Happy Valentine's Day! A time for the exchange of flowers among
sweethearts, we’d like to share our top picks for 2024, flowers and other plants alike!Â
This list will invite and encourage you to create natural areas enjoyable for both humans and wildlife alike, with beautiful plants that require less maintenance over time. Embracing native species is delightful and rewarding! We're commencing the growing season with a comprehensive list of native plants that will educate and encourage others to integrate more native plants into their surroundings.
Spring
Pulsatilla patens (Pasque flower)
Blooms March-April, Full Sun
The feathery flower unfurling its purple petals to the warming sun is the distinctive feature of this western grassland species.
Koeleria macrantha (Prairie Junegrass)Â
Blooms April-July, Full Sun
Moving in the spring breeze, the versatile Prairie Junegrass sways with beautiful seed heads complementing the surrounding scenery.
Aquilegia caerulea (Colorado blue columbine)
Blooms April-June, Partial Shade
Producing long-lasting, vibrant blue and white blossoms, the Colorado blue columbine attracts hummingbirds.
 Festuca idahoensis (Idaho fescue)
Blooms May-June, Full Sun/Partial Shade
A hardy grass with fine blades. Grazed in spring by deer, and a year-round forage for elk.
Viola species (Native violet)
A floral favorite among forest animals. Small flowers to decorate the lawn while still providing for pollinators.
Summer
Dalea purpurea (Purple Prarie Clover)
Blooms June-September, Full Sun
They are highly attractive to pollinators and are nitrogen-fixing, making the soil more fertile.
Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama)
Blooms June-August, Full Sun
With its wide-spread environmental adaptation and ease of establishment, the beautiful, tall, seed-laden Blue Grama fills the summer fields.
Rudbeckia laciniata (Cutleaf Coneflower)
Blooms Early to Late Summer, Full Sun/Partial Shade
This bright happy flower loves to soak up the sun, making it perfect for planting along streambanks and pond edges.
Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed)
Blooms Midsummer-Fall, Full Sun
The Showy Milkweed becomes a haven for the monarch butterflies with its pink and white flowers serving up a feast.
Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly Everlasting)
Blooms June-October, Full Sun
Tiny white papery flowers have an elegant subtlety, perfect for a garden edge. The blossoms can be dried for durable bouquets as they keep their color and shape well, hence the name, Everlasting.
Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed)
Blooms June-August, Full Sun
The Prairie dropseed grows with green narrow leaves that arch downward making it one of the most ornamental of the native prairie grasses.
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Autumn
Ratibida columnifera (Prairie Coneflower)
Blooms Summer-Fall, Full Sun
This drought-tolerant flower has a tall central cone, giving it other names such as Long-headed Coneflower and Mexican Hat.
Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem)
Blooms August-February, Full Sun
A large bunchgrass that has beautiful foliage from blue-green in the summer to reddish-brown hue in the fall.
Agastache rupestris (Sunset Giant Hyssop)
Blooms July-September, Full Sun
One of the most durable species in the Agastache family. With orange flowers and slender leaves, the plant is scented like licorice and mint.
Symphyotrichum laeve (Smooth Blue Aster)
Blooms Late Summer-Fall, Full Sun/Partial Shade
The leaves on the plant are smooth to the touch. Its tall standing stem with shades of blue flowers attracts a variety of pollinators.
Solidago missouriensis (Missouri Goldenrod)
Blooms Late Summer until Frost, Full Sun
These golden clusters of flowers are a source of pollen and nectar for bees and other insects in the late summer and fall.
Late Fall/Winter
Liatris punctata (Dotted Gayfeather)
Blooms August-October, Full Sun/Partial Shade
A vivid soft purple bloom in the fall that provides nourishment for pollinators at a time when they have many few options.
Helianthus maximiliani (Maximilian Sunflower)
Blooms August-November, Full Sun
A showy sunflower that towers over the plants around it. A nice pop of color and a food source for bees and butterflies before the cold days.
Many of our 2024 Top Picks grow cooperatively and are visually striking in both gardens and bouquets. Consider our Western Montana Meadow Seed Mix and/or Western Montana Native Grass Seed mix to get started and have native plants like these throughout the year. Both of these mixes are curated to create a natural meadow environment, competing with and eliminating noxious weeds. Shop here
Interested in purchasing some of these natives for your garden or landscape? Check out these Western Montana retail nurseries that carry GBNP plants:Â Missoula
Bozeman/ Gallatin Area
Great Falls