# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Sugar Creek Gardens | www.sugarcreekgardens.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Whether you have a balcony garden, a small urban lot, a 4-acre parcel or a sprawling ranch, you can include native plants in your landscape. There are many reasons to embrace the use of Missouri's wonderful native plants.

Native plants create beauty and interest with a progression of flowers and fruits that furnish food and cover for butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. In addition, they:

Are adapted to our climate

Are adapted to our soils

Require little or no irrigation

Seldom require fertilizer or pesticides

What Is Native and Why It Matters

The current mix of Missouri native plants has been here since the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago.

Native plants evolved with Missouri's geology, climate, and wildlife.

Many wildlife species prefer native plants for habitat and depend on them for survival.

Well-established and maintained native-plant communities help resist invasive non-natives that threaten wildlife habitat and crops.

Native plants help preserve our natural diversity.

Facts About Lawns

A lawn mower pollutes as much in one hour as driving a car 20 miles.

Lawn mowers use 580 million gallons of gasoline each year.

Thirty to 60 percent of urban fresh water is used for watering lawns.

About 67 million pounds of pesticides are used on U.S. lawns each year.

Reduce Mowing and Increase Biodiversity with These Environmentally Friendly Practices

Plant buffalo grass

Buffalo grass grows well in full sun and likes dry, clay or average soil (not sandy). Tawny beige in winter and early spring, it starts to green in mid-April.

It requires only ½ inch of water a week, compared with most turf grasses that need 1 to 1 ½ inches.

It needs little or no fertilizer.

It is insect- and disease-resistant.

Its mature height is only 4 to 6 inches, so you can forget mowing. Or, for a manicured look, mow it once a month.

Try a prairie meadow

A diverse prairie planting can showcase Missouri's beautiful wildflowers and sturdy native grasses.

Prairie grasses and plants provide year-round habitat for wildlife that includes songbirds, small mammals, and beneficial insects.

Meadows can be planted in areas 1,000 square feet and larger.

Meadows include native grasses such as little bluestem and wildflowers such as prairie blazing star.

You can include a mowed border to create a transition zone between your house and meadow.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Whether you have a balcony garden, a small urban lot, a 4-acre parcel or a sprawling ranch, you can include native plants in your landscape. There are many reasons to embrace the use of Missouri's wonderful native plants. Native plants create beauty and interest with a progression of flowers and fruits that furnish food and cover for butterflies, birds, and other wildlife.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Missouri Native Plants - Sugar Creek Gardens

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find a large selection of Missouri Native Plants in St Louis Missouri at Sugar Creek Gardens.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Missouri is a Midwestern state with more than six million residents. The state was named after a tribe of Sioux Indians called the Missouris. It's known for its barbecue, the pawpaw fruit, the famous Gateway Arch, and much more. Something else that Missouri has is a lot of beautiful native wildflowers.

This Missouri native plants list will help you get started choosing low-maintenance plants for your garden or landscaping. There are so many benefits to choosing native plants that it just makes sense to create a native wildflower garden over other non-native choices.

Missouri native plants list

Let's take a look at 15 amazing wildflowers that just so happen to be native to the state:

Rose turtlehead is a good choice for flower beds with moist soil and is located near water. It's a great plant to attract hummingbirds and bumblebees. Butterflies also like it.

It will do great in rain gardens.

Rose turtlehead grows from 30-48 inches, on average. And it can spread from 18-24 inches. It blooms from September through October, and it likes full sun to medium shade. They get their common name from the turtle head shape the rose-colored blooms grow in.

Yellow coneflower is another great choice for your native garden or landscape. The yellow flowers are very fragrant and also work well for cut flowers or arrangements.

Butterflies, bees, and other pollinators like this one. It's reported as deer resistant but some reports of deer eating it have happened when they were very hungry. You could deter by planting something else that deer will eat instead.

Yellow coneflower loves the full sun and will grow up to 26-36 inches tall and 16-20 inches wide. It needs dry to average soil.

The stunning cardinal flower will stand out in any garden or landscape. The bright red flowers bloom from August to September and attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators.

They can grow from 2 to 4 ½ feet tall and 12-18 inches in spread, and prefer full sun to medium shade and average to moist soil conditions. They germinate from seed fairly quickly and are one of only a handful of native red flowers.

Purple beardtongue is a unique-looking flower that is sure to get attention anywhere it blooms. It has many violet to rose-purple, snapdragon-like flowers that grow on the top of the stems that can be from 16-24 inches tall.

It likes full sun and dry to average soil. When the soil is too wet, the plant can rot. A good companion plant is Missouri primrose. It makes a great nectar source for butterflies, hummingbirds, and moths, and it is drought tolerant. It blooms from May to June and is deer resistant.

New England aster is a favorite plant for migrating monarch butterflies. It can grow from 3-5 feet but if you want shorter plants, you can just punch off the top buds until early summer.

This is the perfect wildflower for rain gardens and also for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It likes full sun to medium shade, and average to moist soil.

Rosinweed is a beautiful, tall, yellow flower that is great in wildlife and prairie settings. Finches love to eat the seeds as fast as they ripen. Butterflies, birds, and other wildlife will be attracted to it.

They grow from 5-8 feet tall and have a spread of 2-3 feet. They like full sun to medium shade and dry to average soil. The yellow flowers bloom from July to August.

Here's another very unique and beautiful wildflower. It has short, compact foliage that is green all throughout the winter, too. The fragrant flowers are white with a purple or pinkish tinge and will attract bees, butterflies, and also beetles.

It blooms from May to June and is drought tolerant. Usually grows about 8-14 inches tall with a spread of 6 to 8 inches. They like full sun to light shade and dry to average soil but can tolerate very dry soil.

Bird's foot violet is another purple/violet flower. It's a short but showy plant that you might find in woodlands or on a spring hike in the wild. They like full sun to light shade and dry, well-drained soil.

They can be found in places that are too harsh for other wildflowers, like dry, rocky slopes. When watered every day, they will rot. They can grow up to 6 inches tall and 4-8 inches of spread.

Black-eyed Susan is an easily distinguishable flower because of the yellow petal-like rays that come out around a circular black or dark-brown central cone (the "eye"). It is a relatively large wildflower in comparison to others.

Rudbeckias will attract bees and butterflies, and bloom best in June. They can grow from 2-3 feet tall and 16-24 inches apart. They like full sun to light shade and average soil moisture.

This plant is one of the best you can choose for bees and some people even have success growing it in pots.

Blue lobelia is very similar to the cardinal flower, but with blue to violet color blooms instead. It also makes a good choice for a rain garden, and it will attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

It blooms from September to October and grows up to 18-30 inches tall. It can spread from 10-16 inches. It likes full sun to light shade and average to moist soil. It germinates from seed fairly easily.

For best results, plant with flowers that like the same soil conditions.

Blue sage makes a good color companion to sweet coneflower. It has beautiful blue flowers that grow upwards on the stalk and blooms mostly from August to September.

It can grow from four to six feet tall, but you can pinch them back up until around late July if you want to keep them shorter. They are deer and drought resistant and will attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Blue sage likes full sun to light shade and dry to average soil moisture.

Although it is called blue vervain, the blooms on this plant often look more violet or purplish. The clusters of blue-purplish flowers grow at the tops of branching stems.

As a tall and slender plant, it looks really good blended in with other tall plants that like the same conditions. Blue vervain can grow from 36-60 inches tall and spread from 24-36 inches. It likes full sun to medium shade and average to moist soil. It will bloom from June to September.

Blue-eyed Mary is another blue wildflower that will look great in your garden or landscape. This is a unique, showy, winter annual. It does well in shady sites and blooms from April to June.

The flowers are blue and white and will attract many bees and pollinators. Will grow from 4-15 inches tall, likes light sun to full shade, and average to moist soil conditions. This is a great choice for shady spots where other wildflowers will die.

Bur marigold may also be known as showy tickseed, tickseed sunflower, swamp marigold, or other common names. The seeds are eaten by birds and if you walk through a field of these, they will stick to your clothing.

The pretty yellow flowers attract bees, wasps, butterflies, and beetles. They are great for rain gardens and for encouraging pollination. They bloom from September to October and can grow from 1-5 feet tall. Bur marigold likes average to wet soil.

Butterfly weed gets its name because it is a favorite to butterflies and other pollinators. Milkweeds specifically are great hosts to monarch butterflies and their caterpillars will eat the foliage.

Deer avoid it for the most part because it tastes bitter to them. Can grow from 2-3 feet tall and has a spread of 1 ½ to 2 ½ feet. It blooms from June to July and likes full sun to light shade. It will do well in average soil moisture. This is a very popular plant for Missouri gardens and landscapes.

If you'd like to learn about more native plants to the state, you can check out the resources at Missouri Botanical Garden. Now, let's take a look at some commonly asked questions.

Missouri native plants list FAQ

Here are some questions people often have about native plants in this state. If you have a question you don't see on this list or covered in this post, feel free to reach out.

Where can I buy native wildflowers?

A great resource for native wildflowers and other plants is the Missouri Wildflowers Nursery in Jefferson City. They offer many wildflowers, as well as native grasses, trees and shrubs, seeds, and even groundcover.

Why are native plants important?

Why should you care about whether your plants are native are not? There are many benefits to native plants, for starters. They provide habitat to native wildlife and they also provide nectar and food sources for pollinators and other native insects. Native plants also help preserve the natural diversity of the ecosystem.

What if I am new to gardening?

Native plants are actually the best choice for new gardeners because they are low maintenance and already evolved to survive in the local climate and conditions. There are many available resources to help you choose the right plants and know how to care for them, so anyone, even beginners, can appreciate it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Missouri Native Plants List: 15 Amazing Wildflowers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Missouri is a Midwestern state with more than six million residents. The state was named after a tribe of Sioux Indians called the Missouris. It's known for its barbecue, the pawpaw fruit, the famous Gateway Arch, and much more. Something else that Missouri has is a lot of beautiful native wildflowers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What if monarch butterflies floated over that hard-to-mow corner of your high-maintenance lawn? Imagine songbirds flocking to the trees in your yard because they heard about that breakfast bu et of insects and worms in your flower garden.

Idyllic scenes, yes-but they needn't be confined to the imagination, or to a conservation area or botanical center tended by professional gardeners.

By landscaping with native Missouri plants, gardeners with the palest of green thumbs can enjoy such views just like the pros, all while knowing they've done their part to nurture complex ecosystems.

Native plant landscaping can mean seeding a prairie planting instead of reseeding part of a lawn, or tucking bee balm or purple coneflower into a bed once claimed by hostas.

It can also be "as simple as planting a native plant in a container," says Carol Davit, executive director of the Missouri Prairie Foundation. "You don't have to have this huge property to make a di‰fference."

Why Native Plants?

It's easy to appreciate the beauty of a redbud tree or a mass of wildflowers in the spring, yet the reasons native plants matter run deeper than aesthetics.

"Native plants feed and shelter insects and other wildlife that couldn't survive without them," says Michelle Bowe, a Missouri State University biology instructor and president of the Missouri Native Plant Society's southwest chapter.

As a curator of more than 100,000 plant specimens at the Ozarks Regional Herbarium, Michelle chuckles about working with "basically dead plants" and her "brown thumb" for gardening.

She does have an educated eye for identifying many native plants, though, and notes that she's seeing fewer of these specimens on visits to places such as Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area in Christian County.

Where wildflowers such as trillium, Dutchman's breeches, and a buttercup called hepatica once dotted the forest's understory, Michelle and her students now also spot less-desirable chickweed and pinkish-purple henbit, an imported but now naturalized mint often found in lawns, fields, and along roadsides.

"In the years I've been going there," she says of Busiek's landscape, "it's become degraded."

Native plants predate European immigration to the United States. Plants from other parts of the world can become invasive in Missouri for a variety of reasons and can spread, choking out native species.

In the forest, for example, invasive henbit or bush honeysuckle leaf out early in the spring, blocking the sun's rays from delicate native wildflowers, which keeps them from blooming, Michelle explains.

Invasive plants decrease biodiversity, too, she adds, because if native plants disappear from an area, so do the insects that eat them, along with the soil-enriching worms that munch on bug larvae.

"Whatever might eat the insects-woodpeckers are a good example of birds that eat insects-if their insects are gone, the woodpeckers are going to be gone, too," Michelle says.

Many Missouri birds and bees-and butterflies-are selective native plant eaters, according to Carol Davit.

"Monarch butterfly caterpillars feed exclusively on the foliage of milkweed plants," Carol says. "Yellow sulphur butterflies feed on partridge pea. And zebra swallowtail larvae feed on the foliage of pawpaws. So if we want to sustain the songbirds that we love, the monarch butterflies, and other insects, we must choose native plants in our areas."

How to Replace Non-Natives

Landscaping with native flora that staked its claim long before the Louisiana Purchase takes planning, patience, and good, old-fashioned work.

Removing invasive plants is the first step. David Middleton's eviction list includes everything from boxwood hedge and burning bush to Colorado blue spruce and Japanese silver grass.

"It's a hard job," says David, staff' gardener for Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park and co-owner with his wife, Jenny, of Ozark Soul Native Plants and Landscaping.

David advises gardeners to "go into the situation with a plan," start small, and work in phases.

"For example, bush honeysuckle dug out from under trees will grow back if the space isn't filled with a native plant right away," he says.

Some small shrubs and trees he recommends are dogwoods, pawpaws, or redbuds. Planting a matrix of shadetolerant grasses, then burning them o every year until the honeysuckle seeds die, is another option.

David and Carol agree that fire is another way to kill non-native plants and seeds to prepare the soil for natives, but both urge gardeners to first check local ordinances and call their local fire departments.

To substitute a prairie planting for a lawn, kill the grass by applying herbicide or covering it with plastic sheeting, Carol suggests.

How to Choose Plants

Plant experts also say it's wise to research the characteristics of native plants before working them into a landscape, especially in urban areas.

The tall, gray-headed coneflower-which actually boasts sunny yellow petals-may look majestic in nature yet rapidly tyrannize a border of fertilized garden soil, growing "like it's on steroids," David adds.

"It grows to six feet tall in the second year, and now it's flopped down on your sidewalk and you're wondering, 'Well, I thought these native plants were going to be a good thing.'‡"

Likewise, Carol says, "I'm not suggesting planting eightfoot- tall prairie grass in your front yard is a good idea."

Along a walkway, plant native species that grow no more than 18 inches tall, David recommends.

"Cedar sedge is one of my favorites to landscape with," he says. "It has a beautiful, beautiful texture, and it stays short, which is wonderful."

Sedge also complements phlox and alumroot in Carol's native woodland shade garden, planted under the canopy trees at her Jeerson City home.

On the other hand, a free-spirited prairie planting like the one along her driveway can keep anyone from becoming "an indentured servant" to a lawnmower. "If you have a really large acreage, instead of mowing all that, at least part of it could be converted to a planting of native grasses and wildflowers to benefit pollinators and butterflies," Carol says.

"Although many envision such a natural landscape when they think of native plants, some can also be used in formal gardens," says David, who gardened at the Shaw Nature Reserve near St. Louis for seven years before moving to the Ozarks.

To create a formal look, he says, choose three to five species and plant the same species en masse; for texture, consider the foliage of plants, including their fall colors. Something else to consider either for a natural or formal garden is when the native plants bloom.

"If you want to have a nice show of color throughout the growing season, it's important to look at the bloom periods," Carol says. "Again, it's about more than aesthetics. In an undisturbed prairie, plants flowering at diŸerent times of the year provide pollen and nectar for pollinators like bees and moths. By selecting plants that are blooming throughout the growing season, we're providing food sources for these insects."

Patience and Work

Some may hesitate to landscape using seeds of natives because they establish slowly. For smaller gardens or a perennial bed, using plants rather than seeds is recommended. When using seeds, looks can be deceiving.

"The development of extensive roots is happening along with the growth of the above-ground part," Carol explains. "It does that because the prairie plants are adapted to this part of the world, where it's drier than the eastern deciduous forest. One of these adaptations is this deep root system to find water."

David warns gardeners against planting natives too closely, assuming they will remain small. It's a mistake that will "cause you more work in the end, because you're going to be dividing them," he says, recalling how a backhoe hit bedrock in an effŸort to remove a compass plant.

Another misconception is that native gardens are carefree. David notes they require maintenance chores-watering, weeding, dividing, and pruning.

Yet, the butterflies and songbirds that reward your landscaping eŸfforts make it all worthwhile.

"If you pull out your boxwood hedge and your burning bush and your Colorado blue spruce and you put in a cherry, an oak, a willow, some coneflowers, some coreopsis, some blazing stars, you're transforming your garden into an alive experience," David says. "You're not only looking at your garden. Now, you're going to experience your garden."

How to Find Native Substitutes For Landscaping

Digging native plants from the wild on private land without permission or on public land is illegal, and is discouraged. However, finding suppliers of these native plants is pretty simple. Great Missouri plant substitutes can be purchased almost anywhere in the state. For information on the more than 145 Grow Native! professional members, many of whom grow and sell native plants, seeds, shrubs, and trees-in Missouri and elsewhere in the lower Midwest-visit GrowNative.org and click on Resource Guide. The site has a map of retailers with native plants. Call the Missouri Prairie Foundation at 888-843-6739 for advice and suggestions.

Top 10 Performing Native Plants

Missouri has 2,000 plus native plants. Many can be used for specific landscaping purposes. The Missouri Prairie Foundation's growth initiative Grow Native! program offers this list of top performing native plants. These 10 plants are all attractive, durable, long-lived, and compact.

American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
This 3- to 5-foot shrub has pink flowers in summer and purple berries in the fall.

Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
Ranging from 2 to 3 feet tall, the aster sports lavender flowers in the fall and supports pollinators.

Blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis)
This 2- to 3-foot plant produces blue flower spikes in the spring and helps pollinators.

Copper iris (Iris fulva)
This 18- to 24-inch plant is great for rain gardens with its coppery red flowers between May and June.

Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica)
A 2-foot-tall woodland plant, it blooms in early summer with bright red and yellow flowers.

Littleflower alumroot (Heuchera parvifora var. puberula)
Growing to 1 foot, this fall-blooming plant with white flowers is suitable for small gardens since it is compact.

Oak sedge (Carex albicans)
A grass reaching 8 to 12 inches high, oak sedge has compact tufts and thrives in dry, shady areas.

Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa)
The 1- to 2-foot-tall coneflower is great for rain gardens and works well as a ground cover.

Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
Growing to 18 to 24 inches, this clump-forming grass is fine-textured and flourishes in full sun.

Wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)
A large 3- to 5-foot shrub, this plant is at home in sun or partial shade.

For specific landscaping needs, visit the Missouri Prairie Foundation's Grow Native! website at GrowNative.org and search for Top Ten lists.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Here's Our Guide to Growing Native Plants

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What if monarch butterflies floated over that hard-to-mow corner of your high-maintenance lawn? Imagine songbirds flocking to the trees in your yard because they heard about that breakfast bu et of insects and worms in your flower garden. Idyllic scenes, yes-but they needn't be confined to the imagination, or to a conservation area or botanical center tended by professional gardeners.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Grow Native! Webinar: Where Do Native Plants Come From? with Mike Leahy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Plants and Animals : Missouri Native Trees

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYFtEwx9pv8

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Native Plants for MO Pollinators - Debbie Finke