Skip to content

References: Garden Design With Native Plants

  1. Native Plant Gardening - Wikipedia - Overview of designing gardens with indigenous plants to support local wildlife, reduce water use, and create low-maintenance landscapes adapted to regional conditions.

  2. Rain Garden - Wikipedia - Explains rain garden design principles, including how planted depressions capture stormwater runoff, filter pollutants, and recharge groundwater using native plants.

  3. Pollinator Garden - Wikipedia - Describes how gardens designed with native flowering plants provide essential nectar, pollen, and habitat for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects.

  4. The Midwestern Native Garden - Charlotte Adelman and Bernard Schwartz - Ohio University Press - Design guide pairing native Midwest alternatives with common ornamental plants, showing gardeners how to create beautiful landscapes using regional native species.

  5. Bringing Nature Home - Douglas Tallamy - Timber Press - Foundational book explaining why native plants are essential for supporting insect populations and food webs, with practical guidance for residential garden design.

  6. Blue Thumb Rain Garden Guide - Blue Thumb / BWSR - Minnesota-focused resource for planning, building, and planting rain gardens with native species to manage stormwater and support pollinators in residential areas.

  7. Native Plant Garden Design - University of Minnesota Extension - Extension guidance on selecting, arranging, and maintaining native plants in Minnesota home landscapes, including species lists by sun and soil conditions.

  8. Prairie Moon Nursery Design Resources - Prairie Moon Nursery - Minnesota-based native plant nursery offering seed mix recommendations, planting guides, and garden design templates for prairie, woodland, and rain garden projects.

  9. Lawns to Legumes - Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources - State program providing cost-share funding and technical guidance to help Minnesota residents convert lawns into pollinator-friendly native plant gardens.

  10. Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation - Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation - Habitat design guides and native plant lists for creating pollinator gardens that support bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects across the Upper Midwest.