Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — white (wild form) flowers and 1.5–2 ft wide, and forgives neglect, and it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Idaho · Zones 4–6
Easy Native Plants in Idaho
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. For Idaho, the right natives are shaped by Columbia Plateau & Northern Rockies and a semi-arid to montane climate. Every species below, from Common Yarrow and Douglas Aster to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Idaho and the wider flora of the Mountain West and hardy through zones 4–6. The easiest natives are the ones already adapted to your local soil and rainfall, so they need no fertilizer, no irrigation after year one, and no winter coddling. Start with these, plant them where their light and moisture needs are genuinely met, mulch the first year, and the maintenance shrinks to a single late-winter cleanup. Right plant, right place does ninety percent of the work.
The plants
9 native species for Idaho
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–6 · see this collection in other states.
Douglas Aster
Symphyotrichum subspicatum
Plant it and forget it: violet-blue flowers and 2–4 ft tall, no fuss — it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Penstemon strictus
Plant it and forget it: 12–18 in wide and deep blue-purple flowers, no fuss; it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
About as hard to kill as a native gets — hardy in zones 4–9 and reaching 1.5–2.5 ft, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
A beginner's native — cold-hardy to zone 3 and spreading 1.5–3 ft, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
A beginner's native — for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground and cold-hardy to zone 3, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
About as hard to kill as a native gets — hardy in zones 3–7 and spreading 6–10 ft, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 8–20 in and for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground, and forgives neglect, and it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
A beginner's native — 2–4 ft tall and cold-hardy to zone 3, content with whatever you give it.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Idaho
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.