Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A sun-lover that flowers in Jul and Aug, standing 3–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Montana · Zones 3–5
Native Plants for Full Sun in Montana
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. Montana sits in a landscape of Northern Rockies & Great Plains steppe, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cold, semi-arid character. The list below — led by Swamp Milkweed and Wild Bergamot — is filtered to species genuinely native to Montana and the wider flora of the Mountain West and hardy through zones 3–5. A spot with six or more hours of direct sun is prime real estate for the prairie and meadow natives that evolved in the open — most want exactly that much light to bloom hard and stand up straight. Give them lean, well-drained soil rather than rich and pampered, skip the fertilizer, and they will reward the tough love with more flowers and sturdier stems.
The plants
56 native species for Montana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Give it full sun and it flowers in Apr and May, 15–25 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Give it full sun and it flowers in Sep and Oct, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Made for open ground — blooms Apr through Jun, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Penstemon strictus
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Jul, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Made for open ground — flowers in May and Jun, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
Give it full sun and it blooms Apr through Sep, 3–6 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Give it full sun and it flowers in Apr and May, 6–16 in tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
A sun-lover that blooms Jul through Sep, standing 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Sep, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Sep, 1–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
A sun-lover that flowers in Jul and Aug, standing 3–5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Red-Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum
Give it full sun and it flowers in Mar and Apr, 5–9 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
A sun-lover that flowers in Aug and Sep, standing 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Give it full sun and it flowers in Mar and Apr, 6–12 in tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Aug, 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Made for open ground — blooms Jul through Sep, 5–8 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Firecracker Penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
Give it full sun and it blooms Mar through May, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Douglas Aster
Symphyotrichum subspicatum
Give it full sun and it blooms Aug through Oct, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Aug, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
32 more also qualify: Butterfly Weed, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Dense Blazing Star, Chocolate Flower, Eastern Redbud, Aromatic Aster, New England Aster, Obedient Plant, Maximilian Sunflower, Stiff Goldenrod, Common Boneset, Sideoats Grama, Blue Grama, Ninebark, Red-Twig Dogwood, Oregon Grape, Showy Milkweed, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Rattlesnake Master, Common Milkweed, Blue Vervain, Compass Plant, Bearberry, Fragrant Sumac, Virginia Creeper, New Jersey Tea, Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, Indian Grass, Prairie Dropseed, Little Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Montana
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.