Many gardeners are used to shopping for those hardy perennial plants according to their growing zone. We have such a unique set of challenges with growing and overwintering plants in Minnesota and the Midwest. Something a lot of people don’t know is that native plants, don’t go by zone – they go by historical range data. So instead of assigning any growing zone to native plants, we say – are they native to your county, or within a certain distance from your county historically? That’s how we can determine if a plant might be successful in a certain area. Aside from historical range, it’s also important to consider sun / shade conditions of a growing site, as well as soil moisture. Native plants are wonderful because there’s such a wide variety to choose from for each of our unique ecosystems here in the Midwest!
by Bre Bauerly