Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Thrives on neglect once placed right: rose pink flowers and for clay and loam ground; it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Montana · Zones 3–5
Easy Native Plants in Montana
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. 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 Serviceberry — is filtered to species genuinely native to Montana and the wider flora of the Mountain West and hardy through zones 3–5. The easiest natives are the ones already adapted to your local soil and rainfall, so they need no fertilizer, no irrigation after year one, and no winter coddling. Start with these, plant them where their light and moisture needs are genuinely met, mulch the first year, and the maintenance shrinks to a single late-winter cleanup. Right plant, right place does ninety percent of the work.
The plants
28 native species for Montana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: reaching 15–25 ft and white spring lace flowers, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: reaching 1.5–2.5 ft and happy in clay and loam soil — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Penstemon strictus
Plant it and forget it: deep blue-purple flowers and happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil, no fuss, and it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — for clay, rocky, and loam ground and white flowers, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A beginner's native — hardy in zones 3–9 and golden yellow flowers, content with whatever you give it; it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Plant it and forget it: hardy in zones 3–8 and red & yellow flowers, no fuss — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: rosy purple flowers and reaching 2–4 ft, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Douglas Aster
Symphyotrichum subspicatum
About as hard to kill as a native gets — happy in clay and loam soil and spreading 1.5–3 ft, and forgives neglect, and it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — white (wild form) flowers and 1.5–2 ft wide, and forgives neglect, and it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Plant it and forget it: bright gold flowers and for sand, rocky, and loam ground, no fuss, and it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — hardy in zones 4–9 and 20–30 ft tall, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 1.5–2.5 ft tall and sky blue flowers, and forgives neglect, flowering as it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 3–5 ft tall and royal purple flowers, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Plant it and forget it: for clay and loam ground and 2–4 ft wide, no fuss; it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 3–5 ft and flat gold heads flowers, and forgives neglect — it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
About as hard to kill as a native gets — spreading 2–3 ft and 3–5 ft tall, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Plant it and forget it: for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground and 1.5–2.5 ft tall, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
A beginner's native — happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil and eyebrow seed heads flowers, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
A beginner's native — reaching 5–10 ft and white to pink flowers, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
About as hard to kill as a native gets — happy in clay and loam soil and spreading 6–10 ft, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Thrives on neglect once placed right: star-shaped pink flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — spreading 6–12 ft and creamy umbels flowers, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
About as hard to kill as a native gets — spreading 1.5–3 ft and 3–5 ft tall, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
4 more also qualify: Blue Vervain, Fragrant Sumac, Virginia Creeper, 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.