Gardening Guides
Native Plants
Plant, Then Forget, These Attractive and Beneficial Natives
Sometimes lazy gardening provides a plethora of flowers
There are many reasons to seed plants in your landscape, either on their own or in conjunction with nursery plants. You’ll see a higher diversity of blooms, and the cost per foot can be quite low compared with using plugs or larger containerized plants. Additionally, they can be an especially low-maintenance way to garden.
Here is a selection of some of my favorite seed-and-forget plants that are robust and establish easily, with some suggestions on how to use each in garden borders and beds.
Here is a selection of some of my favorite seed-and-forget plants that are robust and establish easily, with some suggestions on how to use each in garden borders and beds.
Blackeyed Susan
(Rudbeckia hirta)
Naturalized to every state and southern Canada, except Arizona and Nevada
This biennial flower may be common, but you have to admit it’s one of the most charming and long-lasting summer bloomers we have. It’s also a boon to pollinators. Toss some seed out in late fall, and next spring you’ll have little rosettes of fuzzy, soft green leaves — and, if you’re lucky, a few flowers the first year, though the real flush is in year two.
It will self-sow moderately in open ground, much less in a tightly planted bed. Blackeyed Susan tolerates a variety of soils and site conditions, except shade. This is another plant to use the first year to help keep weeds at bay in a new bed, as each plant quickly grows basal foliage that will cover the ground.
Learn more about growing blackeyed Susan
(Rudbeckia hirta)
Naturalized to every state and southern Canada, except Arizona and Nevada
This biennial flower may be common, but you have to admit it’s one of the most charming and long-lasting summer bloomers we have. It’s also a boon to pollinators. Toss some seed out in late fall, and next spring you’ll have little rosettes of fuzzy, soft green leaves — and, if you’re lucky, a few flowers the first year, though the real flush is in year two.
It will self-sow moderately in open ground, much less in a tightly planted bed. Blackeyed Susan tolerates a variety of soils and site conditions, except shade. This is another plant to use the first year to help keep weeds at bay in a new bed, as each plant quickly grows basal foliage that will cover the ground.
Learn more about growing blackeyed Susan
Upright Prairie Coneflower
(Ratibida columnifera)
Native primarily to the Great Plains from western Minnesota south to Arkansas and eastern Texas, west to Montana in the north and Arizona in the south; it is naturalized in California, as well as in areas in several states east of the Mississippi River
Upright prairie coneflower is easy to germinate and does best with little competition. Sow it in a thickly planted bed and it will vanish in a few years. It makes a great plant to colonize a new, barren site, with scads of both deep red and bright yellow blooms. Sometimes, plants will also hybridize, producing orange-speckled flowers.
Give it a dry, well-drained to medium soil in full sun and watch the show. Broadcast seeds on soil surface in late fall. I’ve used this plant to kill areas of fescue lawn, especially when using a thick seeding rate, because these taller plants out-compete and shade out short lawns over the course of a season.
Learn more about growing upright prairie coneflower
(Ratibida columnifera)
Native primarily to the Great Plains from western Minnesota south to Arkansas and eastern Texas, west to Montana in the north and Arizona in the south; it is naturalized in California, as well as in areas in several states east of the Mississippi River
Upright prairie coneflower is easy to germinate and does best with little competition. Sow it in a thickly planted bed and it will vanish in a few years. It makes a great plant to colonize a new, barren site, with scads of both deep red and bright yellow blooms. Sometimes, plants will also hybridize, producing orange-speckled flowers.
Give it a dry, well-drained to medium soil in full sun and watch the show. Broadcast seeds on soil surface in late fall. I’ve used this plant to kill areas of fescue lawn, especially when using a thick seeding rate, because these taller plants out-compete and shade out short lawns over the course of a season.
Learn more about growing upright prairie coneflower
Asters
(Symphyotrichum spp.)
Native throughout North America
It’s difficult to pick one aster, as there are many to choose from in each region of the U.S. Smooth aster and New England aster might be the most common and showy, and they are certainly dependable. Smooth aster (S. laeve) grows to about 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide in full to part sun and medium to dry soils. New England aster (S. novae-angliae) will grow taller, reaching about 4 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Pacific aster (S. chilense) is a good choice for gardeners in the West, reaching 1 to 3 feet tall.
These asters prefer full or partial sun in moist to medium soils. Sow in fall on the soil surface and dust lightly with soil, or simply step on them to push them into the earth.
6 Overlooked Asters for Tough Spots
(Symphyotrichum spp.)
Native throughout North America
It’s difficult to pick one aster, as there are many to choose from in each region of the U.S. Smooth aster and New England aster might be the most common and showy, and they are certainly dependable. Smooth aster (S. laeve) grows to about 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide in full to part sun and medium to dry soils. New England aster (S. novae-angliae) will grow taller, reaching about 4 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Pacific aster (S. chilense) is a good choice for gardeners in the West, reaching 1 to 3 feet tall.
These asters prefer full or partial sun in moist to medium soils. Sow in fall on the soil surface and dust lightly with soil, or simply step on them to push them into the earth.
6 Overlooked Asters for Tough Spots
Milkweed
(Asclepias spp.)
Native throughout North America
As with asters, there are dozens of milkweed to choose from. Consider swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) or butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa) for more behaved, clump-forming plants. Swamp milkweed reaches 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide in moist to medium soils and full to partial sun. Butterfly milkweed will reach about 2 feet tall and wide if grown in dry soil and full sun.
Sow these seeds in fall to early winter on the soil surface and dust lightly with soil.
Learn more about growing milkweed
(Asclepias spp.)
Native throughout North America
As with asters, there are dozens of milkweed to choose from. Consider swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) or butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa) for more behaved, clump-forming plants. Swamp milkweed reaches 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide in moist to medium soils and full to partial sun. Butterfly milkweed will reach about 2 feet tall and wide if grown in dry soil and full sun.
Sow these seeds in fall to early winter on the soil surface and dust lightly with soil.
Learn more about growing milkweed
Photo by Fritz Flohr Reynolds
Golden Alexanders
(Zizia aurea)
Native from the eastern Dakotas down to eastern Texas, and east to the Atlantic and New England
Golden Alexanders is an easy-to-grow mid- to late-spring bloomer that many of our smallest native bees flock to in spring for nectar and pollen. Growing about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, they will slowly self-sow in open areas; less so where there is dense, layered competition.
Grow them in dry to moist soils with full to partial sun. Toss seeds on the soil surface in fall or winter.
Learn more about growing golden Alexanders
Golden Alexanders
(Zizia aurea)
Native from the eastern Dakotas down to eastern Texas, and east to the Atlantic and New England
Golden Alexanders is an easy-to-grow mid- to late-spring bloomer that many of our smallest native bees flock to in spring for nectar and pollen. Growing about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, they will slowly self-sow in open areas; less so where there is dense, layered competition.
Grow them in dry to moist soils with full to partial sun. Toss seeds on the soil surface in fall or winter.
Learn more about growing golden Alexanders
Photo by peganum
Blue Sage
(Salvia azurea)
Native from Utah through Nebraska and Michigan, south to Florida and New Mexico
Ready for hummingbirds? You’ll see them every year from late summer to fall, when migration season is in full swing and this native plant is blooming. Blue sage grows 3 to 4 feet tall, with a small footprint of just 1 foot wide. This is not an aggressive plant, even though its seed is perhaps the easiest on the list to germinate.
Plant blue sage in dry, sunny, hot conditions. Sow in fall, winter or even spring, and watch out for blooms, especially in the second year.
Learn more about growing blue sage
More
See how to grow more plants native to your region
Your Essential Seed-Starting Glossary
Blue Sage
(Salvia azurea)
Native from Utah through Nebraska and Michigan, south to Florida and New Mexico
Ready for hummingbirds? You’ll see them every year from late summer to fall, when migration season is in full swing and this native plant is blooming. Blue sage grows 3 to 4 feet tall, with a small footprint of just 1 foot wide. This is not an aggressive plant, even though its seed is perhaps the easiest on the list to germinate.
Plant blue sage in dry, sunny, hot conditions. Sow in fall, winter or even spring, and watch out for blooms, especially in the second year.
Learn more about growing blue sage
More
See how to grow more plants native to your region
Your Essential Seed-Starting Glossary
(Schizachyrium scoparium and Bouteloua curtipendula)
Native to everywhere in the U.S. except the West Coast; especially prevalent in the Central Plains
I’m starting with a two-for-one because using grasses, like these two native from the mixed grass prairie, is an easy way to fill gaps and control weeds — especially in the first year or two of a garden’s establishment. Little bluestem and sideoats grama will need to be sown after danger of frost and freezes has passed in spring. Keeping the beds damp will speed germination. If you are concerned about weeds out-competing a garden you just established, consider doubling the suggested seeding rate, which is the amount of seed you spread per square foot of soil.
Little bluestem has stunning orange to red to copper fall color with sparkling little eyelash seeds. This warm-season bunch grass reaches 2 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide and spreads through self-sowing. It grows best in dry to medium soil in partial to full sun.
Sideoats grama is also a warm-season bunch grass that spreads by seed. It is shorter, only reaching 12 to 18 inches tall and wide. It may reach 2 to 3 feet tall when flowering in midsummer. In fall it turns a golden tan. The plant is highly drought tolerant and prefers as much sun as you can give it.
Learn more about growing little bluestem and sideoats grama