PLANT CARE · TWIN CITIES

Plant Care Guides for Minnesota Yards

Real-world advice from the Three Timbers crew on what works in the Twin Cities — winter prep, what to plant where, and how to keep your yard looking its best year-round.

❄️ Winter Care 🌱 Planting Tips 🍃 MN Natives 🦌 Deer Resistance 💧 Watering

Plant Care Guides

Black Hills Spruce in graduated nursery sizes lined up in a Minnesota nursery yard, from small containers to large balled-and-burlapped specimens
How Much Do Trees Cost in Minnesota? A Size-by-Size Price Guide
How Much Do Trees Cost in Minnesota? A Size-by-Size Price Guide A tree in Minnesota costs from about $33 for a #3 container to $821 for a 10-foot balled-and-burlapped specimen... Read more...
A large dark burgundy ninebark shrub with arching habit behind a low gold-leaved spirea in a mulched Minnesota landscape bed in late spring
Ninebark in Minnesota: A Complete Guide to Summer Wine, Little Devil, and Diabolo
Ninebark in Minnesota: A Complete Guide to Summer Wine, Little Devil, and Diabolo Ninebark is a Minnesota native shrub that ranges from 3 to 10 feet depending on cultivar. Little... Read more...
A maturing columnar evergreen privacy screen roughly eight feet tall along a Minnesota suburban back property line in late summer, with small gaps still visible near the base
How Fast Do Privacy Trees Actually Grow in Minnesota?
How Fast Do Privacy Trees Actually Grow in Minnesota? In Twin Cities conditions, American Pillar arborvitae puts on about 1.5 to 2 feet a year, Techny about 1 foot, Emerald... Read more...
A Minnesota residential front slope massed with little bluestem in peak October fall color, copper and wine-red clumps backlit by low afternoon sun
Little Bluestem: Minnesota's Native Ornamental Grass, Explained
Little Bluestem: Minnesota's Native Ornamental Grass, Explained Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is a clump-forming native prairie grass that grows 2 to 4 feet tall in Twin Cities landscapes, holds blue-green... Read more...
A newly planted deciduous shade tree with a flat mulch ring in a Minnesota suburban front yard, with a browned-out arborvitae behind it
Why New Trees Die in Minnesota: The 7 Most Common Mistakes
Why New Trees Die in Minnesota: The 7 Most Common Mistakes Most new trees that die in the Twin Cities die of underwatering, not winter. A newly planted tree or... Read more...
A pair of Dwarf Korean Lilac shrubs in full pale lilac bloom flanking the front entry of a Minnesota suburban home in May
Dwarf Korean Lilac: The Complete Minnesota Growing Guide
Dwarf Korean Lilac: The Complete Minnesota Growing Guide Dwarf Korean Lilac (Syringa meyeri 'Palibin') matures at 4 to 5 feet tall and 5 to 7 feet wide, blooms fragrant pale... Read more...
A Twin Cities mixed border combining dwarf globe blue spruce and Emerald Green arborvitae with coneflowers, feather reed grass, sedum, and catmint for year-round structure
Mixing Evergreens and Perennials for Year-Round Structure
Mixing Evergreens and Perennials for Year-Round Structure Here is the uncomfortable truth about a perennial-only garden in Minnesota: for roughly five months of the year, it is a bed of... Read more...
Minnesota back yard in late winter with a columnar juniper screen beside a run of arborvitae stripped bare along the bottom by rabbits
Rabbit-Resistant Plants for Minnesota Yards (and How to Protect the Rest)
Rabbit-Resistant Plants for Minnesota Yards (and How to Protect the Rest) Rabbits in the Twin Cities reliably leave junipers, spruce, zone-4 boxwood, yew, potentilla, Russian sage, peony, daylily, catmint and... Read more...
A lush low-water Minnesota front-yard xeriscape with drifts of coneflower, little bluestem, Russian sage, and sedum and a small no-mow fescue area replacing thirsty lawn
Xeriscaping in Minnesota: Designing a Low-Water Landscape
Xeriscaping in Minnesota: Designing a Low-Water Landscape Mention xeriscaping and most people picture gravel, cactus, and a yard in Phoenix. But low-water landscaping is not a desert idea — it... Read more...
Finished Minnesota suburban front yard landscape with a layered foundation planting in fresh dark mulch and a crisp bed edge
How Much Does Landscaping Cost in Minnesota? A 2026 Price Guide
How Much Does Landscaping Cost in Minnesota? A 2026 Price Guide In 2026 Twin Cities dollars: a 30-foot foundation bed runs about $650 to $960 planted and mulched, a 50-foot... Read more...
A deep Minnesota garden bed layered from a low catmint and sedum edge through mid-height coneflowers and grasses to tall panicle hydrangeas and a serviceberry anchor in back
How to Layer Plants by Height for a Full, Designed Landscape
How to Layer Plants by Height for a Full, Designed Landscape You have seen the two kinds of Minnesota landscape beds. One is a single straight row of identical shrubs... Read more...
Low clipped green boxwood hedge along a Minnesota home foundation in early spring with light snow at the bed edges
Boxwood in Minnesota: Which Varieties Actually Survive Our Winters
Boxwood in Minnesota: Which Varieties Actually Survive Our Winters Four boxwood cultivars are reliably hardy in the Twin Cities: Green Velvet, Green Mountain, Chicagoland Green, and Northern Charm. All four... Read more...
Twin Cities front entry with a paver walkway flanked by layered foundation beds of boxwood, panicle hydrangeas, catmint, and an anchor evergreen
Front Entry and Walkway Garden Design for Minnesota Homes
Front Entry and Walkway Garden Design for Minnesota Homes Your front entry is the first thing guests see and the last thing you walk past every single day. In the... Read more...
Leafy green hydrangea shrub with no flowers in a Minnesota residential foundation bed
Why Your Hydrangea Isn't Blooming in Minnesota (7 Causes, Ranked)
Why Your Hydrangea Isn't Blooming in Minnesota (7 Causes, Ranked) The number one reason a hydrangea doesn't bloom in Minnesota is that it's a bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) — the... Read more...
A full sunny Minnesota perennial border in mid-summer with coneflowers, daylilies, catmint and ornamental grasses blooming in drifts along a home
Designing Garden Beds That Bloom All Season in Minnesota
Designing Garden Beds That Bloom All Season in Minnesota You know the bed. It explodes in June — peonies, salvia, catmint, everything at once — and then by mid-July it's... Read more...
Established row of Techny arborvitae forming a dense dark green privacy screen along a Minnesota back property line
Techny Arborvitae: Minnesota's Privacy Workhorse (Spacing, Growth Rate, Care)
Techny Arborvitae: Minnesota's Privacy Workhorse (Spacing, Growth Rate, Care) Plant Techny arborvitae 4 feet on center for a privacy screen in the Twin Cities — 13 plants for a 50-foot... Read more...
A large healthy shade tree set well back from a Twin Cities home, clear of power lines and walkways, casting afternoon shade over a green lawn
Right Tree, Right Place: A Minnesota Tree Placement Guide
Right Tree, Right Place: A Minnesota Tree Placement Guide A tree is the single most permanent thing you'll plant. The catmint you put in the wrong spot is a $12... Read more...
Mixed evergreen privacy screen of columnar juniper, arborvitae and spruce along a Minnesota back yard property line
Arborvitae vs. Spruce vs. Juniper: The Best Privacy Evergreen for Minnesota
Arborvitae vs. Spruce vs. Juniper: The Best Privacy Evergreen for Minnesota On exposed Twin Cities sites — open property lines, boulevards, and yards backing onto woods or parks — columnar... Read more...
Potted shrubs and perennials laid out on cleared dark soil along a Twin Cities home foundation with a garden hose marking the new bed curve
How to Plan and Plant a New Landscape Bed From Scratch
How to Plan and Plant a New Landscape Bed From Scratch There's a strip of lawn along the front of your house, or a blank corner of the backyard, that... Read more...
Mass planting of white Annabelle hydrangeas in full July bloom along the foundation of a Minnesota suburban home
Annabelle Hydrangea: The Complete Minnesota Growing Guide
Annabelle Hydrangea: The Complete Minnesota Growing Guide Annabelle hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle') is the most reliable flowering shrub you can plant in the Twin Cities, because it blooms on new... Read more...
A tidy Twin Cities townhome with a small front bed of dwarf shrubs, perennials, and a columnar arborvitae against the wall
Small-Space and Townhome Landscaping Ideas for the Twin Cities
Small-Space and Townhome Landscaping Ideas for the Twin Cities You bought the townhome in Maple Grove or the patio home in Woodbury partly because you were done with mowing half... Read more...
Young columnar arborvitae privacy hedge running along a residential property line in a Twin Cities backyard in late summer
How Much Does a Privacy Hedge Cost in the Twin Cities? (2026)
How Much Does a Privacy Hedge Cost in the Twin Cities? (2026) A 50-foot privacy hedge in the Twin Cities costs about $1,040 installed using 17 American Pillar Arborvitae in... Read more...
A planted Minnesota backyard slope held with mass-planted Gro-Low sumac, creeping juniper, and little bluestem grass controlling erosion
How to Landscape a Slope or Hillside in Minnesota (Erosion Control)
How to Landscape a Slope or Hillside in Minnesota (Erosion Control) A slope is the spot in the yard everyone avoids. It is miserable and dangerous to mow, water runs... Read more...
Garden hose running slowly into the mulch ring of a newly planted shrub in a Minnesota backyard, with a five-gallon bucket nearby
How Long to Water New Plants in Minnesota: Turning 5 Gallons Into Minutes
How Long to Water New Plants in Minnesota: Turning 5 Gallons Into Minutes A newly planted shrub or tree needs 5 gallons of water delivered at its root ball, once... Read more...
A Minnesota backyard with a soft fine-fescue no-mow lawn area and a border of creeping thyme and clover, replacing traditional turf
Lawn Alternatives for Minnesota: No-Mow and Groundcover Options
Lawn Alternatives for Minnesota: No-Mow and Groundcover Options That stretch of turf on the side of the house that never grows right. The strip between the sidewalk and the street... Read more...
Row of mature arborvitae on a Minnesota property line in early spring with brown winter-burned foliage on the sun-facing side
Why Is My Arborvitae Turning Brown? A Minnesota Diagnostic Guide
Why Is My Arborvitae Turning Brown? A Minnesota Diagnostic Guide In the Twin Cities, brown arborvitae almost always comes down to five things: winter burn on the south and west... Read more...
Minnesota residential front yard with mass-planted catmint and daylilies, dwarf evergreens, and a crisp mulched bed edge along a suburban home
Low-Maintenance Landscaping for Busy Twin Cities Homeowners
Low-Maintenance Landscaping for Busy Twin Cities Homeowners You want a yard that looks good, but you do not want to spend every Saturday from May to October pulling weeds, deadheading,... Read more...
Minnesota suburban front foundation bed massed with pink-flowering and gold-leaved spirea in full June bloom
Spirea in Minnesota: The Complete Growing Guide
Spirea in Minnesota: The Complete Growing Guide Spirea is the most forgiving flowering shrub you can plant in the Twin Cities. The Japanese types — Little Princess, Magic Carpet, Golden... Read more...
Minnesota residential front yard four-season landscape with evergreens, ornamental grasses, and a serviceberry tree framing the home
How to Design a Four-Season Landscape in Minnesota
How to Design a Four-Season Landscape in Minnesota If your yard looks fantastic for six weeks in June and then quietly disappears for the rest of the year, you are... Read more...
Early-spring Twin Cities residential landscape bed being prepped with dark amended soil, a garden fork, and a wheelbarrow of compost
Spring Soil Prep: Getting Twin Cities Beds Ready to Plant
Spring Soil Prep: Getting Twin Cities Beds Ready to Plant The first warm Saturday in April, every Twin Cities homeowner gets the itch. The snow's finally gone, the garden centers... Read more...
Newly planted balled-and-burlapped tree in a Twin Cities residential yard in late fall with bare deciduous trees and fallen leaves
Late-Fall and Dormant-Season Planting in Minnesota
Late-Fall and Dormant-Season Planting in Minnesota Every fall, Twin Cities homeowners ask the same nervous question: "Is it too late to plant?" The garden centers are clearing out, the nights... Read more...
Minnesota fall perennial border with ornamental grasses and coneflower seed heads standing under a dusting of first snow
Preparing Perennials and Ornamental Grasses for a Minnesota Winter
Preparing Perennials and Ornamental Grasses for a Minnesota Winter There's a moment every October in the Twin Cities when the garden tips over — the hostas collapse into mush after... Read more...
Twin Cities residential front-yard foundation bed freshly topped with brown shredded hardwood mulch around shrubs
Mulching Your Minnesota Landscape: When, How Much, and What Kind
Mulching Your Minnesota Landscape: When, How Much, and What Kind Every Twin Cities homeowner has driven past a yard with mulch piled a foot high against the trunk of a... Read more...
Snowy Minnesota suburban yard with young trees protected by white trunk guards and hardware-cloth cylinders, rabbit tracks in fresh snow
Protecting Young Trees from Rabbits, Voles, and Deer in Minnesota Winters
Protecting Young Trees from Rabbits, Voles, and Deer in Minnesota Winters There are few worse feelings for a Twin Cities homeowner than walking out in early April, after a long... Read more...
Early spring Minnesota suburban backyard with beds being cleared, cut ornamental grasses, and first green perennial shoots
Spring Cleanup Guide for Twin Cities Gardeners
Spring Cleanup Guide for Twin Cities Gardeners The snow finally melts, the first warm Saturday arrives, and every Twin Cities gardener gets the same itch: get outside and clean up... Read more...
Snowy Minnesota suburban front yard with young trees in white trunk guards and a burlap-screened arborvitae
How to Winterize Trees and Shrubs in Minnesota
How to Winterize Trees and Shrubs in Minnesota Minnesota winters don't just test your patience — they test every woody plant in your yard. Between sub-zero windchills, road salt spray,... Read more...
Minneapolis suburban backyard in late October with frosted perennial beds and ornamental grasses
Fall Cleanup Checklist for Minnesota Yards: What to Cut Back and What to Leave
Fall Cleanup Checklist for Minnesota Yards: What to Cut Back and What to Leave Every October, Twin Cities homeowners face the same nagging question: how much of the yard actually... Read more...
Minnesota suburban yard mid-conversion with cardboard sheet-mulching and fresh mulch prepared for native pollinator planting
How to Prepare Your Yard for a Lawns to Legumes Application
How to Prepare Your Yard for a Lawns to Legumes ApplicationThe Lawns to Legumes program reimburses Minnesota homeowners up to $400 for converting lawn to pollinator habitat. The application itself... Read more...
Brilliant red-orange maple at peak fall color over a green lawn in a Twin Cities front yard
Best Trees for Fall Color in the Twin Cities
Best Trees for Fall Color in the Twin CitiesOctober in the Twin Cities can be the most beautiful month of the year — but only if your yard has the... Read more...
Minnesota suburban front yard in autumn with maples in brilliant fall color and a freshly planted, mulched shrub bed
Why Fall Is the Best Time to Plant in Minnesota
Why Fall Is the Best Time to Plant in MinnesotaSpring gets all the gardening attention. The garden centers fill up in April, the lawn signs go up by Mother’s Day,... Read more...
Minnesota summer garden bed with a flowering shrub being shaped and bypass pruners on the bed edge
Mid-Summer Pruning Guide for Twin Cities Gardeners
Mid-Summer Pruning Guide for Twin Cities GardenersMid-summer is the wrong time for most pruning in Minnesota — but the right time for a few specific cuts. The wrong call can... Read more...
Lush Minnesota shade garden massed with blue, green, and variegated hostas under mature trees
Best Hostas for Minnesota Shade Gardens
Best Hostas for Minnesota Shade GardensHostas are the workhorse of the Minnesota shade garden. They tolerate dry oak shade, take winter brutality without complaint, and ask almost nothing in return.... Read more...
Minnesota yard in bright summer sun with a deeply mulched shrub bed and garden hose ready for watering
How to Spot and Fix Summer Plant Stress in Minnesota Yards
How to Spot and Fix Summer Plant Stress in Minnesota YardsBy late July most Minnesota landscapes show some stress. Hot afternoons, occasional drought, fungal humidity, deer pressure — something usually... Read more...
Minnesota edible landscape bed with blueberry, currant, aronia, and honeyberry shrubs loaded with ripe fruit
Edible Landscape: Berry-Producing Shrubs Hardy in Minnesota
Edible Landscape: Berry-Producing Shrubs Hardy in MinnesotaThe best edible landscape plant pulls double duty: it earns its place in the landscape with flowers, foliage, or fall color, and it also... Read more...
Monarch butterfly on orange butterfly milkweed with purple coneflowers in a native Minnesota pollinator garden
Native Pollinator Plants for Bees and Butterflies in Minnesota
Native Pollinator Plants for Bees and Butterflies in MinnesotaNot all pollinator plants are equal. Some flowers get visited by every bee species in the state; others get politely ignored. University... Read more...
Minnesota boulevard strip between sidewalk and street planted with salt-tolerant daylilies, junipers, and ornamental grasses
Boulevard Plants That Survive Road Salt and Snow in Minnesota
Boulevard Plants That Survive Road Salt and Snow in MinnesotaThe boulevard — that strip of ground between your sidewalk and the street — is the harshest planting site in any... Read more...
Tidy Minnesota suburban front-yard foundation planting with hydrangeas, evergreens, and perennials along an entry walkway
Curb Appeal Plants: Front Yard Picks for Minnesota Suburban Homes
Curb Appeal Plants: Front Yard Picks for Minnesota Suburban HomesStrong curb appeal in Minnesota is a four-season game. Plants that look great in July but die back to nothing in... Read more...
Minnesota summer shrub border in full bloom with panicle hydrangea, pink spirea, yellow potentilla, and weigela in a mulched bed beside a green lawn
Best Flowering Shrubs for Twin Cities Summer Color
Best Flowering Shrubs for Twin Cities Summer ColorSpring has its stars (lilac, magnolia, forsythia), but the really color-hungry gardener wants shrubs that bloom in July and August — the stretch... Read more...
Newly planted tree with mulch ring and slow-release watering bag in a Minnesota yard
How to Water Newly Planted Trees and Shrubs in a Minnesota Summer
How to Water Newly Planted Trees and Shrubs in a Minnesota SummerThe #1 reason new trees and shrubs die in Minnesota isn’t cold. It’s underwatering in the first summer. You... Read more...
Sunny drought-tolerant Minnesota garden bed with Russian sage, sedum, yarrow, and ornamental grasses
Drought-Tolerant Plants for Minnesota: What Survives Dry Twin Cities Summers
Drought-Tolerant Plants for Minnesota: What Survives Dry Twin Cities SummersTwin Cities summers are split down the middle: wet through June, then dry, hot, dusty July and August. If you plant... Read more...
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