25 Drought Tolerant Native Plants for the Prairies

July 2, 2019

Gardening in a drought is no fun. Sure, if you have access to city or well water, you can keep everything living. But nothing will really thrive. As gardeners, we like to be conscious of our footprint on the environment and save water where we can.

One of the best ways to do this is to plant native plants. Once established, these perennial flowers and bushes will help beautify your yard and be able to withstand a drought year. Plus, they are generally very low maintenance–win win!

Be Responsible, Don’t Remove Native Plants From Their Habitat

When I say native plants, I am going to be talking about mostly domesticated varieties that are available in garden centres. Please DO NOT scour country side ditches and transplant native plants to your home. It may seem like you’re helping an endangered species by giving it a controlled environment, but you’re actually hurting it.

Native plants need the specific ecosystem they are in to thrive. Your garden is not that ecosystem. Plus, you’ve just taken away a future source of seeds for that plant from the area.

Finally, removing native plants is illegal and there are steep fines. Ladyslippers and Prairie lilies are gorgeous, but are really best enjoyed in their native Prairie habitat.

Finally you can have a drought tolerant, low maintenance landscape in your yard...if you plant these native perennial flowers and shrubs. Help save water and have a beautiful yard at the same time. #nativeplants #zone3 #perennials #flowers

Where Do I Buy Native Plants?

The varieties I’m suggesting today should be available for purchase at most local greenhouses, or by mail order. However, if you’d like to go further into the world of native plants, your local Native Plant Society will likely have a list of places you can responsibly order seeds from. Here are links to the native plant groups in the three Prairie Provinces.

Do Drought Tolerant Plants Need To Be Watered?

In short, yes. Like any other bush or perennial, your plants need to be watered every day (unless it’s raining or the ground is saturated) the first year until they are more established. I personally would water them in the second year as well, especially if the weather is abnormally dry or hot.

After the third year, your native plants should require very little care.

Easy to Grow, Low Maintenance Native Plants for the Prairies

One last disclaimer–this list is intended for a beginner gardener in the Prairie Provinces or even the Mid-West of the United States. I garden in zone 3 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and my list is best suited for this area.

I’ve strived to pick plants that are readily available and drought tolerant. This means, they may not be the exact native variety, but a naturalized one. I hope you find this list with pictures helpful!

If you would like to go further in your native plants journey, I urge you to see the sites I’ve suggested above. Is there a plant you feel should be on this list? Let me know in the comments!

Edible Fruit Trees

Saskatoon Berry

Chokecherry

Buffalo Berry

Sand Cherry

Highbush Cranberry

Hazlenut

Shrubs

Dogwood

Prickly Rose

Showy Mountain Ash

There are lots of beautiful native shrubs, but unfortunately, it is not so easy to find stock photography of them. Please see this website for plenty of shrub options with pictures. I think the Mountain Maple and Smooth Sumac would also be beautiful options.

Flowering Perennials

Sage

Wild Blue Flax

Coneflower

Crocus

Gaillardia

Wild Columbine

Related: 5 Reasons to landscape with native plants

Aster

Goldenrod

Yarrow

Hyssop

Liatrus

Black Eyed Susan

Scarlet Mallow

Grasses

There are many beautiful grasses you can grow to add winter interest and movement to your garden. It is suggested that you grow at least one cool season and one warm season variety. Click here to read more and discover different varieties.

Vines

Wild Hops

Virginia Creeper

Virginia creeper can become invasive, so plant with caution!

Which one of these resilient plants will you plant? Or will you create a whole flower garden with them?

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots. She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden. She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

https://www.shiftingroots.com

44 Pollinator Friendly Flowers and Herbs to Help Save the Bees

May 28, 2019

Creating a pollinator friendly garden is a win for both you and nature. You create habitat for the bees, which in turn pollinate your garden, which leads to delicious vegetables and better yields.

But what flowers are the best flowers to save the bees and other pollinators? I’ve researched and come up with a list of 44 annuals, perennials, and herbs you can grow in your backyard landscape to attract bees in your garden.

A quick disclaimer–I garden in zone 3b in the Canadian Prairies, so my suggestions reflect what grows here. If you know of another flower that bees love in another zone, please put it in the comments, along with what zone you’re in so we can all learn.

Alyssum

Sweet Alysum can also be grown as a cover crop between rows to help suppress weeds and add nutrients to the soil once it is worked in for the season.

Agastache (Anise Hyssop)

Agastache is a very drought resistant perennial and provides height in the landscape.

Apple Trees (Or really any fruit tree)

Okay, so this one is sort of cheating. But to be fair, have you ever seen a fruit tree in bloom that didn’t have tons of bees buzzing around it? Yes, many fruit trees need the bees to pollinate them, but not all. So plant those apple, cherry, plum, saskatoon berry, or any other flowering fruit free to encourage bees.

Related: 28 Hardy Fruit Trees for Zone 2 and Zone 3

Asclepias (Butterfly Weed)

Butterfly weed isn’t just for butterflies–bees love it too!

Aster

There are many varieties of asters to choose from, from the late summer blooming perennial, to the kind used as bedding plants or grown from seed in a cut flower garden.

Bachelor’s Buttons

Kids of all ages love bachelor buttons. They’re easy to grow from see and bees can’t get enough of them.

Borage

Borage is an excellent companion flower in the garden and has medicinal purposes as well. In some climates it can get invasive.

Blanketflower

A stunningly beautiful native flower that’s also drought resistant.

Calendula

Calendula is a workhorse in the garden. It’s easy to grow from seed, loved by pollinators, is a good companion plant for vegetables, and can be used as an ingredient is soaps and diy beauty products.

Related: 14 Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden

Catmint

You might plant catmint for the bees, but your cats will enjoy it as well. I once planted catmint, but there were so many neighbourhood cats that got into it that it didn’t stand a chance and died shortly after.

Celiosa

Celiosa is a striking and more unusual addition to your flowerpots.

Clover

Clover is an excellent cover crop and can be used as an alternative to grass in a lawn.

Cosmos

Cosmos are an easy cut and come again flower that you can start from seed. They look beautiful in the garden and as part of floral arrangements.

Crocus

Crocuses are a welcome early-blooming flower and one of the first food sources for bees in the Spring.

Chives

A garden isn’t complete without perennial chives. I adore their purple blooms and use fresh chives in my cooking all season long.

Echinacea (Coneflower)

Echinacea is drought resistant and a lovely native plant to use in both the garden and in landscaping.

Related: 5 Benefits to Landscaping with Native Flowers

Foxglove

Foxgloves are a gorgeous addition to the garden, but not a good choice if you have children or pets. Every part of the plant is poisonous and can be fatal if ingested.

Geranium (Cranesbill)

Not to be confused with the ones used as bedding plants! Cranesbill Geraniums are perennials.

Goldenrod

This late summer to fall bloomer is a native plant that is drought tolerant and perfect in cut flower arrangements.

Heliotrope

Heliotropes are very fragrant with a smell that both bees and humans find irresistible.

Lavender

Lavender is another fragrant choice. The flowers can be used in soaps or as a flavour in drinks and desserts.

Liatris

Blazing star liatris is an easy-to-grow, drought resistant and deer resistant perennial. A must in any landscape!

Related: How to Design a Low-Maintenance Flower Bed

Lupin

Lupins are a gorgeous choice in the garden, but also dangerous for kids and pets.

Marigolds

Marigolds are easy to start from seed and are a good companion plant in the vegetable garden.

Mint

Every garden needs a mint plant, but keep it in a pot, as it is highly invasive.

Related: 28 Perennials You’ll Regret Planting

Mondara (Bee Balm)

It’s called bee balm–enough said.

Oregano

Another herb that is loved by both bees and humans.

Nasturtium

Nasturtiums are edible flowers with a peppery taste, and their seeds are easy to collect and grow.

Pansy

A beautiful and very hardy bedding plant. Pansies often survive a light frost or two.

Peony

Planting a peony bush? Just make sure you keep it farther away from the house so ants aren’t encouraged to come through your doors. Learn more about growing peonies here.

Phlox

Phlox makes a good ground cover in a rock garden and can be grown underneath a tree if there is enough light.

Poppies

Poppies are another easy-to-grow flower that often re-seed themselves.

Rosemary

We love rosemary for it’s deliciousness in cooking. Bees love rosemary for the little blue-ish flowers.

Related: How to Dry Herbs so They Still Taste Good!

Roses

Roses can be tricky to grow in zone 3. Stick to the Morden series of roses for the best success. Tea roses or anything fancy will not survive our winters.

Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan)

A staple perennial of the late summer garden.

Sage

Sage has a lovely smell and is also a beautiful filler piece for flower arrangements.

Salvia

Scabiosa

The unusual blooms of scabiosa make a statement in the garden.

Snowdrops

Plant snowdrop underneath a tree or in the shade by your house for best results.

Stonecrop (Sedum)

There are so many types of sedum to chose from. To keep it bee-friendly, choose flowering varieties like Autumn Joy.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are also fun to plant with kids around. Compare their height to the sunflowers!

Thyme

Bees love the delicate purple flowers and you’ll love the fresh taste in your cooking.

Related: How to Grow a Mini Outdoor Herb Garden

Yarrow

I personally adore yarrow because it is a perennial with a long bloom time, it works well in flower arrangements, and it’s drought tolerant.

Zinnia

Every garden needs some cheerful zinnias! Zinnias are good companion flowers and cut flowers.

More Tips for Creating a Garden to Attract Bees

As I mentioned before, this list is definitely not exhaustive to all zones! There’s also a few general tips you can use to decide if a flower would encourage bees to your yard or not.

Use Organic Gardening Methods & Avoid Hybrids

Avoid using pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides as much as possible–even ones marketed as organic. They can contain ingredients that are harmful to pollinators.

Hybrid flowers are bred to have benefits to gardeners, but unfortunately they often have less pollen and nectar–bad news for bees. While I don’t think you should avoid all hybrids, maybe keep them to only a few favourites if you’re trying to attract bees.

Prioritize Native Flowers and Colourful Flowers

Native flowers have so many benefits to them, including being good for the bees. For ideas, go to your local library and pick up a book on plants native to year area, or google [your province or state] + native flowers for ideas. Some native flowers in my area that I like are goldenrod and asters.

Bees love colourful flowers! While all colours will work, bees prefer yellow, white, and blue/purple. While there are tons of flowers to choose in these colours, I like marigolds for yellow, alyssum for white, and bee balm & delphiniums in the blue/purple family.

Fragrant Flowers and Herbs

Fragrant flowers were meant to attract bees. Some of my favourites are lily of the valley, citronella geranium, and lilacs. Herbs such as chives, mint, sage, and lavender are also good choices.

Long blooming Flowers

Gardeners love long blooming flowers because they provide colour for more of the growing season. Bees love long blooming flowers because they provide a good food source for a longer amount of time. Try planting yarrow, rudbeckia, and daisies.

Want to attract bees and other pollinators and beneficial insects to your vegetable garden? Plant a variety of these 44 annual, perennial, and herb flowers that bees love! Bonus, all the plants are good for zone 3!! #bees #pollinators #garden #flowers

Early Blooming Spring Flowers

Even thought I’m personally not a fan of dandelions, I’ll leave them all of May because they’re one of the few sources of food for bees in early Spring. Try planting some early varieties of tulips, crocus, and daffodils.

Plant More Than One of Each Flower and Have Something Blooming in Every Season

While one bee-friendly plant is better than no bee-friendly plants, it’s better to have more than one of each type of flower you’re planting. Your landscape should also contain flowers that bloom in early-Spring, late-Fall, and everything in-between so there’s always a food source for the bees.

Have a Variety of Shapes and Sizes

Different bees have different shapes and lengths of tongues. Therefore, you need a variety of flowers to make sure that your garden can benefit as many bees as possible.

Feeling inspired to add a few bee-friendly favourites to your garden? Which ones will you add?

Kristen Raney

https://www.shiftingroots.com

Beginners Guide to Peonies: Growing Tips and Beautiful DIYs.

April 21, 2019

Peony season is finally here! For two weeks in June peony lovers everywhere rejoice and furiously arrange and photograph their precious flowers. . . or maybe that’s just me. There’s nothing like those delicate shades of pink and that glorious scent wafting from every bloom.

If you live in hardiness zones 2-8, you really need to pick up a peony root from your nearest garden centre or friend with too many on her hands. Here’s everything you need to know to grow and play with herbaceous peonies.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase something. You can read more about it in my privacy policy. Thanks for supporting Shifting Roots!

[Read more…]

Kristen Raney

https://www.shiftingroots.com

Gardeners Worst Nightmares: 28 Perennials You’ll Regret Planting

April 17, 2019

Perennial plants are a good investment. Plant once and have flowers that bloom for years. However, some plants that seem innocent enough literally take over the garden and quickly spiral out of control. Others bloom for such a short time that they don’t seem worth the trouble. Here’s a list of 28 perennials I’d rather not see in my next garden.

Disclaimer: This post contains plants that are problematic in USDA hardiness zones 2 and 3. Some of these plants may not be problematic in your area. If you have difficult growing conditions, you’ll want to put these plants on your next shopping list. 🙂

This post also contains affiliate links. If you purchase something from my link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about it in my Privacy Policy. Thanks!

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Kristen Raney

https://www.shiftingroots.com

Creating Whimsy in Your Garden

March 11, 2019

Once the perennials have emerged, you’ve planted some annuals here and there, and all your flowers are looking great, it time to have some fun by Creating Whimsy In Your Garden.

I truly love every task that gardening involves, but my favorite thing to do is kick my creative side into high gear and add some personality and whimsical touches to my gardens. Okay, let’s have some fun and get creative. Come along and let me give you some ideas and tips to bring out your artistic side.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about it in my privacy policy. Thanks for supporting Shifting Roots!

Low Budget Ways to Add Whimsical Decor To Your Garden

First take a walk around your own yard and see what you can find. Keep an eye out for interesting limbs, old logs, rocks or boulders, old fencing, broken flower pots, etc. If you have littles, get them involved. My five year old grandson now looks for big rocks for his Nana’s garden. Be creative!

Rocks and boulders make awesome borders around your gardens. Or even just a small pile of field stones with flowers growing around and through them looks super cute.

Logs look great in the garden with flowers as a backdrop. They also look cool hollowed out and used as planters. Birch logs especially look amazing in gardens. Use them to add height in a flower pot.

Logs can be used to make very whimsical statement pieces. We had several trees cut down and I’m always foraging through the wood pile for an interesting log or limb. In this example, the piece of wood was rotten in the middle, so it worked well to plant marigolds in the hollowed out middle.

I think whimsical garden art really makes a backyard flower bed. I love these 20 diy ideas that are either recylcled, upcylcled, or from junk that nobody wants. I need to do some of these in my outdoor space--Solar lights are so easy. #gardenart #whimsical #flowergarden #landscapingideas — Photo courtesy of Gingham Gardens

I also use logs like tables or stands to add height to planters. Create little scenes, or vignettes, with garden art pieces you have on hand. If you’d like to see how my husband made the branch ladder in this picture, check out Easy DIY Garden Decor Using Tree Branches when you’ve finished up here.

Not sure which annual flowers are best for your garden? Here are my picks for sun and shade.

Don’t toss out broken pots or containers. You can use a broken clay pot as a tipped or spilled planter feature like this. Because the pot is broken on the side that is buried, it doesn’t even matter that it’s broken. Really just about any planter looks whimsical tipped on its side with flowers spilling out.

Other Ways to Add Whimsy to Your Garden

Doing something as simple as adding landscape lighting can go a long way to add a whimsical touch to your garden space. These solar lights look super cute both in the daylight and nighttime. And, the twinkling of landscape lights adds tons of whimsy and ambience to your gardens at night.

Dig an old short shepherd’s hook out of your stash and hang a galvanized pot of annuals on it. Instant whimsy, right?

A container filled with flowers is a great way to fill up empty spaces and works really well to add personality and charm. Years ago, I had this tipsy tower of clay pots in my garden and it was always a conversation piece for visitors.

Do you have a fence, add décor or planters to the fence. At our former home we added framed heavy duty lattice panels to hide our neighbor’s chain link fence and it was always fun to add some yard art pieces to the fences.

Need Perennial Flower Planting Ideas? Here’s 53 of my favourites, 28 you should probably avoid, and 17 for those shady spots in the garden.

Garden stakes look cute nestled in with the flowers in your gardens. Craft fairs and boutiques are great places to find garden art and that’s where I found these adorable birdhouse stakes. Many years ago, I read to create groupings of odd numbered pieces in a garden vignette and it totally looks so much better that even numbers. Give it a try and I think you’ll agree.

Upcycling vintage items, like this old chair, is a very creative way to add character to your gardens, and I would like to think this is my speciality. Flea markets, estate sales and garage sales are the best places find pieces like vintage milk cans, ladders, bicycles, old chair, wheelbarrows and whatever else you can see in your garden. Personally, I draw the line at bathroom pieces and car parts, but to each their own. If you’re interested in taking a little garden tour to see my Upcycled Vintage Garden Decor, pop over when we’ve finished up here.

Adding a simple little water feature goes a long way to add whimsy. The sound of trickling water just adds to the atmosphere of peace and serenity in the garden, especially when placed by a seating area.

Ideas for DIY Whimsical Garden Decorations

Of course, there are tons and tons of ideas on Pinterest for making DIY Garden Decor, but here are a few (well, okay, several) ideas I have on my DIY to do list:

Dragonflies made with old silverware
Flower stakes made from dishes
Bird cages made into planters
Rocks painted to look like bugs or worms
Painted garden rock markers
Tin Can and flower pot people
Glass totems
Bird feeders made from old cups and saucers
Mosaic from broken dishes
Simple hand painted sign

See how fun and easy creating whimsy in your garden can be? Just keep in mind that adding garden decor or yard art is just another means to add to the beauty and personality of your gardens, and is not meant to compete with it.

Again, have fun and be creative! When I’m not sure how something looks in the garden, I take a picture. Sometimes looking at a picture helps to solidify the design or makes it easy to see if something needs to be changed. If you decide later that your little vignette looks more dorky or junky than whimsical, you can always rearrange it.

Do you add whimsical touches to your gardens? Leave a comment and let me know. Or, of course, if you have questions, you can always ask.

Joanna Von Bergen

Hi there, I’m Joanna from Gingham Gardens. I’ve been a fan of Kristen’s blog for many years and long before I became a blogger myself, so I’m honored that she would allow me a chance to guest post at Shifting Roots. Gardening has been a passion of mine for a very long time. And, although I’m mostly into flower gardening, I do vegetable gardening too. Come visit me when you have some time to take a virtual stroll through Gingham Gardens.

http://ginghamgardens.com/