Native Plants

Program Mission

Providing a source of plants native to this area is integral to the success of creating native habitat in our cities.

Alongside Milkweed for Monarchs, Bridging The Gap is educating citizens on the importance and beauty of native gardening. BTG supports the growth of the native plant market in the Greater Kansas City region to help protect the natural ecosystem that provides food and habitat for native wildlife. BTG hosts spring and fall native plant sales. Check our events calendars for more details.

Favorite Native Plants

BTG's prairie ecologist, Courtney Masterson created a list of native plants that are best-suited to attract pollinators.

Purple Coneflower
Button Blazing Star
Foxglove beardtongue
Blue Wild Indigo
Missouri Evening Primrose
Sideoats grama
Sweet Joe Pye Weed
Blue lobelia
Butterfly milkweed
Common milkweed
Slender mountain mint
Rigid goldenrod
New England aster
Purple milkweed
Swamp milkweed
Purple poppy mallow
Lance-leaf coreopsis
Purple prairie clover

Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower) is a coarse, rough-hairy, herbaceous perennial. It typically grows to 2-4' tall. Blooms throughout the summer atop stiff stems clad with coarse, ovate to broad-lanceolate, dark green leaves.

Button Blazing Star

Liatris aspera (button blazing star) is an upright, clump-forming, Missouri native perennial which typically grows 2-3' tall. Features rounded, fluffy, deep rose-purple flower heads, which are crowded into long, terminal flower spikes atop erect flower stalks. Flowers open somewhat at the same time, which makes this species a particularly good fresh cut flower for floral arrangements.

Foxglove beardtongue

Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue) matures to 3' in height and has white to pink flowers. It prefers medium to dry medium soils but can adapt to manyl light conditions: full sun to part shade such as clearings within forests, woods' edges, and savannas. It is very easy to grow from seed.

Blue Wild Indigo

Baptisia australis (blue wild indigo) is an upright perennial which typically grows 3-4' tall. It features purple, lupine-like flowers. Blooms in spring. Flowers give way to inflated seed pods (to 2.5" long) which turn charcoal black when ripe and have considerable ornamental interest. Seeds rattle around in the blackened pods which were once popularly used by children as rattles. Stems with seed pods are valued additions to dried flower arrangements.

Missouri Evening Primrose

Oenothera macrocarpa (Missouri evening primrose) typically grows 6-12" tall and features very large, solitary, 4-petaled, mildly fragrant, bright yellow flowers which open for only one day (usually open late afternoon and remain open until the following morning). Best in border fronts or rock gardens. A showy plant which can be grown in poor, dryish soils.

Sideoats grama

Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama) is a Missouri native grass which is noted for the distinctive arrangement of oat-like seed spikes which hang from only one side of its flowering stems. Foliage turns golden brown in autumn, sometimes also developing interesting hues of orange and red.

Sweet Joe Pye Weed

Joe Pye weed is a tall Missouri native perennial which typically grows 4-7’ tall and features coarsely-serrated, lance-shaped, dark green leaves (to 12” long) in whorls of 3-4 on sturdy green stems with purplish leaf nodes. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies and give way to attractive seed heads which persist well into winter.

Blue lobelia

Lobelia siphilitica (blue lobelia) is a clump-forming perennial which features light to dark blue, tubular, 2-lipped flowers. Provides late summer bloom to the perennial border, wild garden, native plant garden, woodland garden or naturalized planting. Also effective near ponds or streams.

Butterfly milkweed

Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed) typically grows in a clump to 1-3' tall and features clusters of bright orange to yellow-orange flowers. Unlike many of the other milkweeds, this species does not have milky-sapped stems. Long bloom period from late spring throughout the summer. Flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and leaves are a food source for monarch butterfly larvae (caterpillars).

Common milkweed

Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) typically grows 3-4' tall on stout, upright stems with thick, broad-oblong, reddish-veined, light green leaves. Domed, clusters of fragrant, pinkish -purple flowers appear over a long bloom period from late spring well into summer. Stems and leaves exude a milky sap when cut or bruised. Flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and leaves are a food source for monarch butterfly larvae (caterpillars).

Slender mountain mint

Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (slender mountain mint) is an erect, many-branched, herbaceous perennial that grows 2-3' tall and features extremely narrow, almost needle-like leaves and profuse terminal clusters of small, white flowers which bloom in mid to late summer. All parts of the plant emit a strong, mint-like aroma when crushed.

Rigid goldenrod

Solidago ridiga (rigid goldenrod) features tiny, bright yellow, daisy-like flowers typically growing 3-5' tall. Flowers bloom late summer to early autumn. Goldenrods have been wrongfully accused of causing hay fever which is actually an allergic reaction to wind-borne pollen from other plants such as ragweed. Attractive to bees and butterflies.

New England aster

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England aster) is a stout, leafy plant typically growing 3-6' tall with a robust, upright habit. Features a profuse bloom of daisy-like asters with purple rays and yellow centers from late summer to early fall. Flowers are attractive to butterflies.

Purple milkweed

Asclepias purpurascens (purple milkweed) is similar in appearance to common milkweed (A. syriaca), except its flowers are deep rose pink and its leaves are more pointed. Appear in many-flowered umbels in May-July. Flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and leaves are a food source for monarch butterfly larvae (caterpillars).

Swamp milkweed

Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) is an erect, clump-forming, native plant which typically grows 3-4' tall on branching stems. Small, fragrant, pink to mauve flowers appear in tight clusters at the stem ends in summer. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies as a nectar source. In addition, it is an important food source for the larval stage of Monarch butterflies.

Purple poppy mallow

Callirhoe involucrata (purple poppy mallow) form a low foliage mound from 6-9" tall which spread along the ground to 3' wide. Continuously appear on thin stems above the foliage from mid-spring to fall.

Lance-leaf coreopsis

Lanceleaf coreopsis features solitary, yellow, daisy-like flowers (1-2" diameter) with eight yellow rays and flat yellow center disks. Flowers bloom from spring to early summer.

Purple prairie clover

Dalea purpurea (purple prairie clover) typically grows 1-3' tall with tiny purple flowers in dense, cone-like heads atop erect, wiry stems in summer. A nitrogen-fixing plant that is an important component of Midwestern prairie restorations. Great for rock gardens and borders.

Native Plants

Program Mission

Favorite Native Plants

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