Join us for our 2026 Season- Our 40th Anniversary!
Our Nursery Is Now Open!
Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 12PM - 5PM. Closed Major Holidays
We specialize in growing Minnesota native plants for landscape and garden use. We are located near Taylors Falls in the heart of the scenic St. Croix Valley. The nursery is open to the public.
We grow over 200 native perennials and shrubs to fit almost any landscape situation. “Native” means a plant known to grow in our region at the time of European settlement.
We have been raising top quality native plants for about 40 years. Our nursery is located in the scenic St. Croix Valley close to state parks and fun recreational opportunities for the whole family.
Landscape Alternatives staff are dedicated to serve you with prompt, personalized service. You can depend on our many years of experience to help you determine the best species and container sizes for your project. Visiting our nursery lets you see the plants - in all of their seasonal glory - yourself. You will learn about them directly from the people who grow them. We grow them so we know them! A great selection of our plants is available all season long.
We are ready to assist you in planning your project and choosing your native plants. Our in-season (typically, late April - October) business hours are -
Tuesday - Sunday, Noon to 5 PM.
Our specialty is providing native plants original to sources within 100 miles of the Twin Cities Metro area of Minnesota.
There are no minimum purchase requirements or pre-determined packages. Your garden is special with unique conditions and goals. We are ready to help guide and advise you in choosing the best plants to fit.
Our nursery began in a rented back yard in Roseville, MN. We prospered there for 19 years. In 2005 we moved to our own farm in Chisago County.
We moved the entire nursery - plants, equipment, even a few structures in a few weeks during July. Building a nursery again from scratch was hard but we had lots of room to grow!
The plants are laid out for sale in three main growing condition groups: 1) those that like sunny conditions, medium to dry soils; 2) sunny with medium to wet soils; and 3) plants that prefer to grow in shady places.
Room to grow provides lots of spaces for display gardens.
General Manager and Facilities Manager. A small farm like Landscape Alternatives' Nursery has all manner of parts that house, cover, run, beep and whir - above and below ground - that allow it to function day after day. If it is needed, Karl designs, specifies, builds and maintains it - or knows someone who can.
Nursery Manager and Sales. A sharp eye to detail and endless energy is what Roy brings to raising each and every one of our plants. He makes sure every customer leaves satisfied and well informed with the intricacies of landscaping with native plants.
Bookkeeping. No business can long endure without the competent management of financial records. We are fortunate to have Chris' dedication and skills in these matters.
Each summer we have been blessed with many wonderful seasonal assistants. Their talents and motivation toward the care of our plants and the needs of our customers have been crucial in keeping things running year after year. Thank you all!
Sr. Rodent Hunter - Emeritus
In Memoriam: 2015 - 2024
A customer favorite, Penny was known for giving “extra attention” to customers by escorting them around the nursery.
Sr. Rodent Hunter
The critters quickly learn not to be fooled by that cuddly, laid-back appearance!
Greeter Pup - Intern
Specializing in Cute.
Our plants are offered in several sizes depending on species;
6-packs, 3.5 pot, #1 container & #2 container.
We sell plants because successfully germinating and establishing healthy native plants from seed can be very difficult and time consuming.
We carefully balance value with the good health of our plants when we choose a certain size container for a plant.
Landscape Alternatives has the skills and experience to do the hard work for you!
Our customers know they can depend on the premium quality plants that we provide.
Prairie Smoke blooming in Spring. This is the smallest size available and a great value for larger projects. Each of the 6 cells is roughly 1 1/2" x 2 3/8" x 2 1/4" deep.
Prairie Smoke blooming in Spring. These are older, larger plants, making them a good choice for specimen plantings. Pot is roughly 3 1/2" square by 2 3/8" deep.
Prairie Smoke blooming in Spring. (Note flower buds in lower right) These larger containers provide excellent root growing conditions and are the smallest size available for certain harder to grow species such as the spring woodland flowers and ferns. They are roughly 6 1/2" across and 7" deep.
Our shrubs - this one is a Gray Dogwood - and some grasses are available in this , the largest size. They are roughly 8 1/4" across and 8" deep.
Please note: there are detours due to road construction on MN Hwy 97 at Forest Lake. There are plenty of alternate routes available.
