Shoreview Natives opens greenhouse to promote native landscaping in Two Harbors

Shoreview Natives has put a retail face on a landscaping philosophy it has been building for years in Two Harbors. The native-plant business opened its greenhouse on Shoreview Road last week, turning a west-side property into a storefront for homeowners looking for lower-maintenance yards, better stormwater control and more pollinator habitat.

Owners Dan Schutte and Kristen Pless said they bought the Shoreview Road property four years ago and built the greenhouse there after spending more than a decade educating homeowners and reshaping North Shore landscapes with native plants. The new retail space is open Monday through Friday, and the company says the hours are posted on its website.

The business is more than a garden center. Shoreview Natives says it specializes in native grasses, perennials and shrubs that support biodiversity, reduce maintenance and thrive in local soils and climates. Its work has long gone beyond sales, with services that include site planning, preparation and installation of native species.

Schutte’s interest began years ago while teaching second-graders at an environmental charter school, where he said he became hooked on the process of growing, planting and watching things develop. That background helps explain why Shoreview Natives has leaned into both education and retail, rather than treating the greenhouse as a simple sales outlet.

The company’s expansion lands at a moment when native landscaping has moved from niche gardening choice to practical land-use strategy. Native prairie and shoreline plants send roots deeper than shallow-rooted turf grass, which helps with erosion control, stormwater management and crowding out invasive species. That matters on the North Shore, where shoreline erosion and runoff are recurring concerns and where property owners increasingly weigh appearance against maintenance, water quality and long-term resilience.

State and regional programs point in the same direction. The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources says Lawns to Legumes offers workshops, coaching, planting guides and cost-share funding for pollinator-friendly native plantings, and a 2025 notice said eligible residents could receive reimbursement of up to $400 for habitat plantings. The University of Minnesota Extension recommends 50- to 150-foot shoreline filter strips for the most effective water-quality protection, while the Minnesota Department of Transportation says native seed mixes are used for erosion control and stormwater management when standard mixes will not work.

Shoreview Natives is also widening its own role in that trend. Minnesota Grown lists the business as offering retail native plant sales of more than 150 species at its greenhouse and event space in Two Harbors, with classes and workshops planned for 2026. Lovin’ Lake County has said the company has been creating pollinator habitat since 2015, giving the new greenhouse a retail presence that builds on an already established local track record.