Kansas Natives

Prairie Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii), also known as Sullivant’s Milkweed, is a native Midwestern perennial with broad blue-green foliage, rosy pink flower clusters, and exceptional value for monarch habitat. Upright plants bring a polished look to prairie gardens, pollinator borders, and naturalized plantings while supplying nectar to bees and butterflies.

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is a native North American herb with a rich history and distinctive characteristics. Historically used by Indigenous peoples for its medicinal properties, Boneset earned its name from its traditional use in treating fevers and musculoskeletal ailments. Originating from the eastern United States, this perennial plant is recognized for its unique features and growing habits. Boneset typically grows to a height of 3 to 4 feet and has a bushy, upright growth habit.

The pretty blossoms of Yellow (Coneflower) consists of bright skirts of hard to find yellow daisy-like petals surrounding a brown bristly center. This variety's deep taproot allows the coneflower to survive in very dry conditions, but it is also happy in humus-rich garden soil and full sun. The Yellow Coneflower is visited by nectar seeking butterflies in June and small seed eating birds in the fall.

Western Sand Milkweed (Asclepias arenaria), also known as Sandhill Milkweed or Dwarf Milkweed, is a hardy, drought-tolerant species native to the sandy plains and prairies of the central and southwestern United States, where it has long supported pollinators and played a role in Indigenous plant knowledge. This milkweed forms upright stems with soft, velvety, blue-green leaves and produces clusters of pale greenish-white flowers that are highly attractive to monarchs, bees, and other beneficial insects.

The Sideoats Grama is a warm-season bunchgrass grain variety that is easy to grow and native throughout much of North America. The ornamental and distinctive seed spikes hang from only one side of the stalk, and these make good fresh or dried cuttings. This grain prefers full sun and moderate to dry soils. The Sideoats Grama is recommended for meadow and prairie plantings, beds & borders, and as a component of forage mixes for livestock and wildlife.

The Eastern Pollinator Blend is a wildflower mixture for pollinator conservation in the eastern United States and southeast Canada. The western planting boundary would be a line straight south from the eastern borders of North and South Dakota. This mix contains a balanced blend of native annuals and perennials that provide nectar and pollen throughout the growing season. If you have specific mix requirements for pollinator conservation projects, please contact us regarding a custom mix for your area. Plant at 5 oz. per 1,000 sq.ft. or 7-14 lbs. per acre.

The Canada Wildrye is a cool-season bunchgrass grain variety that can be found throughout Canada and the U.S. except in the southeastern states. It is typically found in prairies, open woods, fields and disturbed sites. This grain tends to be short-lived but provides quick stabilization for erosion control seedings, and it makes a good, early successional component of prairie mixtures. The Canada Wildrye provides quality forage for livestock and wildlife.

Seedbox is a North American native of moist prairies and marsh edges, named for its distinctive cube-shaped seed capsule. Small yellow flowers appear at the leaf joints on reddish stems. Bees visit the blooms and leaf-feeding insects use the foliage. Grow it in sun to partial shade in medium-wet soil or a rain garden.

Common Rush has been cultivated more widely than other rushes and occurs across much of the world, including North American wetlands. Bright green, nearly leafless stems make a fine-textured stand beside ponds. Wetland birds forage and shelter among the stems and seeds. Grow in full sun on medium to wet soil.

Bottlebrush Grass was once classified as Hystrix patula, a historical name that points to its bristly, brush-shaped seed heads. This native of eastern North American woods grows during cool spring and fall weather. Northern Pearly-eye caterpillars use it as a host, and birds forage among its stems and seeds. Grow in partial shade to shade on medium to moderately dry soil.

Blunt Spike Rush is a small North American wetland native with a different life history from many rushes: it is an annual that reseeds. Upright stems and compact seed heads offer cover for frogs and perches for dragonflies. Aquatic beetles, leafhoppers, and shore flies also use its wet habitat. Sow in full sun on mud or consistently wet soil.

Awl-fruited Oval Sedge, also called Blunt Broom Sedge, is a native of North American wet lowlands. Its pale green blades and July seed spikes give it a lighter look than many other sedges. Moth, skipper, and butterfly larvae use sedge foliage, and waterfowl and songbirds eat the seeds. Plant in sun or partial shade in moist to wet soil.

Eastern Star Sedge was formerly called Straight-Styled Wood Sedge, a name referring to the shape of its female flower styles. This eastern North American woodland sedge forms fine green clumps with star-like fruiting heads that arch as they ripen. The foliage provides low cover for woodland insects and other small wildlife. Give it partial to full shade and soil that stays evenly moist.

Blue Joint Grass is a widespread North American wetland grass with a long natural role in streamside and meadow plant communities. Pink-green summer seed heads rise above rhizomes that help hold damp soil in place. Its dense growth offers cover for wetland insects and birds, and it can spread quickly across restoration sites. Give it full sun to partial shade and moist to wet ground.

Nodding Bur Marigold is a native annual of North American wet meadows and marsh edges. Its old names Beggar's Tick and Sticktight recall the hooked seeds that cling to passing animals. Golden, sunflower-like flowers feed bees, butterflies, skippers, and moths; later, ducks and songbirds eat the seeds. Plant in full sun and wet to moist ground, where it can reseed naturally.

Mud Plantain is an emergent native of North American pond margins, marshes, and other shallow, quiet water. Its roots were historically used as food and in traditional remedies, a record of the plant's long relationship with wetland communities. White summer flowers rise above broad leaves, and the plant provides food and cover for waterfowl, fish, and amphibians. Choose a sunny, consistently wet site or a naturalized water garden.

Elm-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia) is a distinctive North American native plant. Arching sprays of yellow flowers appear from midsummer into fall above elm-like leaves, bringing late nectar to woodland edges. It matures at approximately 36 inches tall and flowers from early to mid summer through mid to late summer through early to mid fall. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry-medium to medium conditions, with loamy soil or sandy soil. Space plants 18–24 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Slender Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) is a distinctive North American native plant. Narrow foliage gives this aromatic mountain mint an airy texture, while its white flower clusters support diverse beneficial insects. It matures at approximately 24 inches tall and flowers from late spring to early summer through early to mid summer through mid to late summer. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry-medium through medium-wet conditions, with loamy soil or sandy soil. Space plants 18–24 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Saw-tooth Sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus) is a distinctive North American native plant. Tall reddish-purple stems and sharply toothed leaves support clusters of yellow blooms that feed insects and seed-eating birds. It matures at approximately 96 inches tall and flowers from mid to late summer through early to mid fall. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry-medium through medium-wet conditions, with loamy soil or clay soil. Space plants 36–48 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum) is a distinctive North American native plant. This well-behaved native shrub forms a rounded habit and covers itself with bright yellow flowers that are especially attractive to bumblebees. It matures at approximately 48 inches tall and flowers from early to mid summer through mid to late summer. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry-medium through medium-wet conditions, with loamy soil, clay soil, sandy soil or poor soil. Space plants 36–48 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Early Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) is a short-lived native perennial with bright yellow, daisy-like flowers from early summer into early fall. Upright clumps reach about 5 feet tall and support bees, butterflies, and seed-eating birds. Plants perform best in full sun and tolerate loam, clay, or sandy soils with medium moisture. Seed requires 30 days of cold, moist stratification before germination.

Wild Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata) is a tall native perennial with bright yellow flowers that bloom from midsummer into fall. Plants reach about 7 feet and spread by rhizomes, making them well suited to moist naturalized gardens, woodland edges, and rain-garden plantings. The flowers support bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, while mature seed heads provide food for birds. Seed requires 30 days of cold, moist stratification and should be surface sown.

Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) is a North American native perennial that sends up graceful spikes of white, bell-shaped flowers with a soft pink blush. The upright blooms brighten prairie gardens, rain gardens and naturalized borders from late spring into early summer. Plants establish into durable clumps that tolerate a range of soils when drainage is adequate. The nectar-rich flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Allegheny Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens) is a moisture-loving native perennial with violet-blue, snapdragon-like flowers. It thrives along pond margins, in wet meadows, and in rain gardens where soil stays consistently moist. The upright plants bloom through summer and provide nectar for bees and other pollinators. Mature flowering stems typically reach about 18 to 24 inches tall.

Don't let the name fool you! This is mainly an Eastern native plant. Known botanically as Helianthus occidentalis, the Western Sunflower has a distinctive growth habit that makes it easy to recognize. Most of its leaves cluster in a rosette at the plant’s base, while a slender stalk rises from the center and can reach about three feet tall. A brilliant yellow flower head appears at the top of the stem. Because the stalk bears very few leaves, the species is also commonly called the “naked-stemmed sunflower” or “few-leaved sunflower.”

The Buffalo Grass is a warm-season grass that is the predominant component of the shortgrass prairies of the Great Plains. Once established, it is extremely drought tolerant and tough. It can be used as a xeriscape lawn grass for water conservation, and it is a common component in range mixtures. White Tailed Deer, Bison and Prairie Dogs utilize it for forage, and it is a larval host for the Green Skipper. Plants are stoloniferous and can invade flower beds if an edging or barrier is not used.

Western Native Grass Mix combines seven grasses adapted to dry western sites below about 6,000 feet. Cool- and warm-season growth produces a changing display of fine foliage, upright stems, and ornamental seed heads. Plants mature around one to three feet, offering meadow character without the scale of tallgrass species. The diverse root systems strengthen soil and support wildlife in low-input landscapes.

Southern Plains Native Grass Mix unites short- and mid-height prairie grasses adapted to sun, wind, and periodic drought. Warm- and cool-season species share the stand, giving the planting a longer active season and varied seed-head form. Most growth stays between one and three feet, making the blend useful around homes as well as in broad meadow projects. Dense roots protect soil while mature stems furnish food and shelter for wildlife.

Wild quinine carries pearly white button-like flower heads above coarse gray-green foliage for much of summer. The rigid stems hold their shape beautifully in prairie gardens, pollinator borders, and dried arrangements. A deep root system helps established plants perform through heat and dry spells.

White snakeroot brings clouds of bright white flowers to shaded edges when many woodland plants have finished blooming. It adapts to clay and moist soil, forming upright clumps that supply late nectar for insects. All plant parts contain toxic compounds, so place it thoughtfully around livestock and pets.

Cup plant is a towering prairie perennial whose joined leaves form small basins around the stems. Those natural cups collect rainwater that birds and insects may use, while yellow flowers provide a generous summer nectar source. Give it a spacious site with sun and dependable moisture where its colony-forming habit can shine.