When I think of Prairie plants I think of the Little House on the Prairie books that I read to my children when they were little. I remember the images of where Pa was walking in grass so tall that he couldn't see anything for miles with the danger of getting lost in the prairie.
Most people do not have that much land. Can Native's work in your yard?
Yes, and their beautiful! Native prairie plants have many benefits. They produce nectar, pollen, and seeds for birds, bees, and butterflies. Once established Native's will seldom need attention such as watering, mulching, or mowing. The deep tap roots on most of the natives will hold the soil in place, filter water, and even build soil.
What people do not realize is that in the wild, huge herds of buffalo would travel through the area eating, pooping, and trampling the prairie plants. A good alternative to a whole herd of grazing animals would be to add some compost to your area every few years. I also wonder if we should be stomping them down every few years too? That's something to think about!
I’m having fun with the Native Prairie plants and expanding my knowledge. Last year I tried my hand in growing a few varieties for the greenhouse and what we didn’t sell I planted in my yard. Throughout the Summer I watched how they preformed and if the bees and butterflies liked them. Some I was surprised didn't bloom the first year. My Aromatic Aster survived the first snow and bloomed into early November. I'm looking forward to this years blooms as they are coming out of dormancy, and looking very robust and healthy!
For this year, I planned earlier and ordered the Native seeds in the fall. Most prairie plants need cold moist stratification, so I planted them in trays and put the trays in the refrigerator in order to stimulate the winter. After the suggested time in the cold, I then put the Natives in the warm germination room to start growing around the end of February.
After putting the Natives in the germination room, some of the varieties started growing right away and some waited a long time (over 4 weeks) before they started to grow! You really have to be patient with Natives!!
Here is a list of all the Natives that have started to grow. Not all will be ready at the same time as some Natives are a month behind with their slow germination.
Varieties were picked specifically for our zone and for pollinators, a lot are deer resistant too.
I have 2 quick charts: light and bloom time. To help you in your selection.
All the seeds are from Prairie Moon Nursery, and I used the description from the back of the seed packets.
Anise Hyssop Agastache foeniculum
Fluffy spikes burst with tiny flowers ranging from lavender to deep purple. Fragrant foliage smells herbal, like anise, and has white to light gray undersides that flash in the wind. A fabulous addition to sensory gardens. Easy to grow and often blooms in its first year. A favorite of bumblebees.
Height: 3’
Bloom: June-September
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Aromatic Aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Plentiful, pale purple blooms showcase amber centers. Short Compact and a mounded profile make it popular in the home landscape. This Aster is one of the last plants to bloom in the fall, often keeping its flowers well past the first frost, providing much needed nutrition for pollinators before their hibernation or during their migration.
Height: 2’
Bloom: August-November
Light: Full Sun
Pollinator Favorite
Bradbury’s Monarda Monarda bradburiana
An excellent choice for home landscaping! At just 2 feet or less, this shorter, more compact Bee Balm sets out streamers of pastel pink flowers with fuchsia speckles. A stunning addition to any fall-scape as the foliage turns a rich burgundy. The leaves are wonderfully fragrant and often used in teas.
Height: 2’
Bloom: June-July
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Wild Bergamot Monarda Fistulosa
Lovely lavender flowers bloom profusely, offset by aromatic, verdant leaves. Also called Bee Balm, it is an absolute pollinator magnet, attracting numerous species of bees and butterflies during its long bloom. Tolerant of most soil and sun conditions.
Height: 4’
Bloom: June-September
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinal
Cardinal Flower is named for its beautiful scarlet red flowers which are an important nectar source for hummingbirds and swallowtail butterflies. Lobelias produce a secondary compound known as "lobeline," which deters herbivores. The flowering spikes open from the bottom to the top and bloom for several weeks. They grow best in moist, rich soils in full sun to partial shade. Cardinal flower is a showy plant great for garden or wetland planting. Parent plants will not persist for more than a few years, but it is a prolific self-seeder and fast grower. Allowing the seeds to make good seed to soil contact will give the opportunity for the plant colony to continually replenish itself with new offspring. Its blossoms also make excellent cut flowers. Keep soil moist, provide a thick mulch of organic compost o retain constant soil moisture and protect against winter cold.
Height: 4’
Bloom: July-September
Light: Full to part Sun (prefers Part Sun)
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Dense Blazing Star Liatris spicata
Bright purple filaments burst open from top to bottom on towering lavender spikes, creating a dazzling late summer display. Named for the jam-packed blossoms on each stem. Although this is the most moisture tolerant Blazing Star, it is not restricted to wet sites. As long as its roots are kept damp in a sunny site, this plant is happy.
Height: 5’
Bloom: July-September
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Dotted Blazing Star Liatris punctata
Liatris punctata is native to much of the great plains and the Midwest. You can typically find it in Loess hills and prairies. It prefers well-drained, sandy soils and full sun. Dotted Blazing Star has a long taproot that makes it extremely drought tolerant. This Liatris is also tolerant of alkaline and calcareous soils.
The purple flowers of the Dotted Blazing Star attract many pollinators, specifically native bees and butterflies. The late blooms of this Liatris is also a favorite of the Monarch butterfly. This plant makes an excellent cut flower. If cut at the beginning of its bloom, the flowers will retain its purple color and will make an excellent dried flower.
Height: 2’
Bloom: July-September
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer Resistant
Bottle Gentian Gentiana andrewsii
Boasting buds from the lightest sky blue to royal azure, these blooms never truly open! Bumblebees are the exclusive pollinator, muscling the petals apart to reach the inner sanctum. These flowers thrive in rich, moist area and require little care once established. Undeterred by the cold, the blue blossoms often persist beyond the first frosts.
Height: 2’
Bloom: August-October
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer Resistant
Fringed Gentian Gentianopsis crinite
Matures to just 12" and has bright blue to purple flowers. Fringed Gentian prefers wetter soil conditions and grows best in full sun. This plant is now rare due to habitat loss. As with all threatened native plants, Fringed Gentian should never be picked or transplanted! The flowers open on sunny days, but generally remain closed on cloudy days. Individual plants live for only one or two years but do reseed when given the proper conditions. Ants are highly attracted to Gentianopsis crinita because they like the taste and crave the nutrition of the nectar, so in response, some specialists believe the fringe on the petals provides a measure of protection.
Height: 1’
Bloom: August-October
Light: Full Sun
Deer resistant
Hairy Beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus
Trumpet shaped flowers bloom a sainty lilac color, often striped with rich violet ribbons. An Early Bloom period and fuzzy stems distinguish this Penstemon from its cousins. A host plant for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly and a favorite of bumble Bees. This versatile and hardy wildflower is fantastic for home landscaping.
Height: 18”
Bloom: May-June
Light: Full to Shade
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Lance-Leaf Coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata
A single cheery flower waves from a long, durable stem. Silky yellow petals fan out from a darker, mustard colored center. Extend the already lengthy bloom time by dead-heading the spent blossoms. A great choice for beekeepers! Will self-deed and colonize in optimal conditions; sunny, dry, even sand.
Height: 2’
Bloom: May-August
Light: Full Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer Resistant
Lead Plant Amorpha Canescens
Takes several years to mature, but as a quintessential late bloomer, it’s well worth waiting for; silvery green foliage steeples to violet flowers dotted with bright orange pollen. Once thought to indicate lead ore, these plants sink deep roots through any type of soil. Extremely hardy and able to withstand fire, drought and deep freezes.
Height: 3’
Bloom: June-August
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana
A bountiful addition to any moderately to consistently wet site. These flowers tower with abundant, pastel pink blooms: the reason behind the common name is that they’ll stay in whatever position you point them (at least temporarily). Part of the mint family and true to that behavior, these plants spread by rhizomes and can quickly fill small spaces.
Height: 4’
Bloom: August-September
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Prairie Smoke Geum triflorum
An early bloomer with nodding rosy buds held above the fern-like leaves. The silky, flowing styles of the fruiting stage of Prairie Smoke never fail to win admirers at first sight. When setting seed, large stands of the plant create a gauzy effect that resembles smoke hovering close to the ground. Blooming in spring to early summer, Prairie Smoke will spread slowly from its roots in well-drained, dry to wet-mesic soils. Foliage often turns crimson in the fall. Does not like to closely compete with taller neighbors. It prefers full to partial sun and has a native range from the northern tier of the US through most of Canada.
Height 8”
Bloom: April -June
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Purple Prairie Clover Dalea purpurea
Purple Prairie Clover is a staple legume of sunny, diverse plantings in medium to dry soils. This plant is not picky when it comes to the soil characteristics, as long as the site is well-drained. Typical habitats of Purple Prairie Clover include black soils prairies, sand prairies, savannas, and limestone glades. Purple Prairie Clover has a deep taproot that ensures it will last in any native planting.
Purple prairie clover has a thimble-shaped flower arrangement which blooms from the bottom to the top. These purple flowers do not have a noticeable floral scent, but the flowers attract a number of pollinators. This plant is listed as a superfood for the Rusty Patched Bumblebee, Honeybees, bumblebees, cuckoo bees, leafcutter bees, and more visit the flowers for pollen and nectar. Other insects feed on the seeds, foliage, and other parts. The Dogface Sulphur and Reakirt's Blue use Purple Prairie Clover as one of their larval host plants. Even after the flowers are done blooming, Purple Prairie Clover remains very attractive due to its ornamental foliage.
Height: 3’
Bloom: August-September
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Rose Milkweed Asclepias incarnata
Boost monarch populations! Mounds of blooms showcase a spectrum of pinks, from mauve to magenta, casting a lightly vanilla aroma to the breeze. This milkweed attracts swallowtails, fritillaries, skippers, bumblebees, and a plethora of other pollinators, in addition to being an exclusive site for Monarchs to lay their eggs. Bery versatile; doesn’t mind having its feet wet.
Height: 4’
Bloom: June-August
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer resistant
Side-Oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendula
Does the majority of its growing in the warm summer months. Offers a distinctive bloom, with tiny red and purple flowers hanging uniformly from one side of the stem. Dried seedheads look remarkably like unhulled oats. A food source and larval host for several skipper moths.
Height: 2’
Bloom: August-September
Light: Full to part Sun
Deer resistant
Tall Bellflower Campanula americana
A wonderful cerulean splash of color for the shade or partial shade garden. This plant is a biennial. Its first year the heart shaped leaves stay low and compact. In its second year, the stems stretch to their full stature and produce flowers. Readily self sows to augment the continue the cycle.
Height: 5’
Bloom: July-October
Light: Part to Full Shade
Pollinator Favorite and Deer Resistant
Wood Betony Pedicularis canadensis
Burgundy leaves unfurl in early April, shifting to muted olive tones as the foliage fans out. Intricate yellow blooms curve and swirl from the fuzzy flowerhead, creating a pinwheel effect when viewed from above. Hemiparasitic, it can tap into surrounding roots to obtain more nutrients.
Height: 1’
Bloom: April-May
Light: Full to part Sun
Pollinator Favorite and Deer Resistant
Light Requirements
Full Sun | Part Sun/Part Shade | Full Shade | |
Anise Hyssop | X | X |
|
Aromatic Aster |
|
|
|
Bradbury’s Monarda | X | X |
|
Wild Bergamot | X | X |
|
Cardinal Flower | X | X (Prefers Part sun) |
|
Dense Blazing Star | X | X |
|
Dotted Blazing Star | X | X |
|
Bottle Gentian | X | X |
|
Fringed Gentian | X | X |
|
Hairy Beardtongue | X | X | X |
Lance-Leaf Coreopsis | X |
|
|
Lead Plant | X | X |
|
Obedient Plant | X | X |
|
Prairie Smoke | X | X |
|
Purple Prairie Clover | X | X |
|
Rose Milkweed | X | X |
|
Side-Oats Grama | X | X |
|
Tall Bellflower |
| X | X |
Wood Betony | X | X |
|
Bloom Times
| April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov |
Anise Hyssop |
|
| X | X | X |
|
|
|
Aromatic Aster |
|
|
|
| X | X | X | X |
Bradbury’s Monarda |
|
| X | X |
|
|
|
|
Wild Bergamot |
|
|
| X | X | X |
|
|
Cardinal Flower |
|
|
| X | X | X |
|
|
Dense Blazing Star |
|
|
| X | X | X |
|
|
Dotted Blazing Star |
|
|
| X | X | X |
|
|
Bottle Gentian |
|
|
|
| X | X | X |
|
Fringed Gentian |
|
|
|
| X | X | X |
|
Hairy Beardtongue |
| X | X |
|
|
|
|
|
Lance-Leaf Coreopsis |
| X | X | X | X |
|
|
|
Lead Plant |
|
| X | X | X |
|
|
|
Obedient Plant |
|
|
|
| X | X |
|
|
Prairie Smoke | X | X | X |
|
|
|
|
|
Purple Prairie Clover |
|
|
|
| X | X |
|
|
Rose Milkweed |
|
| X | X | X |
|
|
|
Side-Oats Grama |
|
|
|
| X | X |
|
|
Tall Bellflower |
|
|
| X | X | X | X |
|
Wood Betony | X | X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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