Missouri Natives

The Big Bluestem is a warm season ornamental grass that actively grows during the summer when soil temperatures are warm but is beautiful all year round. This variety is a big plant, getting over six feet tall in most situations! In a landscape, the Big Bluestem can be used as an accent. This ornamental grass has a great fall color in the range of gold and pink.

Marsh marigold brightens the early garden with glossy foliage and cheerful golden flowers. It thrives in consistently moist soil beside ponds, streams, rain gardens, and other low areas. The clumping plants bring welcome color before many other perennials begin blooming.

Pale Beardtongue (Penstemon pallidus) is a distinctive North American native plant. Pale tubular blooms appear above a compact base, making this beardtongue especially useful in sandy or rocky native plantings. It matures at approximately 12 inches tall and flowers from mid to late spring through late spring to early summer. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry to dry-medium conditions, with sandy soil, dry soil or poor soil. Space plants 10–12 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

The Phlox Annual Mix is a combination of red, purple, pink and white hued blooms, making it one of the most beautiful wildflowers around! This variety only grows to 1' tall and can grow anywhere.

Hirtella Asclepias, more commonly known as Hirtella Milkweed or sometimes grouped under Asclepias hirtella and Tall Green Milkweed, is a native prairie species historically found across the central United States in moist to moderately dry meadows, savannas, and open grasslands. It is recognized for its tall, slender stems topped with rounded clusters of pale green to yellow-green flowers that attract a wide variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and monarch caterpillars.

The Sneezeweed Helenium produces a numerous amount of beautiful, large, daisy-like yellow flowers that bloom in the late summer and early autumn! Despite its common name, this variety presents no problems for most allergy sufferers.

After the leaves drop, the stems glow with masses of bright red berries well into winter on this native deciduous holly. Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) saves its best show for that season, and it is right at home in wet or soggy spots, making it a standout for rain gardens, pond edges and low areas. Birds feast on the fruit through the cold months, and cut branches are a favorite for holiday decorating.

Clusters of glossy, vivid purple berries ring the stems in late summer and fall, and songbirds feed on them well into winter. American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a native shrub famous for that display, with an arching, open habit, soft green leaves and small pink flowers in early summer that draw bees. It is a favorite for woodland edges, native gardens and wildlife plantings, and it tolerates partial shade and average soils with ease.

Sweet black-eyed Susan bears golden daisies with dark brown centers on tall, well-branched stems. Its long display runs from summer into early fall and adds height without looking heavy. Gently aromatic foliage and sturdy growth make it a memorable choice for meadows and back borders.

American alum root creates a handsome mound of maple-shaped foliage for shaded beds and woodland edges. Slender stems carry airy sprays of tiny cream flowers above the leaves in late spring. Its adaptable habit works well as a textural groundcover in average, well-drained soil.

Closed Bottle gentian opens the late-summer season with clusters of deep blue, bottle-shaped flowers that remain mostly closed. Strong bumblebees push into the blossoms to reach their nectar, making the plant fascinating to watch. It prefers cool, humus-rich ground with dependable moisture and light afternoon shade.

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.

White Wild Indigo is a long-lived native legume of eastern and central North American prairies, once listed under the names Baptisia leucantha and Baptisia lactea. White pea-like flowers on dark stems attract bumblebees, while sulphur and blue butterfly caterpillars use its foliage. Its deep roots and association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria help it persist in prairie plantings. Give it sun to partial shade and room for its broad, shrub-like form.

Riddell's Goldenrod (Oligoneuron riddellii) is a distinctive North American native plant. Dense golden flower clusters brighten damp soils late in the season and provide seed for songbirds after bloom. It matures at approximately 36 inches tall and flowers from mid to late summer through early to mid fall. Plant it in full sun, in medium through wet conditions, with loamy soil, clay soil, wet soil or alkaline soil. Space plants 24–36 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Tall Sunflower (Helianthus giganteus) is a distinctive North American native plant. Clusters of yellow flowers crown tall purplish stems, creating late-season color and abundant food for pollinators and birds. It matures at approximately 96 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 medium to medium-wet conditions, with loamy soil, clay soil or sandy 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.

Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii) is a native perennial with golden-orange flowers and a compact, mounding habit. Plants reach about 3 feet and bloom from midsummer into early fall in full sun or partial shade. The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, and the mature seed heads provide food for birds. Seed requires 60 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.

Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) is a native perennial with flat-topped clusters of bright yellow flowers in spring to early summer. It grows well in moist to mesic meadows, open woods, and woodland edges in full sun to partial light. The flowers provide early forage for bees and butterflies, while the upright foliage adds structure to native plantings. Plants typically reach about 18 to 24 inches tall once established.

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 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.

Autumn brings one of the season's most brilliant displays of orange, gold and red to this classic North American shade tree. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is also the source of real maple syrup, and mature trees can be tapped each spring for sap. It grows into a dense, rounded crown with five-lobed leaves, and being long-lived and strong-wooded, it is ideal for lawns, parks and woodlots. This northern seed source is well suited to cold winters.

Creamy, custard-like fruit with a flavor often compared to banana and mango ripens in late summer on this small understory tree. Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is North America's largest native fruit, with big, tropical-looking leaves and a tidy, pyramidal habit. Its maroon spring flowers and golden fall foliage add ornamental value, and it is the only host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly. Plant two or more for best fruit set.

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.

Virginia Wild Rye has long filled forest edges and damp clearings in eastern North America. Its quick growth and ready reseeding make it useful as a native cover crop and for streambank stabilization. Birds use the seed-bearing stems for food and cover, and insects inhabit the grass. It tolerates sun to shade and moist ground, with tan and crimson fall color.

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.

Prairie Coreopsis, also called Stiff Tickseed, has long brightened the dry prairies of central North America. Some Indigenous communities historically used boiled Coreopsis seeds in topical remedies. Yellow flowers feed native pollinators and honeybees, while birds can forage for seed later in the season. Its rhizomes spread in sunny, lean, well-drained soil; give it room.

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.

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.

Hairy Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum var. pilosum) is a distinctive North American native plant. Hairy stems and aromatic foliage frame pale flower clusters that become busy feeding stations for summer pollinators. It matures at approximately 36 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 to medium conditions, with loamy soil or sandy soil. Space plants 18–24 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.