When it comes to native perennial flowers, Mother Nature excelled. While native flower gardens might be just as beautiful as hybrids and other developed kinds, they have their place in the landscape.
Native flowers of North America occur in every size, shape, and color conceivable and provide several advantages over produced flowers. Where do you start when gardening with native plants? North America has more than 18,000 native plants, many of which are referred to as wildflowers. The list of our top ten favorite native blossoms to incorporate into your native plant garden design is provided below.
About Native Perennial Varieties
Wildflowers might differ or even cross over from one state to another, but there are hundreds of different kinds. Some are more suited than others for native plant design in the landscape. They can need circumstances that are not present in your yard, be invasive, or grow too tall.
However, not all native flora can be found anywhere other than its original environment, even if native plants may sometimes be bought at the neighborhood nursery or in seed packs. Do not go and remove native plants, please. They serve a purpose and meet a vital need in a complicated environment.
Top 10 Native Flowers
The Aster family includes Rudbeckia hirta, often known as the black-eyed Susan. This daisy-like, brilliant yellow bloom has a black center and is perched on stalks that are 1-2 feet (30–60 cm) long. Black-eyed Susans may be annuals, biennials, or short-lived perennials, depending on where they are grown, but they are always dependable for their cheery blossoms.
Another member of the Aster family, golden tickseed (Coreopsis tinctoria), is distinguished by its modest but many yellow flowers that are strongly maroon in the center. With flowers sitting on long branching stalks, each petal is notched. Golden tickseed is a widely farmed plant that grows in disturbed regions throughout the southern and western United States.
Eutrochium fistulosum, often known as Joe Pye weed, grows in damp to wet soils with full to partial sun. On soaring 6-9 foot (2-3 m) stalks covered in clusters of lavender flowers, which bloom from July through September, pollinators may find food and a place to live. The drawback of this wildflower is that deer also like it.
Aquilegia parvifolia, sometimes known as columbine, is a lovely wildflower with lobed leaves. The flowers might be white, pink, blue, or purple depending on the cultivar. Most thrive in moderate sun to some partial shade. The cultivar Golden attracts hummingbirds and spreads well, while Pussytoes performs nicely in rock gardens or as a spreading mat between pavers.
The Berlandiera lyrata, a chocolate flower or green eyes, lives true to its name with a mouthwatering chocolate scent radiating from the yellow daisy-like petals highlighted with green centers. A mounded rosette of lyre-shaped leaves gives rise to flowers. It does well in hot, dry soils made of clay.
Flowers of the sticky geranium (Geranium viscosissimum) are light pink to rose in color and veined. The plant features lobes on its leaves, from which clingy stalks with floral clusters emerge. Plants 1 to 2 feet (60 cm) to 30 inches tall may thrive in full sun and partial shade.
Gayfeather (Liatris punctata) is a plant with purple-hued feathery blossoms that may reach a height of about one foot and attract butterflies. This plant prefers soil that drains well and directs sunlight.
Trillium, a rare plant in certain areas, is often found as an understory plant in woods, where they appreciate wet, slightly acidic soils. These rhizome-based perennial herbs have three sizable bracts resembling leaves and one solitary flower that comes in various hues.
Bee balm or wild bergamot, Mondarda fistulosa, grows upright and has pink to lavender blooms. Bee balm requires well-drained soil in full sun and is resistant to powdery mildew.
With almost 250 species, Penstemon, sometimes known as beardtongue, is the largest natural genus in North America. Beardtongue is available in various colors and ranges in height from 4 inches to 3 feet (10-90 cm). All need full light and well-drained soil.
Anemone, blanket flower, butterfly weed, blue wood aster, desert four o’clock, foxglove, goldenrod, Mexican hat, prairie verbena, rose mallow, spiderwort, Texas paintbrush, thistle, winecup, and several more common wildflowers are also quite common.
Why Choose Native Flowers?
Compared to hybrids and other cultivated plants, native plants provide a variety of advantages. They need far less upkeep and often use less water, fertilizer, and pest and disease management. They often have incredibly deep root systems and are more robust, hardy, and drought resistant. They have evolved to adapt to the environment for thousands of years.
Native plants are inexpensive and require little care, but they are pollinator friendly. Native flowers meet the requirements of nearby pollinators, including bees, birds, butterflies, and bats, since they are native to the area. They also provide essential habitats for other local species and pollinators.
