I first created this site back in 1998 to document the wild plants that I encountered. But it has grown into a clearinghouse of information on landscaping, backyard birds, butterfly gardening, plant identification and making paper from plant fiber. After leaving Kansas, I thought of deleting the site. But realize it has a wealth of information that people rely upon.
Hosting the site is involved. I’d like to thank those who have donated to help defray the web site hosting fees. If you would like to contribute, please click the Donate button. Thank you.
Garden Plant List
About Garden Plants
I am no longer selling seeds or plants since 2020 as I moved out of state. These are my favorite native garden plants of Kansas. You can search the plant based on your needs.
Image | Common Name | Scientific Name | Family | Life Span | Growth Habit | Flower Color |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plant Description | ||||||
American Beakgrass | Diarrhena obovata | Grass | p | g | gr | |
A favorite grass of mine with its glossy green leaves and drooping seed heads. Looks good all winter long. | ||||||
American Bellflower | Campanula americana | Bellflower | a | h | bl | |
Loads of blue flowers that bees love. | ||||||
American Hazelnut | Corylus americana | Birch | w | s | wh | |
Attractive shrub with edible nuts | ||||||
Anise Root | Osmorhiza longistylis | Parsley | p | h | wh | |
Showy flowers and the plant has an interesting anise scent. | ||||||
Annual Sunflower | Helianthus annuus | Aster | a | h | ye | |
Largest blossoms of our native sunflowers | ||||||
Aromatic Aster | Aster oblongifolius | Aster | p | h | vi | |
Produces mounds of flowers late in the season. Attracts butterflies. | ||||||
Baldwin Ironweed | Vernonia baldwinii | Aster | p | h | vi | |
Attractive purple flowers, great for butterflies | ||||||
Big Bluestem | Andropogon gerardii | Grass | p | g | gr | |
Colorful fall foliage and interesting seed heads. | ||||||
Black Eyed Susan | Rudbeckia hirta | Aster | a | h | ye | |
One of my favorites with all its attractive flowers. Attracts butterflies. | ||||||
Bladdernut | Staphylea trifolia | Bladdernut | w | s | wh | |
Best native shrub for shade | ||||||
Blue Phlox | Phlox divaricata | Phlox | p | h | bl | |
Showy attractive blue blooms on a shade loving plant | ||||||
Blue Sage | Salvia azureus | Mint | p | h | bl | |
One of the few blue flowering natives. | ||||||
Blue Verbena | Verbena hastata | Vervain | p | h | bl | |
Has pretty blue flowers and its good for moist sites. | ||||||
Bur Marigold | Bidens polylepis | Aster | a | h | ye | |
Produces oodles of late summer blooms. Super showy. | ||||||
Butterfly Milkweed | Asclepias tuberosa | Milkweed | p | h | or | |
A beautiful milkweed. Attracts Monarch butterflies. | ||||||
Button Gayfeather | Liatris aspera | Aster | p | h | vi | |
One of my favorite wildflowers. Attracts tons of butterflies too! | ||||||
Canada Milkvetch | Astragalus canadensis | Bean | p | h | ye | |
Cool flowers and foliage | ||||||
Canada Wild Ginger | Asarum canadense | Birthwort | p | h | vi | |
The perfect groundcover for shade. It also gets an interesting maroon flower. | ||||||
Canada Wildrye | Elymus canadensis | Grass | p | g | gr | |
The drooping heads make this an attractive grass. | ||||||
Cardinal Flower | Lobelia cardinalis | Bellflower | p | h | re | |
Intense red blooms that hummingbirds love | ||||||
Choke Cherry | Prunus virginiana | Rose | w | s | wh | |
Nice dense shrub good for birds and has edible fruit | ||||||
Clammy-weed | Polanisia dodecandra | Caper | a | h | pi | |
Very attractive and showy annual | ||||||
Climbing Milkweed | Cynanchum laeve | Milkweed | p | v | wh | |
A vine that attracts Monarch butterflies | ||||||
Common Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca | Milkweed | p | h | lv | |
The flowers will fill your garden with the sweetest scent | ||||||
Compass Plant | Silphium laciniatum | Aster | p | h | ye | |
The large palmate leaves are the best part of this plant. Leaves tend to align on a north-south line. | ||||||
Culver's Root | Veronicastrum virginicum | Figwort | p | h | wh | |
This is one of the most attractive flowers. Attracts butterflies. | ||||||
Cup Plant | Silphium perfoliatum | Aster | p | h | ye | |
A must have plant for the natural cups it forms around the stems. It’s a natural bird bath. | ||||||
Cutleaf Coneflower | Rudbeckia laciniata | Aster | p | h | ye | |
Attractive foliage with nice yellow flowers. Attracts birds for the seeds. | ||||||
Deertongue Panicgrass | Dichanthelium clandestinum | Grass | p | g | gr | |
Attractive grass with short wide leaves. Looks good all winter. | ||||||
Desert Biscuitroot | Lomatium foeniculaceum | Parsley | p | h | ye | |
Edible early spring wildflower | ||||||
Downy Goldenrod | Solidago petiolaris | Aster | p | h | ye | |
One of the showiest goldenrods. Big cylindrical blooms attract tons of butterflies. | ||||||
Drummond's Aster | Aster drummondii | Aster | p | h | lv | |
Produces tons of showy flowers. This is good for shade. | ||||||
Eastern Dotted Gayfeather | Liatris mucronata | Aster | p | h | vi | |
The shortest gayfeather and has the largest blooms. Attracts butterflies. | ||||||
Eastern Wahoo | Euonymus atropurpureus | Bittersweet | w | s | re | |
Gorgeous shrub that produces attractive red berries in the fall | ||||||
Elmleaf Goldenrod | Solidago ulmifolia | Aster | p | h | ye | |
Interesting flowering form | ||||||
False Sunflower | Heliopsis helianthoides | Aster | p | h | ye | |
An attractive yellow flower, birds love the seeds and the petals. | ||||||
Foxglove Beardtongue | Penstemon digitalis | Figwort | p | h | wh | |
Produces tons of showy white flowers. Attracts hummingbirds. | ||||||
Fringed Puccoon | Lithospermum incisum | Borage | p | h | ye | |
A favorite of mine. Its showy flowers are eye-catching. | ||||||
Gama Grass | Tripsacum dactyloides | Grass | p | g | gr | |
large showy grass | ||||||
Golden Alexanders | Zizia aurea | Parsley | p | h | ye | |
A nice early bloomer that attracts black swallowtail butterflies. | ||||||
Gray Goldenrod | Solidago nemoralis | Aster | p | h | ye | |
One of my favorite flowers. Intense yellow blooms make a great butterfly attractant. | ||||||
Gray-headed Coneflower | Ratibida pinnata | Aster | p | h | ye | |
Very showy and long lasting blooms. The crushed seed heads smell good. | ||||||
Green Antelopehorn | Asclepias viridis | Milkweed | p | h | gr | |
This milkweed is the first to bloom and has the largest flowers. | ||||||
Hairy Sunflower | Helianthus hirsutus | Aster | p | h | ye | |
A sunflower that likes a little shade. Not an aggressive sunflower! | ||||||
Hairy Wild Rye | Elymus villosus | Grass | p | g | gr | |
Nice grass for shade | ||||||
Hop Hornbeam | Ostrya virginiana | Birch | w | t | gr | |
Very handsome small tree. Grow in the understory or in the sun. | ||||||
Indian Woodoats | Chasmanthium latifolium | Grass | p | g | gr | |
Attractive flat seed heads and foliage | ||||||
Indiangrass | Sorghastrum nutans | Grass | p | g | gr | |
One of the most attractive native grasses with its golden seed heads. | ||||||
Jerusalem artichoke | Helianthus tuberosus | Aster | p | h | ye | |
Sunflower | ||||||
Large-flower beardtongue | Penstemon grandiflorus | Figwort | p | h | pi | |
The showy pink blooms and waxy foliage are attractive traits. Attracts hummingbirds. | ||||||
Little Bluestem | Schizachyrium scoparium | Grass | p | g | gr | |
Especially attractive in the fall. Nice form in summer too. | ||||||
Maryland Senna | Cassia marilandica | Bean | p | h | ye | |
Beautiful deep green foliage and black seed pods for winter interest. Attracts Sulphur butterflies. | ||||||
Mint-leaf Beebalm | Monarda fistulosa | Mint | p | h | vi | |
One of my favorites for the garden. It has long lasting blooms and the foliage has a fragrant minty odor. | ||||||
Missouri evening primrose | Oenothera macrocarpa | Evening Primrose | p | h | ye | |
One of my favorites. It has huge yellow blooms that appear to glow in the evening. Attracts hawk moths. | ||||||
Narrowleaf Verbena | Verbena simplex | Vervain | p | h | wh | |
A nice small flower with white blossoms. | ||||||
New England Aster | Aster novae-angliae | Aster | p | h | bl | |
Large blossoms on a large plant | ||||||
Obedient Plant | Physostegia virginiana | Mint | p | h | vi | |
Very attractive flowers. Attracts bees and hummingbirds. | ||||||
Ohio Spiderwort | Tradescantia ohiensis | Spiderwort | p | h | bl | |
Attractive blue-green foliage and long lasting flowering season makes this a great flower for your garden. Edible blossoms. | ||||||
Pale Coneflower | Echinacea pallida | Aster | p | h | vi | |
One of my top ten favorite wildflowers for its beautiful form and long lasting blooms. | ||||||
Partridge Pea | Chamaecrista fasciculata | Bean | a | h | ye | |
Annual with showy yellow flowers | ||||||
Paw Paw | Asimina triloba | Custard Apple | w | t | re | |
Attractive small tree. Tropical looking foliage. Yellow fall color. Edible fruit. | ||||||
Philadelphia Fleabane | Erigeron philadelphicus | Aster | p | h | wh | |
One of my favorite wildflowers for its fine hairlike petals and early blooms. | ||||||
Pitcher's Leather Flower | Clematis pitcheri | Buttercup | p | v | vi | |
Most interesting native clematis with bell shaped flowers. | ||||||
Plains Larkspur | Delphinium virescens | Buttercup | p | h | wh | |
Beautiful white flowers. One of my favorites. | ||||||
Prairie Coneflower | Ratibida columnifera | Aster | p | h | ye | |
Masses of long lasting yellow flowers. | ||||||
Prairie Dropseed | Sporobolus heterolepis | Grass | p | g | gr | |
A very showy bunch grass with narrow leaves | ||||||
Prairie Petunia | Ruellia humilis | Acanthus | p | h | vi | |
A nice low growing border flower. Attractive long lasting blooming period. One of my favorites. | ||||||
Prairie Ragwort | Packera plattensis | Aster | p | h | ye | |
One of my favorite flowers for its intense yellow blooms. | ||||||
Prickly Ash | Zanthoxylum americanum | Citrus | w | s | gr | |
Host plant for the giant swallowtail butterfly | ||||||
Purple Milkweed | Asclepias purpurascens | Milkweed | p | h | vi | |
One of the prettiest milkweeds. Attracts monarch butterflies. | ||||||
Purple Poppy Mallow | Callirhoe involucrata | Mallow | p | h | vi | |
low growing attractive purple flowers | ||||||
Purple Prairie Clover | Dalea purpurea | Bean | p | h | vi | |
Very attractive flowers and foliage | ||||||
Rattlesnake Master | Eryngium yuccifolium | Parsley | p | h | wh | |
A most interesting plant with its yucca-like leaves and interesting flower heads. Attractive in the winter too. | ||||||
Red Columbine | Aquilegia canadensis | Buttercup | p | h | re | |
Delicate flowers that attract hummingbirds. Smaller plants and flowers than the cultivars. | ||||||
Rose Verbena | Glandularia canadensis | Vervain | p | h | vi | |
Sweet smelling, low growing, and showy flowers. Good for rock gardens. | ||||||
Rough Rattlesnake Root | Prenanthes aspera | Aster | p | h | ye | |
One of the last flowers to bloom in the fall. | ||||||
Roundhead Prairie Clover | Dalea multiflora | Bean | p | h | wh | |
Very attractive round white flower heads | ||||||
Showy Beardtongue | Penstemon cobaea | Figwort | p | h | wh | |
Large white blossoms with black stripes in the center make this a very showy plant. Attracts bees and hummingbirds. | ||||||
Side-Oats Grama | Bouteloua curtipendula | Grass | p | g | gr | |
Interesting small grass with its dangling side oats. | ||||||
Sky Blue Aster | Aster oolentangiensis | Aster | p | h | bl | |
Very showy flowers with a subtle blue color | ||||||
Slender Mountain Mint | Pycnanthemum tenuifolium | Mint | p | h | wh | |
Attractive flower with interesting minty foliage. Attractive in the winter when it turns black. | ||||||
Smooth blue aster | Aster laevis | Aster | p | h | bl | |
Interesting blue-green foliage and big blossoms. Attracts butterflies. | ||||||
Smooth Milkweed | Asclepias sullivantii | Milkweed | p | h | re | |
Attractive smooth leaved milkweed with pink flowers. Attracts Monarch butterflies. | ||||||
Sneezeweed | Helenium autumnale | Aster | p | h | ye | |
Interesting yellow flowers, very showy. | ||||||
Snow on the Mountain | Euphorbia marginata | Spurge | a | h | wh | |
I love the white mottled flower heads. Beatiful how it seems to glow in the evening because of all the snow on the leaves. | ||||||
Spring Beauty | Claytonia virginica | Purslane | p | h | wh | |
Loads of white flowers with purple stripes | ||||||
Starry Campion | Silene stellata | Pink | p | h | wh | |
Very attractive white blossoms | ||||||
Stiff Goldenrod | Solidago rigida | Aster | p | h | ye | |
One of my favorite flowers. Intense yellow blooms make a great butterfly attractant. | ||||||
Stiff Sunflower | Helianthus rigidus | Aster | p | h | ye | |
Showy member of the sunflower genus | ||||||
Swamp Milkweed | Asclepias incarnata | Milkweed | p | h | re | |
Wonderful pink flowers and attracts Monarch butterflies in droves. | ||||||
Sweet Joe-Pye | Eupatorium purpureum | Aster | p | h | vi | |
Showy pink flowers for shade. Attracts butterflies. | ||||||
Switchgrass | Panicum virgatum | Grass | p | g | gr | |
Attractive fall foliage that turns orange. | ||||||
Tall Boneset | Eupatorium altissimum | Aster | p | h | wh | |
Tall with showy white flowers. Attracts tons of butterflies. | ||||||
Thickspike Gayfeather | Liatris pycnostachya | Aster | p | h | vi | |
The tallest gayfeather. A most attractive flower that attracts butterflies. | ||||||
Virginia Knotweed | Polygonum virginianum | Buckwheat | p | h | wh | |
Interesting bicolor leaves in the spring. The flowers are one of my favorites. Good for shade. | ||||||
Virginia Waterleaf | Hydrophyllum virginianum | Waterleaf | p | h | lv | |
The most interesting foliage looks like water droplets have formed on them. Gorgeous blooms to boot. | ||||||
Western Marbleseed | Onosmodium molle | Borage | p | h | gr | |
The flowers are interesting how they unfurl and the foliage is attractive too. | ||||||
Western Yarrow | Achillea millefolium | Aster | p | h | wh | |
Attractive foliage with attractive flowers | ||||||
White Sage | Artemisia ludoviciana | Aster | p | h | wh | |
Beautiful silver gray foliage. Use to make traditional native american smudge sticks. | ||||||
White Snakeroot | Ageratina altissima | Aster | p | h | wh | |
Showy white flowers and likes shade! | ||||||
White Wild Indigo | Baptisia alba | Bean | p | h | wh | |
Makes a stately specimen plant. Definitely a favorite of mine. | ||||||
Wholeleaf Rosinweed | Silphium integrifolium | Aster | p | h | ye | |
Showy sunflower like flowers | ||||||
Willow Leaf Sunflower | Helianthus salicifolius | Aster | p | h | ye | |
The most interesting foliage, reminds me of mini fireworks. Showy yellow flowers also. | ||||||
Woolly Verbena | Verbena stricta | Vervain | p | h | vi | |
A very showy plant with long lasting blooms. Attracts butterflies. | ||||||
Yellow Giant Hyssop | Agastache nepetoides | Mint | p | h | ye | |
Interesting flowering form, resembles a candelabra. Attracts bees. |
DISCLAIMER: This page contains affiliate links in the right hand panel, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support my website and allows me to continue to add new content. Thank you for the support!