One benefit of climate change is that it allows us to grow plants that have previously been out of our growing zone. One of those plants is Yellow Honeysuckle (Lonicera flava). A Zone 5 plant, Yellow Honeysuckle is likely to grow well in the southern part of Minnesota. As Master Gardener Jim Lakin explains in this article, Yellow Honeysuckle is a beautiful, vining plant that you should consider for your garden.

Read on for Master Gardener Jim Lakin’s exploration of this month’s featured Minnesota native perennial - Dutchan’s Breeches, a springtime treat!

Goldenrod (Solidago sp.) – A Much Maligned Masterpiece

Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, is a union of personal biography, science and biology. Kimmerer is an active member of the Patawatomi citizen community. She shares indigenous knowledge and encourages individuals to seek a healthy relationship with their surroundings.

For lovers of that special harbinger of springtime, the wild violet, there are many fascinating and rewarding varieties to choose from and enjoy. In this article, Jim Lakin, describes various varieties and explores why you may want to add this native perennial to your woodland garden.

With its silvery-green foliage, upright flowers and compact form, lavender is an ideal addition to any garden. You can harvest it for fragrant flower arrangements, culinary uses, sachets and potpourri. Read this article for some tips on growing lavender in Minnesota.

“False Dragonhead” is so named because its flowers look like menacing dragons (if you’ve been binging on Game of Thrones). It picked up the “false” from being erroneously classified under the genus of “true” dragonheads, Drachocephalum, at one time. Regardless of it’s rather forbidding name, “False Dragonhead” can be a wonderful plant in your native garden. This article explains why.

Looking for a low maintenance, vigorous, hardy and attractive groundcover? Consider the native Canada Anemone.

If you want to have beautiful American Bittersweet or quirky gourds this fall, find a place for them in your garden this spring. Read this article to learn more about why you want these plants to be part of your garden and how to grow them successfully.

Are you looking for a good low-maintenance plant for a prairie, pollinator, native or butterfly garden? Consider Spotted Horsemint. This native is valuable to pollinators as it attracts butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. It is a great source of nutrients to a number of native specialist bees. It will look great in your garden as a border or mass planting.

Whatever stage your garden is in, there is one plant that you can always find space for but is often an afterthought in the garden. This article will guide you through the uses, care, and selections of our Perennial Plant of the Month: Ground Covers.

Have a riverbank, marsh, or rain garden to manage? Consider adding the lovely, long-blooming Rose Mallow. This article will tell you why and how.