Jun 19, 2011 5 min read

The natural, subtle beauty of a prairie meadow is very appealing.

And the relatively low-maintenance aspects of such meadows are making them very attractive alternatives to large lawns in rural and suburban settings.

While urban homeowners may not have large yards for a meadow planting, many are discovering that prairie flowers can make themselves right at home in a city garden, too. In fact, you may already have some prairie flowers in your garden and not know it.

For the most part, perennial prairie plants are no fuss, no muss plants. Once they are established they are hardy enough to grow in extreme conditions. They are able to withstand hot and cold temperatures, drought conditions and more. The reason they are so tough is because they develop extensive root systems that store food and water for when nature doesn’t provide.

Flowering prairie plants come in a wide range of sizes, textures and colors. Many are attractive to and serve as sources of nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds. Here’s a look at a variety of prairie plants you might consider for your garden.

Want an alternative to spring-flowering bulbs?

Some prairie plants start early, bringing flowers in springtime.

Aquilegia canadensis, Canada columbine, is the simple red-and yellow wild species of columbine. Not as showy as some of the more colorful, large hybrids available today, but this native is very adaptable, doing well in full sun and partial shade. It is an excellent choice for a wildflower garden.

The clump-forming wild geranium, or geranium maculatum, takes to the cultivated garden well and is easy to grow. It produces lavender flowers in spring and the lobed leaves are attractive. After it sheds its seeds wild geranium goes semidormant, allowing late bloomers to fill in.

Great Solomon’s seal, polygonatum canaliculatum, has tall, arching stems with alternating leaves. Flowers appear in late spring, hanging down along the underside of the stems. I find that the variegated variety of Solomon’s seal offers interesting foliage when the flowers are gone.

Throughout the summer, a plethora of prairie plants can add color to your garden.

Consider the humble onion. Onions aren’t just vegetables, some are ornamental, such as the nodding pink onion, allium cernuum. This U.S. native grows one foot tall or so, and it blooms in summer. The medium-pink flowers grow on stalks a bit higher than the foliage, but the flower stems bend a bit just below the flower, producing the nodding effect. This is a great plant for the garden.

They named butterfly weed, asclepias tuberose, for a reason — butterflies love it. And so will you. Fabulous clusters of orange flowers top this milkweed relative. One nice thing about milkweeds is, they don’t need dividing.

If you are looking for a specimen plant for your flower garden, try Baptisia australis, blue false indigo. Wild indigos are becoming a very popular native plant to grow in the home garden. This variety takes a few years to reach its mature height of about four feet tall. The plant’s blue flowers resemble pea flowers and grow on tall spikes. An added bonus is the lush, blue-green foliage.

Purple coneflowers, echinacea purpurea, are widely used as garden flowers for good reasons: they are easy to grow, they produce lots of spectacular purple flowers, they have a long bloom season, and they attract butterflies. If you need another reason, its good for full sun or part shade.

Florists realized the value of liatris pycnostachya, prairie blazing star or gayfeather, long before gardeners, it seems. Now their tall, upright habit is being showcased in flower borders. Gayfeather grows three to four feet tall. The flower spikes are densely packed with purple blossoms that open from the top on down.

I would be remiss to not mention the old-time favorite, Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta. This species does extremely well in my garden, providing plenty of long-lasting, bright yellow flowers. There is always enough to cut for indoors, too. I like that this plant readily self-sows, increasing their number and giving me plants to share.

A number of prairie plants don’t bloom until late summer and into fall.

One of my favorites is turtlehead, chelone, which comes in white and pink varieties. Blooming in late summer and early fall, the flowers really do look like turtle heads. They grow in clumps, two to four feet tall. They are easy to grow and are quite distinctive.

You may already have asters in your garden. Quite a few varieties are prairie plants. One type, the smooth aster, aster laevis, is quite adaptable to the garden, is longer-lived than other types of aster, and rarely need staking. What more could you ask for? This plant’s blue-green foliage is attractive before the one-inch wide, violet flowers appear in late fall.

Other prairie flowers that make good garden plants include coreopsis; helianthus, perennial sunflower; eupatorium, Joe Pye weed; and sisyrinchium, blue-eyed grass. What are you waiting for? Invite a little of the prairie to your garden — and enjoy.

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Susan Brimo-Cox gardens, observes nature and writes in Ohiopyle. Readers can send questions or comments to her at naturesgarden@brimo-cox.com.

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