Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
For Montana gardens in the Northern Rockies & Great Plains steppe, knits across the ground 12–18 in wide and just 6–16 in tall, no mowing needed, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Montana · Zones 3–5
Native Groundcover Plants in Montana
Low, spreading natives that knit together to cover bare ground, smother weeds, and replace thirsty lawn or mulch. 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 Prairie Smoke and Common Yarrow — is filtered to species genuinely native to Montana and the wider flora of the Mountain West and hardy through zones 3–5. A living native groundcover does everything mulch does and then keeps doing it for free — covering soil, blocking weeds, and feeding wildlife as it goes. Match the spreader to the site (sun or shade, wet or dry), plant on tight centers so they close ranks in a season or two, and weed faithfully that first year while they fill in.
The plants
7 native species for Montana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
For Montana gardens in the Northern Rockies & Great Plains steppe, a living mulch at 1.5–3 ft tall, fanning 1.5–2 ft wide to cover soil and block weeds, and it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
For Montana gardens in the Northern Rockies & Great Plains steppe, runs 8–16 in wide and stays ankle-low at 8–20 in, holding soil where lawn won't, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
For Montana gardens in the Northern Rockies & Great Plains steppe, spreads low — 4–8 in tall, 3–6 ft wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
For Montana gardens in the Northern Rockies & Great Plains steppe, a living mulch at 2–6 ft tall, fanning 5–10 ft wide to cover soil and block weeds, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
For Montana gardens in the Northern Rockies & Great Plains steppe, a living mulch at 30–50 ft tall, fanning 10–20 ft wide to cover soil and block weeds, and it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
For Montana gardens in the Northern Rockies & Great Plains steppe, carpets bare soil 2–3 ft wide to replace thirsty lawn or mulch, for sand, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
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.