases, that pressure has nowhere to go but up—and the whole thing moves. Even small shifts can cause joints to separate, wood to crack, and hardware to loosen. That’s how a $15,000 structure starts looking tired after a few years instead of standing straight for decades. The truth is, pergolas here aren’t just about shade or looks. They’re about structure, drainage, and how every piece ties into the patio beneath it. A pergola that stands tall through Minnesota winters is built on the same principles as a good foundation—it’s only as strong as what’s underneath it. If you live in Medina and want to enjoy your backyard without worrying about your investment warping or sagging, start with design that respects the environment it’s built in. That means thinking beyond lumber and stain colors. It means understanding soil movement, water management, and the importance of integrating your pergola with the patio below it.
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