Native vs. Nativar:

What Gardeners in Wisconsin & Minnesota Need to Know about Native vs Nativar Plants

When you’re planting a garden in the Upper Midwest, choosing the right plants can do more than just beautify your yard—it can also help support pollinators, conserve water, and rebuild local ecosystems. Native plants are a natural fit for this role. But recently, nativars—cultivated varieties of native species—have entered into the spotlight.

So what’s the difference between native plants and nativars, and which ones are best for your garden in Wisconsin or Minnesota?

Let’s take a closer look.

Monarch on Purple Coneflower

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What are Native Plants?

Native plants are species that have evolved in a particular region over thousands of years. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, these plants have adapted to our cold winters, hot summers, and glacial soils. They’ve also developed close relationships with local insects, birds, and wildlife.

Benefits of Native Plants:

• Support native pollinators like butterflies, bees, and birds

• Thrive in clay, sandy, or rocky soils common across our region

• Low maintenance - requiring little to no fertilizer or irrigation once established

• Promote healthy soil and water conservation

• Provide competition for invasive plant species

Examples of Wisconsin/Minnesota Native Plants:

• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): Great for bees and goldfinches

• Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa): A favorite of hummingbirds and native bees

• Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa): Supports monarch caterpillars

• Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii): A tall prairie grass important for soil stabilization

What are Nativars?

Nativars (short for native cultivars) are native plants that have been bred or selected for specific traits, like compact size, leaf color, or double blooms. You’ll often find them at local garden centers under brand names or trademarked labels.

For example, you might see:

• Echinacea purpurea ‘PowWow Wild Berry’ – a compact, vivid purple cultivar of the native purple coneflower

• Monarda ‘Jacob Cline’ – a mildew-resistant cultivar of wild bergamot with larger red blooms

Which Should You Choose?

Obviously, we are of the mindset that you should choose native, since we have chosen to only sell natives :)

However, it depends on your priorities:

• If your goal is supporting wildlife and restoring habitat, stick with true native species. These are essential for butterflies, bees, and birds that depend on native plant chemistry and structure.

• If you need to fill a space with a specific landscape aesthetic choose nativars that retain important traits like flower shape, but are bred for a color that you like or a specific disease resistance. Keep in mind: nativars may provide similar benefits to their native counterparts, but also may have a few differences in their ecological value. Some nativars may be less attractive to wildlife, especially pollinators, compared to the straight native species.