Minnesota Native Plants

Find the best selection of indigenous species for the Gopher State of Minnesota, right here at Nature Hills Nursery and support native wildlife with trees that thrive in your area!

Choosing native trees for your State means you will know your tree will thrive where it is well suited to climate and soil because they originated there! Native trees establish faster, and native selections need less water once established!

They better tolerate the changing climate, weather, and anything else your State may throw at them. You’ll feed pollinators, provide seeds for songbirds, and create shelter, food, and forage for a wide variety of wildlife.

Best Minnesota Native Trees

Minnesota’s landscape features Aspen parklands, prairie grasslands, deciduous forests, and coniferous forests throughout the State. Lakes and rivers support the State bird, the Common Loon. The Eagle Mountain and Lake Superior affect much of the state climate, ranging from chilly USDA growing zone 3 around Lake Superior and the northern half of the state to zone 4 in the south, then just a tiny blip of zone 5a in the farthest south.

Find your Hardiness Zone, and then choose any tree that has a range that includes yours! Check with your local County Extension Office for more information if needed and for the many microclimates within these zones.

Best Native Evergreen Trees For Minnesota

Like the State Tree - the Red Pine - these conifers and broadleaf evergreen trees keep their leaves year-round for privacy, slow down the wind, and stop the drifting snow, plus add much-needed winter interest.

• American Larch (deciduous conifer)
• Balsam Fir
• Black Spruce Tree
• Blue Spruce Trees
• Douglas Fir
• Eastern Hemlock
• Eastern Red Cedar Tree (Redcedar)
• Eastern White Pine
• Red Pine
• White Spruce Tree

Native Flowering Trees to Grow in Minnesota

Flowering trees herald in the spring, feed pollinators and hummingbirds nectar and pollen they evolved alongside in your State! Many of these trees are host plants for native pollinator larvae too!

• American Basswood/Linden Trees
• Black Locust Tree
• Dogwood - Pagoda & Gray
• Pussy Willow Tree
• Witch Hazel (American Witchhazel)

What Are Native Shade Trees in Minnesota?

Minnesota has some cold winters, so choose a good tree that can handle snow and the bitter Arctic air from the North.

• American Beech Tree
• American Chestnut
• American Elm Tree
• American Hornbeam 
• American Hop Hornbeam
• Ash - Mountain, White & Green
• Birch Trees - River & Paper Bark
• Black Willow Tree
• Box Elder Tree (Boxelder)
• Ohio Buckeye Tree
• Cottonwood/Eastern Cottonwood Tree
• Hackberry/Common Hackberry Trees
• Kentucky Coffee Tree
• Maple Trees - Black, Silver, Red, & Sugar
• Northern Catalpa Tree
• Oak Trees - Black, Bur, Chinquapin, Northern Red, Pin, Swamp White & White
• Quaking Aspen Trees

Native Fruit & Nut Trees in Minnesota

Have your garden and eat it too, with edible landscaping trees that look great and feed you and your local wildlife.

• American Plum/Wild Plum Tree
• Black Cherry Tree
• Black Walnut Tree
• Hazelnut/Native American Filbert
• Bitternut, Butternut, Pignut & Shagbark Hickory Trees
• Red Mulberry Tree
• Allegheny, Downy & Saskatoon Serviceberry

Much Needed Natives!

Help keep your State's native biodiversity intact by planting trees native to your area! Nature Hills is committed to helping you preserve your State’s unique beauty with plants and trees that are sure to do well in your garden without impacting your native landscape!

Whether you are adding shade or flowers, privacy, or a long-lasting legacy to your landscape, Nature Hills is here to help you find the perfect tree for your Minnesota garden!