Blanketflowers, the trembling aspen tree, common yarrows, and the golden currant shrub are some of the best native plants that thrive in Montana because they appeal to the senses. Our list includes visually stunning plants that make soothing sounds, smell wonderful, or are edible.
They have this in common: they all thrive in our cooler climate, do well in the wet, mountainous side of the Continental Divide, and handle the drier, hotter summers in the central and eastern parts of the state.
Native flowers for Montana
Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata)
For summer blooms, check out the blanketflower, which blossoms from July to September. Also called common blanket flower, this pollinator-friendly plant has long yellow or red petals and a dark center that looks like a large button or dot.
Blanketflower is commonly found from the foothills to the prairies. This perennial gives back to the Montana ecosystem by providing seeds for birds. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators indulge in the nectar.
Blanketflower is perfect for home landscapes without irrigation systems; the sweet-smelling plant is drought-tolerant. It also adapts to poor soils.
Make a rock garden come alive with blanketflower, or plant this perennial as a border.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA hardiness zone: 3-10
- Duration: Perennial
- Water needs: Low
- Sun: Full sun
- Soil: Loam; well-drained
- Mature height: 1 to 3 feet
Common yarrow (Achillea Millefolium)
Common yarrow is a common and colorful sight in Montana’s foothills and prairies. This flower provides a striking contrast, with dark green leaves and clusters of small flowers that grow from July to September. The foliage emits a pleasant aroma that attracts bees.
Common yarrow requires moist soil but can become invasive in these conditions. Plant this flower in well-drained soil to keep it from becoming aggressive.
This drought-tolerant plant tolerates light foot traffic and grows best in full sun. Common yarrows look good as a flowering ground cover.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA hardiness zone: 4-8
- Duration: Perennial
- Sun: Full to partial sun
- Water needs: Medium, Drought tolerant
- Soil: Prefers sandy loams, moist, well-drained soil
- Mature height: 2 feet
Narrowleaf purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)
Narrowleaf purple coneflowers resemble blanketflower. Both have a big, two-toned button center. However, coneflower’s petals are not as tightly clustered as those of the blanketflower, and coneflowers are purple and white.
It prefers sandy to clay soils, so you’ll find it growing throughout the forest valleys and prairie regions.
This sweet-smelling plant attracts bumblebees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Once established, it needs minimal irrigation if any, and can thrive off of Montana’s rainfall.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8
- Duration: Perennial
- Sun: Full sun, partial shade
- Water needs: Medium
- Soil: Sandy
- Mature height: 2 to 5 feet
Native shrubs and vines for Montana
Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
This tree’s vibrant red twigs typically intensify in the fall and winter, providing your landscape with color in the cold season. Creamy white flowers arrive in the spring, attracting pollinators like butterflies and birds that feast on the berries. Red osier dogwood’s preference for loam to clay soils means it is commonly found in the foothill valleys and grassland coulees.
This perennial is great for properties with full sun and shady areas. Dogwood grows quickly and helps reduce erosion.
The shrub works well in a rain garden. Use a spade for root pruning if it becomes invasive.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA hardiness zone: 2-7
- Duration: Perennial
- Sunlight needs: Full sun to partial shade
- Water needs: Medium to high
- Soil: Prefers chalk, clay, loam, or sand but adaptable to most soils
- Mature height: 6 to 9 feet
Golden currant (Ribes aureum)
Golden currants are no stranger to the prairie coulees, valleys, and foothills of Montana. This perennial prefers organically rich soil but adapts to clayey and sandy soils.
Homeowners enjoy the yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers that blossom from April to May and the spicy smell. Several bee varieties and other pollinators are attracted to this drought-tolerant plant, while songbirds are drawn to its berries.
Plant golden currant as shrub borders or in a wildlife garden and get ready to dine with the birds. The dark-colored berries are edible and have been used to make treats like pies and juices.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA hardiness zone: 3-8
- Duration: Deciduous perennial
- Sun: Full to partial sun
- Water needs: Low; drought-tolerant
- Soil: Well-drained, organically rich
- Mature height: 3 to 10 feet
Chokecherry (Prunus Virginiana)
The chokecherry grows up to 10 to 15 feet high. It lives for about 25 years. This perennial has decorated landscapes as a shrub or tree. Chokecherries are commonly found in the foothills to prairie coulees. The white flowers blossom from April through July and the leaves are a glossy, dark green.
You can join others in making jelly with the berries, but if you decide to eat the berries raw, watch out. They have been known to cause the lips to pucker and make you feel a little choked from the bitter taste. They don’t call it by its common name, chokecherry, for nothing.
Plant this perennial as shrub borders or in an open woodland garden and give yourself a visual and edible treat.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA hardiness zone: 2-7
- Life cycle: Perennial
- Sun: Full sun to full shade
- Water needs: Medium; drought tolerant
- Soil: Moist limestone-based, sand, loam, clay
- Mature height: 15 feet
Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa)
Rabbitbrush adapts well to a variety of conditions. It prefers sandy environments but tolerates loamy and clay soils. Homeowners looking for visual interest late in the fall will love the bright yellow flowers that appear in August and remain until October.
One drawback: the smell. While butterflies are attracted to rabbitbrush, the plant’s aroma has been described as a rubbery, unpleasant smell, although some say it has more of a pineapple scent.
At any rate, the leaves are rubbery, the plant requires little water, and its roots can help stabilize the soil and manage erosion. Plant rabbitbrush as shrub borders and enjoy its attractiveness and functionality.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA hardiness zone: 4-9
- Duration: Deciduous
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: Low
- Soil: Well-drained clay, sandy, or loam soil
- Mature height: 4 to 7 feet
Western white clematis (Clematis ligusticifolia)
Western white clematis is a Montana favorite because it grows well in multiple soil types. Homes with pets may want to avoid this vine, as it is poisonous to cats and dogs. However, for pet-free households or homes with garden spaces that pets do not have access to, this climbing deciduous plant is great for creating a vertical garden. It can grow up to 30 feet, and its small white flowers and silvery seed pods that develop in late summer offer great visual interest to walls and trellises.
This native flora attracts butterflies and bees. Locate western white clematis where it can climb up a fence, pergola, or other structure and enjoy the flower’s sweet fragrance.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA hardiness zone: 5-7
- Duration: Deciduous
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: Once established; clematis needs 1 inch of water weekly.
- Soil: Prefers deep, moist, well-drained soils.
- Mature height: This vine can grow to 30 feet.
Native trees for Montana
Rocky mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.)
Rocky Mountain juniper is native to most of Montana. The droopy branches showcase green leaves that are needle-like before the tree matures. Juniper’s branches are thin and reddish-brown, and its small berries attract birds.
The male tree releases pollen in the spring, so you may want to choose a female tree. This evergreen is shaped like an inverted vase and grows up to 40 feet high. It works well as a specimen tree.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA hardiness zone: 3-9
- Duration: Evergreen
- Sun: Full sun.
- Water needs: This tree only needs water from rainfall.
- Soil: Prefers well-drained, neutral soils.
- Mature height: 30-40 feet tall.
Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides)
The trembling aspen is natively located in valley bottoms and ravines. Aspen adds visual delight and creates a soothing sound when breezes waft through it. This perennial has showy yellow leaves that make a rustling sound in the wind, which is how it earned its name.
Trembling aspen grows fast and reaches up to 60 feet high. It thrives in the sun and does not tolerate shade well. The aspen self-prunes as it grows bigger, creating a stunning visual effect. The self-pruning typically causes black markings that form the shape of an eye.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 1-6
- Duration: Perennial
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: Medium
- Soil: Dry to mid-range, organic-rich, well-drained soil moist
- Mature height: 20 to 60 feet
Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)
Ponderosa pine grows naturally in the lower-elevation areas of the state. The bark is brownish-black when young and yellowish when it matures. In older trees, the scales on the bark make the tree look like a jigsaw puzzle.
The plates on the bark shed if the tree is on fire. This feature along with the thick branches makes ponderosa pine mildly fire resistant. However, crown fires can kill the tree if the flames reach high enough.
Ponderosa pine requires full sun. Plant it where it will get plenty of light. This tree has been used to build houses and make paper and artificial vanilla.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA hardiness zone: 3-7
- Duration: Evergreen
- Sun: Full Sun
- Water Needs: Moderate
- Soil: Well-drained soil
- Mature Height: 60 to 100 feet
Native groundcover for Montana
Kinnickinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
Bell-shaped pink and white flowers grow on stems adorned with multiple glossy, dark green leaves that bend slightly. This perennial can reach up to 8 inches tall. The striking leaves are reddish-purple in the autumn. Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to kinnickinnick.
You can eat the berries raw, but they taste sweeter when cooked. The fruit has been used to make beverages and as a preservative. Kinnickinnick has been used historically for medicinal purposes.
Plant details and ideal growing conditions:
- USDA hardiness zone: 2-6
- Duration: Perennial
- Sun: Full sun or partial shade
- Water needs: Low
- Soil: Sandy, acidic; can be dry or moist but no standing water
- Mature height: Up to 8 inches
Where to get help with your Montana landscaping
Native plants can bring your landscape alive with color, texture, and wonderful smells. But your yard won’t be a beautiful oasis unless your lawn looks good, too. Lawn Love can connect you with professionals who can care for all of your landscaping and lawn care needs.
Main Image Credit: Tom Hilton | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0
