Growing Native Plants in Chisago County Tom Dickhudt March 1, 2005
What is here? What is a Chisago County native plant? What do they look like? How do I plant them? Where do I get them?
What is a Chisago County native plant? A native plant is usually defined as one that was growing naturally in a specific area before white or European settlement. A cultivar is a specially produced plant (from the words cultivated and variety) An exotic is a plant introduced from outside of a region
Pasque Flower anemone patens
Lead plant New Jersey Tea
Meadow blazing star liatris ligulistylis
Woodland Coneflower
Cardinal Flower lobelia cardinalis
Grey headed Coneflower ratibida pinnata
Prairie Coneflower ratibida columnifera
Downy mint monarda punctata
Golden Aster chrysopsis villosa
Partridge Pea cassia fasciculata
Bellwort
Shooting star
Birdsfoot violet
lupine
Sneezeweed helenium autumnale
New England Aster Aster novae-angliae
Swamp milkweed
Wood Betony pedicularis canadensis
Joe Pye Weed eupatorium maculatum
Turks Cap Lilly lilium michiganense
Grand Penstemon penstemon grandiflorus
Prairie Smoke geum triflorum
Pale purple Coneflower echinacea pallida
Orchis Spectalis
Wild Ginger
Prairie Onion allium stellatum
Butterfly weed asclepias tuberosa
Little Bluestem andropogon scoparius
Highbush Cranberry viburnum trilobum
Site Preparation The first method is to put a dark plastic sheet, tarp, or pieces of plywood over the grass for at least two months before you begin planting. The second procedure is to turn the soil and cultivate the area every few weeks for a complete growing season. A third method involves using a nonselective herbicide containing the active ingredient glyphosate, such as Round Up® or Kleenup®, to kill all existing vegetation.
How Do I choose Plants? The Minnesota Department of Transportation has a great web site at :
Type selection page
Plant characteristics
Place of origin
Choose Minnesota for Natives
Program generates list that meets your criteria
Where do I get Plants? Soil and Water Conservation District Landscape Alternatives Prairie Restorations Prairie Moon Grow your own from local sources Don’t dig from the wild
Any Rain Garden is better than no Rain Garden
What is a rain garden? A “bioretention” system that retains water and soaks it up rather than allow it to run off the property.
preparation Dig and loosen soil to a depth of two feet Create a dip for water to settle until it sinks in Native plants can ‘tough it out’
What are some good plants? Tall plant garden Sorghastrum nutans Indian Grass Eupatorium purpureum Joe-Pye Weed Andropogon gerardi Big Bluestem Vernonia fascicolata Ironweed Solidago rigida Stiff Goldenrod Liatris spicata Dense Blazingstar Baptista australis Blue False Indigo Echinacea pallida Pale Purple Coneflower Panicum virgatum Switch Grass Ratibida pinnata Yellow Coneflower Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower
Short plants Eupatorium perfoliatum Boneset 3-4' Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower 3-4' Solidago ohioensis Ohio Goldenrod 3-4' Bouteloua curtipendula Side-oats Grama 2-3' Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia 1-4' Physostegia virginiana Obedient Plant 1-2' Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susies 1-3' Sisyrinchium angustifolium Blue-eyed Grass 1' Allium cernuum Nodding Pink Onion
Septic Mounds prairie onion (Allium stellatum) pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) heath aster (Aster ericodes) bigleaf aster (Aster macrophyllus)* Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica)* prairie clover (Dalea spp.) pale purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)*
prairie smoke (Geum triflorum) oxeye (Helianthus helianthoides) rough blazing star (Liatris aspera) wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) penstemon (Penstemon spp.) pasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens) violets (Viola spp.)*
Grasses sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) June grass (Koeleria macrantha)