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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 design your landscaping .

BLUE:

A bush with purple flowers and green leaves

Anise Hyssop ( Agastache Foeniculum)

Blooms : Summer
Size : up to 4 feet tall
Light Requirement : Sun, part shade, shade
Soil Types : Sandy, well-drained soil

A bunch of purple flowers with yellow centers

Smooth Aster (Aster laevus)

Blooms : Summer into Fall
Size : Up to 4 feet tall
Light Requirement : Sun
Soil Types : Well drained, loamy soil

A bush with purple flowers and green leaves is growing on a sidewalk.

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

A close up of a purple flower with a yellow center

Northern Blue Flag (Iris versicolor)

Blooms : Spring into Summer
Size : Up to 3 feet tall
Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade
Soil Types : Moist, Wet

A bunch of purple flowers are growing in a garden

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

A bunch of blue flowers are growing in the grass.

Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans)

Blooms : Spring
Size : Up to 20 inches tall
Light Requirement : Shade
Soil Types : Moist

A bunch of purple flowers are growing on a plant

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:

A bunch of purple flowers are growing in the grass

Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum)

Blooms : Spring into fall
Size : Up to 20 inches tall
Light Requirement : Part Shade
Soil Types : Moist Soil

A field of pink and purple flowers with green leaves

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Blooms : Summer into fall
Size : Up to 5 feet tall
Light Requirement: Sun, Part Shade
Soil Types : Moist

A bush with pink flowers and green leaves in a garden

Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)

Blooms : Spring
Size : Up to 18 inches tall
Light Requirement : : Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Types : Dry to moist

A close up of a bunch of purple flowers with green stems

Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)

Blooms : Fall
Size : Up to 5 feet tall
Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Types : Moist, humus-rich soil

A small purple flower is surrounded by green leaves.

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

A bee is sitting on top of a purple flower.

Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea)

Blooms : Summer
Size : Up to 2 feet tall
Light Requirement : Sun
Soil Types : Dry

A bunch of pink flowers with brown centers are growing in the grass.

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

A garden filled with lots of purple flowers and green plants.

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

A close up of purple flowers surrounded by green leaves.

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

Blooms : Spring thru Fall
Size : Up to 5 feet tall
Light Requirement : Sun, Party Shade
Soil Types : Dry to moist

Three purple flowers are growing in the grass.

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:

A close up of a red flower with a yellow center

Red Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis)

Blooms : Spring into Summer
Size : Up to 3 feet tall
Light Requirement : Part Shade, Shade
Soil Types : Dry to moist

A hummingbird is perched on a red flower

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Blooms : Spring to fall
Size : Up to 6 feet tall
Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Types : Moist, wet

A bunch of red flowers are growing in a garden surrounded by green leaves.

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

A close up of a plant with white flowers on it

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

A bunch of yellow flowers are surrounded by green leaves

False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)

Blooms : Summer
Size : Up to 5 feet tall
Light Requirement : Sun, Part Shade
Soil Types : Dry, sandy soils

A bunch of yellow flowers are growing in a field

Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

Blooms : Spring into fall
Size : Up to 5 feet tall
Light Requirement : Sun, Part shade
Soil Types : Dry to moist

A bunch of yellow flowers with black centers in a field

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

Blooms : Spring to Fall
Size : Up to 3 feet tall
Light Requirement : Sun
Soil Types : Dry to moist

A close up of a yellow flower with a red center surrounded by green leaves.

Sweet Coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)

Blooms : Summer into fall
Size : Up to 6 feet tall
Light Requirement : Part Shade
Soil Types : Moist

A bush with lots of yellow flowers and green leaves

Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)

Blooms : Fall
Size : Up to 6 feet tall
Light Requirement : Part Shade
Soil Types : Moist

A bush with yellow flowers and green leaves in a garden.

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 follow this LINK to set up a consultation.
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: