EPA Level III Ecoregion
North Central Hardwood Forests
1150 native plants for the North Central Hardwood Forests ecoregion (Minneapolis area).
The North Central Hardwood Forests sit between the north woods and the prairie, covering the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, Eau Claire, and Green Bay. It is a patchwork region: hardwood stands, lakes, wetlands, and old prairie openings all within a few miles, which means sun and shade conditions vary a lot from yard to yard. Natives like prairie dock, blue giant-hyssop, and Michigan lily work across that mix and come back reliably after a hard winter.
Conditions: Loamy glacial soils with frequent wetlands and lakes, 28–34 inches of precipitation, cold snowy winters and warm summers.
Cities and areas: Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Cloud, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Appleton.
1150 Native Plants for the North Central Hardwood Forests
HOA-friendly picks listed first. Pet-safety status varies by species; each plant page shows its sourced ASPCA status. Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Wild Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
New Jersey-tea
Ceanothus americanus
Drooping Prairie-coneflower
Ratibida pinnata
Nodding Onion
Allium cernuum
Purple Lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Blue Giant-hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Blue Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Whorled Milkweed
Asclepias verticillata
Smooth Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve
Golden Groundsel
Packera aurea
Smooth Spiderwort
Tradescantia ohiensis
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Purple Prairie Clover
Dalea purpurea
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
American Fox Sedge
Carex vulpinoidea
Michaelmas Daisy
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Red-osier Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Spotted Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Virginia Mountain-Mint
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Tall Blazing Star
Liatris aspera
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Scarlet Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Creeping Polemonium
Polemonium reptans
Prairie Junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra
River Birch
Betula nigra
Black-alder
Ilex verticillata
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Leadplant
Amorpha canescens
Southern Blue Flag Iris
Iris virginica
Showing 48 of 1150. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the North Central Hardwood Forests
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Hosta
Once Minneapolis gets its first hard frost, usually sometime in October, hosta leaves turn to mush and it is time to clean up the bed for winter.
- Fragrant phlox
Fall in Minneapolis brings prairie phlox into dormancy, with the growing season winding down as the first frost usually arrives in mid October.
- Solidago ptarmicoides
Fall is when the bloom finishes and the plant settles in for a Minneapolis winter, which usually starts with the first frost in mid October.
- Tall blazing star
Bloom finishes by September in the Minneapolis area and the plant shifts to feeding birds through fall until the first frost.
- Scarlet indian paintbrush
Fall is the best time to start new Indian paintbrush plants from seed in the Minneapolis area, since the seed needs a period of cold before it will sprout. A hard frost, usually in early to mid October, blackens the top growth on the year's flowering plants and ends the bloom season. This is also a good window to add more host grass around existing paintbrush so next year's plants have roots to connect to.
- Scarlet strawberry
Fall is prep time for winter in the Minneapolis area. Leaves may take on a light red tint, and the plant needs its winter mulch in place before hard freezes settle in for good.
- Blue giant hyssop
Bloom carries on into fall, and the plant will self-seed if you let the spent spikes stand.
- Drooping prairie coneflower
Blooming winds down in fall and the seed heads darken and stand tall, drawing seed-eating birds through the season.
- Western wallflower
Fall is rosette-building time in the Minneapolis area. Plants that germinated over the summer put their energy into a low cluster of leaves that will overwinter and bloom the following spring.
- Field pussytoes
As Minneapolis cools toward its typical late-September to early-October first frost, field pussytoes needs minimal care to head into winter.
Build a plan for the North Central Hardwood Forests
The Pollinator Patch App turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Minneapolis area.