Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Fall color that lasts — white bracts, happy in loam soil and good through zone 9.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Minnesota · Zones 3–5
Native Plants for Fall Color in Minnesota
Native trees, shrubs, and grasses that set the autumn garden alight with red, orange, copper, and gold. Minnesota sits in a landscape of Northern tallgrass prairie & North Woods, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cold continental character. The list below — led by Flowering Dogwood and Eastern Redbud — is filtered to species genuinely native to Minnesota and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 3–5. The natives behind New England's famous foliage will do the same work in your yard, and the show lasts far longer than the flowers did. Sugars trapped in the leaves on cool, sunny fall days drive the brightest color, so plant these in full sun for the most intense display. Pair fiery shrubs with the copper and amber of warm-season grasses for a season finale that rivals any flower bed.
The plants
13 native species for Minnesota
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Sets the autumn garden alight — rose-magenta — 20–30 ft tall and cold-hardy to zone 4.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Turns creamy white in fall, long after the flowers are gone; good through zone 8 and spreading 6–10 ft.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Lights up in autumn, white spring lace, for a long late-season show, spreading 10–20 ft and for clay and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Turns white to pink in fall, long after the flowers are gone; good through zone 7 and 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Sets the autumn garden alight — inconspicuous green — 10–20 ft wide and 30–50 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Fall color that lasts — chartreuse-gold, hardy in zones 4–9 and 6–12 ft wide.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Sets the autumn garden alight — yellow catkins — 5–10 ft wide and reaching 2–6 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Lights up in autumn, bronze-gold plumes, for a long late-season show, hardy in zones 4–9 and happy in sand, clay, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Turns bronze-purple seed heads in fall, long after the flowers are gone; 4–7 ft tall and hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Sets the autumn garden alight — airy pink-gold panicles — hardy in zones 4–9 and 2–3 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Lights up in autumn, fine emerald to amber, for a long late-season show, cold-hardy to zone 3 and for sand, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Lights up in autumn, blue-green to copper, for a long late-season show, good through zone 9 and 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Minnesota
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.