Native Pollinator-Friendly Prairie Plants (Perennials)

There are many kinds of wildflowers, shrubs, and trees that are excellent sources of pollen and nectar. Here are some examples of local species that can keep your garden blooming and buzzing all season long. Remember: The seeds produced by native plants are viable, and some plants spread more readily than others by roots or seeds. Always ask your local grower about the growth habits of the plants you choose. For a printer-friendly version of this list, click here.

Height and light requirements were provided by Prairie Originals, a local greenhouse that specializes in pollinator-friendly native plants.

For a full list of pollinator-friendly prairie plants, go to Pollinator Partnership Canada's Lake Manitoba Plain Region Planting Guide.

Plants that bloom in Spring:

Common Name Latin Name Category Flower Colour Height Sun
Hazelnut Corylus cornuta Shrub Catkin 1-3 m Full to part
Blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium montanum Wildflower Purple 15-30 cm Full to part
Dogwood Cornus sericea Shrub White 1-4 m Full to part
Elm Ulmus americana Tree Green to red 25 m Full
Heartleaf Alexander Zizia aptera Wildflower Yellow 30-60 cm Full
Prairie crocus Anemone patens Wildflower Purple 10-15 cm Full
Pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia Wildflower White 5-10 cm Full
Saskatoon/Serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia Shrub White 1-5 m Full to part
Three-flowered avens Geum triflorum Wildflower Pink 15-40 cm Full
Early blue violet Viola adunca Wildflower Purple 5-10 cm Full to part
Pussy willow Salix discolor Shrub Catkin 2-8 m Full
Wolf willow Elaeagnus commutata Shrub Yellow 1-4 m Full to part

 

Plants that bloom in Late Spring:

Common Name Latin Name Category Flower Colour Height Sun
Choke Cherry Prunus virginiana Shrub White 4-8 m Full to part
Common yarrow Achillea millefolium Wildflower White 30-90 cm Full
Dwarf false indigo Amorpha nana Shrub Purple 30-50 cm Full
Fleabane Erigeron spp. Wildflower Purple to White 30-45 cm Full to part
Honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera Shrub Yellow to orange 0.3-1 m Full to part
Pin cherry Prunus pensylvanica Shrub White 1-12 m Full
Western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis Shrub Pink 0.3-1 m Full

 

Plants that bloom in the Summer:

Common Name Latin Name Category Flower Colour Height Sun
Bergamot Monarda fistulosa Wildflower Purple 60-90 cm Full
Black-eyed susans Rudbeckia hirta Wildflower Yellow 30-60 cm Full
Blanket flower Gaillardia aristata Wildflower Yellow/Orange 30-80 cm Full
Dotted blazingstar Liatris punctata Wildflower Purple 20-30 cm Full
False sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides Wildflower Yellow 60-90 cm Full to part
Giant hyssop Agastache foeniculum Wildflower Purple 0.4-1 m Full to part
Harebell Campanula rotundifolia Wildflower Purple 20-50 cm Full to part
Joe pye Eupatorium maculatum Wildflower Pink 1-1.5 m Full to part
Low prairie rose Rosa arkansana Wildflower Pink to White 20-40 cm Full
Meadow blazingstar Liatris ligulistylis Wildflower Purple 45-70 cm Full
Northern Bedstraw Galium boreale Wildflower White 20-50 cm Full to part
Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea Wildflower White 30-60 cm Full to part
Pink-flowered onion Allium stellatum Wildflower Pink 15-30 cm Full
Purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia Wildflower Purple 30-50 cm Full
Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea Wildflower Purple 20-50 cm Full
Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa Shrub Yellow 0.3-1.2 m Full
Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata Wildflower Pink to Purple 0.9-1.2 m Full
White prairie clover Dalea candida Wildflower White 20-50 cm Full

 

Plants that bloom in Late Summer:

Common Name Latin Name Category Flower Colour Height Sun
Gumweed Grindelia squarrosa Wildflower Yellow 30-50 cm Full
Many-flowered aster Symphyotricum ericoides Wildflower White 20-60 cm Full
Narrowleaf sunflower Helianthus maximilliani Wildflower Yellow 0.9-1.2 m Full
New England aster Symphyotricum novae-angliae Wildflower Purple 0.7-1.2 m Full to part
Smooth aster Symphyotricum laeve Widlflower Purple 0.6-1.2 m Full to part
Stiff goldenrod Solidago rigida Wildflower Yellow 40-75 cm Full