White flowers for a wet meadow
Common boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Late native flowers feed many pollinators, and seedheads supply food for birds.
Instead of butterfly bush
Meet this plantPhoto: H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0
All statesNative plants
A GARDEN THAT BELONGS HERE
Native plants
for North Dakota.
Familiar garden favorites, with native roots.
Find your first swap for sun, shade, and the soil underfoot.
6+ hours of direct sun
Full sun
Tall late-season pollinator flowers
Spotted Joe-Pye weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Native flower clusters supply late-season nectar for bees and butterflies.
Instead of butterfly bush
Meet this plantPhoto: Kathleen Moore · CC BY 4.0
Upright pink flower spikes
Obedient plant
Physostegia virginiana
Native summer flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Susan Strine · CC BY 2.0
Summer flowers for a moist hedge
White meadowsweet
Spiraea alba
Native flowers feed pollinators, and foliage hosts spring azure caterpillars.
Instead of japanese spirea
Meet this plantPhoto: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
A flowering border
Wild bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Its lavender blooms feed bees and hummingbirds, and hollow stems can shelter nesting bees.
Instead of garden mum
Meet this plantPhoto: Joshua Mayer · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A native tree with white bark
Paper birch
Betula papyrifera
Native birch leaves feed moth and butterfly caterpillars while the canopy adds light shade.
Instead of european white birch
Meet this plantPhoto: Joshua Mayer · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A compact flowering shrub
Shrubby cinquefoil
Dasiphora fruticosa
A long season of native flowers supports bumblebees, specialist bees, and butterflies.
Instead of japanese spirea
Meet this plantPhoto: jacinta lluch valero · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Tall pink flower spires
Fireweed
Epilobium angustifolium
Native flowers feed bees, and the foliage supports moth and butterfly caterpillars.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plant
A white-barked tree with golden fall color
Quaking aspen
Populus tremuloides
This native tree adds wildlife cover and leaves that shimmer in the breeze.
Instead of european white birch
Meet this plantPhoto: James St. John · CC BY 2.0
A flowering small tree with fruit
Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Native foliage feeds swallowtail caterpillars, and the fruit feeds birds.
Instead of heavenly bamboo
Meet this plantPhoto: Maxime Laterreur · CC BY-SA 4.0
A fragrant native flowering border
Virginia mountain mint
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Many small native flowers offer summer food for visiting pollinators.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Frank Mayfield · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Golden summer daisies
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Native flowers feed butterflies, and seedheads feed goldfinches in fall.
Instead of shasta daisy
Meet this plantPhoto: Dotty Leatherwood · CC BY 4.0
Purple flowers for the end of summer
New England aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Native flowers feed late-season bees and migrating monarchs, while seeds feed birds.
Instead of garden mum
Meet this plantPhoto: Drew Avery · CC BY 2.0
Blue flowers for a sunny border
Small-flowered penstemon
Penstemon procerus
Native blue flowers feed bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plant
Nodding flowers and feathery seedheads
Prairie smoke
Geum triflorum
Native flowers feed bees and butterflies before turning into airy seedheads.
Instead of bloody cranesbill
Meet this plant
A low evergreen groundcover
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Its flowers support pollinators and its red berries provide food for birds and other wildlife.
Instead of bearberry cotoneaster
Meet this plantPhoto: Walter Siegmund · CC BY-SA 3.0
A textured ornamental grass
Little bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Native grass blades feed skipper caterpillars, and standing clumps shelter wildlife through winter.
Instead of chinese silvergrass
Meet this plantPhoto: Montrealais · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bright, sunny daisy flowers
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Long-lasting native flowerheads supply food for bees, butterflies, and visiting birds.
Instead of shasta daisy
Meet this plantPhoto: Matt Lavin · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Easygoing meadow flowers
Prairie coneflower
Ratibida columnifera
Native prairie flowers offer pollen and nectar for bees and butterflies in a sunny border.
Instead of shasta daisy
Meet this plantPhoto: Jeff Coffman · CC BY 2.0
Purple prairie flower spikes
Purple prairie clover
Dalea purpurea
Purple flower spikes feed pollinators, and the leaves host native butterfly caterpillars.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: cultivar413 · CC BY 2.0
A small grass with dancing seedheads
Blue grama
Bouteloua gracilis
A low native prairie grass brings lasting ground-level cover to a dry garden.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Matt Lavin · CC-BY-SA 2.0
White prairie flower spikes
White prairie clover
Dalea candida
Native flower spikes feed pollinators, and foliage hosts dogface butterfly caterpillars.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Matt Lavin · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A low grass with pink seedheads
Purple lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Airy native seedheads add fall color and attract songbirds and small mammals.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Katja Schulz · CC BY 2.0
Airy blue prairie flowers
Lewis's blue flax
Linum lewisii
Native blue flowers feed small bees and flies, followed by seeds for wildlife.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Skoch3 · CC BY-SA 3.0
A fine-textured clumping grass
Prairie dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Native seeds feed sparrows and juncos, while foliage feeds prairie insects.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Joshua Mayer · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Low mounds of autumn flowers
Aromatic aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Late native flowers feed pollinators, and hollow stems can shelter nesting bees.
Instead of garden mum
Meet this plantPhoto: Fritz Flohr Reynolds · CC BY-SA 4.0
A silver-leaved dryland screen
Big sagebrush
Artemisia tridentata
Native silver foliage brings year-round structure with little or no irrigation after establishment.
Instead of japanese pittosporum
Meet this plantPhoto: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
A compact shrub for dry ground
Wax currant
Ribes cereum
Native foliage and bright berries add variety to a dry, rocky border.
Instead of heavenly bamboo
Meet this plantPhoto: Thayne Tuason · CC BY-SA 4.0
A silver-leaved flowering shrub
Rubber rabbitbrush
Ericameria nauseosa
This native dryland shrub supplies flowers and structure with little supplemental water.
Instead of japanese spirea
Meet this plant
A drought-tolerant native grass
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Pseudoroegneria spicata
Deep native roots help stabilize dry ground while the foliage feeds grazing wildlife.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plant
A compact grass for a dry border
Prairie junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
This native grass greens up early and tolerates drought once established.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Stefan.lefnaer · CC BY-SA 4.0
A native hedge for dry, salty ground
Fourwing saltbush
Atriplex canescens
Native roots help hold soil while the shrub provides wildlife food and cover.
Instead of japanese pittosporum
Meet this plantPhoto: Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0
2–6 hours of direct sun
Part sun & shade
A colorful wildlife hedge
Red-osier dogwood
Cornus sericea
White berries feed birds, and this native shrub also hosts spring azure butterfly caterpillars.
Instead of burning bush
Meet this plantPhoto: Tom Brandt · CC BY 2.0
Fine-textured grass and airy plumes
Tufted hairgrass
Deschampsia cespitosa
This native grass adds songbird habitat and flower plumes that persist into winter.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Blue flower spikes for moist shade
Great blue lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Native flower tubes feed bumblebees and other long-tongued pollinators.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0
A soft flowering border
Wild geranium
Geranium maculatum
Spring flowers feed bees and butterflies, and songbirds can eat the seeds that follow.
Instead of bloody cranesbill
Meet this plantPhoto: Cathy Dewitt · CC BY 4.0
A flowering shrub with berries
Saskatoon serviceberry
Amelanchier alnifolia
Spring flowers feed pollinators, followed by berries for birds and mammals.
Instead of heavenly bamboo
Meet this plantPhoto: Andrey Zhakikh · CC BY 2.0
A flowering groundcover
Wild strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Native spring flowers feed pollinators, including specialist bees.
Instead of bugleweed
Meet this plantPhoto: Matt Lavin · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A flowering shrub for a natural hedge
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Native flowers attract bees, and the shrub provides habitat for birds.
Instead of japanese spirea
Meet this plantPhoto: F. D. Richards · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A flowering hedge for cold climates
Prickly rose
Rosa acicularis
Native pink flowers and red hips bring seasonal interest to a cold-climate hedge.
Instead of rugosa rose
Meet this plantPhoto: Jonathan Billinger · CC BY-SA 2.0
A flowering shrub with berries
Golden currant
Ribes aureum
Native spring flowers are followed by fruit for birds and colorful autumn leaves.
Instead of border forsythia
Meet this plantPhoto: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tall grass for a woodland edge
Blue wildrye
Elymus glaucus
Native bunches provide habitat for birds and mammals and help stabilize disturbed ground.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nodding spring flowers
Eastern red columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Red-and-yellow flowers give hummingbirds and bumblebees a nectar stop in spring.
Instead of asian bleeding heart
Meet this plantPhoto: Patty Felder · CC BY 4.0
A shrub with lasting berries
Common snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus
Native foliage feeds snowberry clearwing caterpillars, and white berries provide food for wildlife.
Instead of heavenly bamboo
Meet this plantPhoto: Patrick Standish · CC BY 2.0
Less than 2 hours of direct sun
Shade
Fern texture for a wet woodland
Crested wood fern
Dryopteris cristata
Native fronds cover moist shaded ground, with some foliage remaining through mild winters.
Instead of japanese painted fern
Meet this plantPhoto: Nature Serve · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Broad fern fronds for damp ground
Sensitive fern
Onoclea sensibilis
Native fern colonies provide low cover for woodland wildlife.
Instead of japanese painted fern
Meet this plantPhoto: Hornet Photography · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A flowering woodland climber
Virgin's bower
Clematis virginiana
Fragrant native flowers offer nectar for bees and hummingbirds, even in a shaded garden.
Instead of english ivy
Meet this plantPhoto: Cathy DeWitt · CC BY 4.0
A flowering woodland groundcover
Bunchberry
Cornus canadensis
Small native flowers feed pollinators, and red berries provide food for birds.
Instead of common periwinkle
Meet this plantPhoto: Peganum · CC-BY-SA 2.0
An evergreen woodland groundcover
Creeping Oregon grape
Berberis repens
Native flowers feed pollinators, and berries and evergreen cover support birds and small mammals.
Instead of common periwinkle
Meet this plantPhoto: Katja Schulz · CC BY 2.0
Arching foliage for woodland shade
False Solomon's seal
Maianthemum racemosum
Native spring flowers feed insects, followed by berries for birds and small mammals.
Instead of fragrant hosta
Meet this plantPhoto: Kathy Sill · CC BY 4.0
Flowers and arching woodland foliage
Starry Solomon's plume
Maianthemum stellatum
Native berries attract birds and small mammals after the spring flower display.
Instead of fragrant hosta
Meet this plantPhoto: Walter Siegmund (talk) · CC BY 2.5
Small purple flowers for shade
Hookedspur violet
Viola adunca
Native leaves feed fritillary caterpillars, and flowers feed bumblebees and butterflies.
Instead of bugleweed
Meet this plantPhoto: DouglasGoldman · CC BY-SA 4.0
A soft, grassy groundcover
Pennsylvania sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Fine native blades provide cover and support butterfly larvae, with seeds for birds and small mammals.
Instead of lilyturf
Meet this plantPhoto: Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Grow with local know-how.
Use your garden’s sunlight, soil moisture, and available space to narrow the list.
Compare all North Dakota swaps