Sun-Loving Native Perennials for Ontario Gardeners
There are so many fabulous native plants to grow here in Ontario, it was hard to narrow it down to only ten. This list includes some of the easiest to grow and easiest to find in terms of seeds and seedlings. All of these plants are valuable not only for their beauty and interest in the garden, they are also important to local pollinators and wildlife. The more native plants we invite into our outdoor spaces, the more we support the ecosystem we inhabit. I’ve also included a list of sources for seeds and seedlings as well at the bottom of the page.
Butterfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly milkweed is a beautiful and invaluable additions to any garden. It provides important sources of food as well as shelter and a place for butterflies, especially monarch butterflies to transform from caterpillar to butterflies. I’ve found it can be a bit challenging to find in local nurseries unfortunately, but they can be started from seed. Butterfly milkweed can be direct sown in the fall and allowed to overwinter in the ground, otherwise cold stratification is needed. Buttefly milkweed doesn’t grow as tall as Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, which can grow to around 5 feet tall and butterfly milkweed is also less toxic than common milkweed so its a great option if you have curious kids, pets or grazing animals.
Butterfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa, is shorter, grows to around 2 ft tall and spreads less aggressively than common milkweed. They thrive in full to partial sun and medium to dry soil conditions and don’t really require much maintenance throughout the season, its just important to keep the soil moist and to not them dry out as the seeds germinate and become established. Butterfly milkweed is also hardy down to zone 3 so it an excellent option for northern gardeners.
Pro tip: Cold stratification is the process by which seeds are awakened from dormancy by cold temperatures.When you see this on a seed packet it means that the seeds need to be exposed to cold temperatures that mimic the winter seasonal changes. So this can be done by putting the seeds in a plastic (ziplock style) bag in the fridge for a couple weeks. I’ve had success starting seeds in containers and placed outside in late winter, somewhere with partial sun. Some folks like to cover their containers with juice jugs/ pop bottles with the bottoms cut off and lids removed to create mini greenhouses for their seeds. It’s some extra effort but it also protects seedlings from hungry squirrels. Just make sure to water as the weather starts to warm and pot them up/ transplant when they’re ready!
(Dense) Blazing Star - Liatris Spicata
This gorgeous plant has bright pink- purple flowers on a tall upright spike that pollinators absolutely love. Liatris thrives in medium to moist soils in full sun, though they can handle part shade. They are an excellent addition to a rain garden or somewhere that tends to be a slightly more damp area in a garden, but the soil must still be draining as they won’t be happy in standing water.
Liatris blooms for a long time, the flowers last almost the entire summer and are very fast growing. I leave mine intact overwinter and only cut back stems late in spring. I have some planted in my front garden where they get afternoon sun and lots of extra water when it rains. In really hot dry periods I give it extra water if it seems thirsty and make sure it’s well mulched with wood mulch.
Liatris can be easily started from seed, and like many perennials requires cold stratification, so sowing outdoors in the fall is a great option otherwise putting the seeds in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few weeks is needed. I’ve had success starting seeds in containers in late winter, putting them outside and Mother Nature takes care of the rest.
Smooth Blue Aster, Symphyotrichum laeve
Asters are one of my all time favourites. I feel they are the quintessential flower of late summer in Ontario forests and woodland edges and they are often covered in bees. Asters bloom in late summer to the first frost and are hardy to zone 3. I’ve found asters to be quite adaptable, hardy and low maintenance. To see the value in planting asters, one only needs to look at their range of habitat that stretches across all of North America. There is something like 32 species of asters in Ontario alone, some that thrive in dry conditions, others that thrive in wetter so there is definitely an aster to fit any growing space.
I have a number of asters in my home gardens and they have bees visiting from sunrise to sunset. Asters are easy to grow from seed and do not spread aggressively. I usually either direct sow in the fall or sow in containers in late winter and place containers outdoors. They could also be started indoors before the last frost or direct sown in the spring.
Smooth Blue Asters are one of my favourite varieties of aster that grows to about 4 feet tall. I’ve found it can need a bit of support if it isn’t planted densely with native grasses or other supportive companions. This variety prefers full to partial sun and medium to dry soil conditions. When planted together with goldenrod, the two plants will attract even more pollinators than if they were not planted together. I like to plant them alongside Little Bluestem, Goldenrods and Wild Bergamot.
Wild Bergamot, monarda fistulosa
Wild Bergamot is a member of the mint family and while it does fill out at is matures, it doesn’t spread aggressively like other garden mints, in fact it doesn’t really like to be overcrowded or compete for space in the garden. It grows to around 3-4 ft tall, prefers full to part sun and does well in fairly dry to medium dry soils. Its’ fluffy light purple flowers can be used to make a delicious earl grey tea and its a valuable source of nectar for pollinators, including butterflies and even hummingbirds!! Its grey-green leaves are edible as well and this plant truly smells amazing.
Wild bergamot is a long blooming perennial, it blooms for 6 weeks or more and is also a gorgeous cut flower. It is low maintain and hardy to zone 3. Wild Columbine likely won’t bloom its first season if started from seed but it will come back the following spring and will flower beautifully all summer long. Although it can be prone to mildew, especially late in the season, it won’t effect flowering. Making sure there is good air movement around the plant will help prevent mildew from growing.
Goldenrod - Solidago sp.
Goldenrods might be one of the most underrated and misunderstood native plants, its commonly mislabeled as a weed and the cause of seasonal allergies when in fact it is common ragweed that happens to release its pollen around the same time that is actually the culprit. I repeat, goldenrod does not cause hay fever! Goldenrod is like a happy ray of sunshine in the garden, they bloom in late summer and late into the fall and are an important source of nectar for native pollinators. There are a number of varieties of goldenrod that would be a wonderful addition to a cut flower garden as well.
Some goldenrods like Canada Goldenrod (solidago canadensis) spreads both by rhizome and seed and grows up to 6 feet tall. This variety will spread fairly aggressively and would be better suited to re-wilding larger areas like pasture or woodland edge areas. Smaller varieties like Blue Stem Goldenrod (solidago caesia) and Grey Goldenrod (solidago nemoralis) grow to around 2-3 feet tall, form in a more clumping habit and will not spend aggressively or take up as much space in the garden. Goldenrod blooms usually in later summer into fall some earlier and some later than others but regardless and it’s an important source of nectar for pollinators. It’s easy to grow from seed if direct sown in the fall and allowed to overwinter. Otherwise cold stratification is needed. Ive also had success starting the seeds in if sown in containers and placed outside in late winter.
(Great) Blue Lobelia, lobelia siphilitica
This beauty is a blue-purple upright flower loved by pollinators and birds including hummingbirds! This plant is nothing like the bedding lobelias you’ll see at many garden centres, Great Blue Lobelia grows to around 2-3 ft, and flowers in summer into fall. Blue Lobelia prefers part shade to full sun and wet to medium soils and is a great option for a rain garden, near shoreline or edge of a pond or wetland. I have blue lobelia planted in a a rain garden that gets afternoon sun and lots of extra water from the downspout when it does rain. In dry hot conditions it will go dormant but a good deep watering once a week and a thick layer of mulch will help keep the soil cool and retain moisture. Planted in the right conditions, I’ve found it very easy going and long blooming, I’ve seen bees visiting Great Blue Lobelia even after a frost.
Great Blue Lobelia seeds need cold stratification so it’s a great one to direct sow in the fall or follow instructions for cold stratification (see Pro tip below). It will self sow as well but not aggressively so you will have some plants to move around, gift to your neighbours or tuck into a ditch or wet roadside. I love a guerrilla gardening moment!
Little Bluestem, schizachyrium scoparium
One of my all time favourites, this beautiful and hardy native grass is drought resistant and not an aggressive spreader. It actually does not like to compete for space in the garden at all, I have it planted interspersed with wild bergamot, asters and black eyed susans. Like its name suggests this grass has blue-almost aqua coloured foliage that turns a deep red in the fall and light brown over the winter with white fluffy seeds. Little bluestem is very drought tolerant and can handle really poor soils and even sandy areas. It is an excellent plant to add to areas to manage erosion on a steep slope as it needs very little care and its fibrous roots help to hold the soil in place. It won’t be happy in standing water long term so I wouldn’t choose this to plant right on a waters edge.
Little bluestem provides a habitat for pollinator larvae, shelter for small wildlife in the winters and seeds for the birds all winter long. I often have juncos visiting for the seeds that scatter on the surface of the snow. I love that this beautiful easy going grass provides some structure and interest even when things are covered in snow. It will self slow quite readily in the garden as well so keep an eye out in the spring if you don’t want it to come up everywhere.. another great volunteer that can moved, gifted or planted guerrilla style.
Yarrow, achillea millefolium is a bit of a magical plant. It has long been used medicinally to stop hemorrhaging- I’ve made a strong tea that I’ve cooled and then soaked cotton balls in to use to stop bleeding from wisdom tooth extractions. Its name achillea is said to come from stories of the greek god Achilles using this plant to treat the wounds of soldiers. It has long been known to be one of the greatest allies of midwives and birthing mothers.
The native variety has white clusters of flowers that blooms multiple times throughout the season and it can be cut back close to the base when the blooms are going to seed to encourage more flowering. Its a valuable host plant for many pollinators and makes a great cut flower too. Yarrow grows 1-3 ft high depending on conditions and tolerates dry to medium soils and full to part sun and is long blooming. It will bloom early in the summer usually in June and into September. In the garden it is very easy going and though it will spread readily and take up bare space, it doesn’t require a lot of maintenance other than dividing every few years to manage its spreading and keep the plant healthy. There are many hybridized species of yarrow as well as speciality bred varieties as well so it can be hard to identify if the yarrow volunteering in your yard is the native variety. That said this easy to grow plant is definitely a keeper in my garden, Im currently experimenting with planting it over an area under some cedars that has goutweed trying to take over. Don’t even get me started on how much I dislike that the invasive goutweed.. but I’m hoping that in this spot that I’ve covered with cardboard, mulch and soil in the hopes of smothering out the goutweed, the yarrow will spread and live its best life.
Black Eyed Susan, rudbeckia sp.
Oh rudbeckia, how I love its cheerful, deep yellow flowers. It is such an easy plant to grow from seed, is very easy to maintain and is long blooming. While it’s technically a biennial, with a 2 year lifecycle, it will self sow readily and generally maintains its presence in the garden. You can sow Black Eyed Susans indoors in the spring before your last frost date or direct sow outdoors either in the spring or in fall. The seeds are TINY, and should be sown on the surface of the soil and gently pressed and watered in. You could put a bit of sand on top of the seeds once pressed in to keep them in place for germination but just a dusting- these seeds do not need to be covered deeply.
Rudbeckia grows to 3-4 feet tall and has a fair spread of about 2-3 feet per plant and are quite drought resistant. Side Note: Don’t move Rudbeckia when they are flowering- a mistake I once made and lived to regret.. I had to water them twice a day for two weeks to keep them alive until they finally rebounded! Black Eyed Susans make an excellent cut flower with a long vase life. When blooms are spent, dead head (cut them back) at the base of that flowers stem to encourage more flowering. Rudbeckias are loved by many pollinators like bees and butterflies and over the winter the seed heads provide some food for birds and some character in the garden. My favourite varieties are ‘rudbeckia hirta’ and ‘rudbeckia fulgida’.
Wild Columbine, aquilegia canadensis
I have a special love for columbines. I fell in love with these unique and hardy plants during camping trips on the Bruce Peninsula between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron where columbines grow in the cracks and crannies of alvars, cliffs and massive boulders. This columbine is particularly special, being native to Ontario, its an important early source of nectar for pollinators including bees, butterflies and even hummingbirds! Not to mention it is absolutely stunning and looks so delicate for such a hardy native flower.
In my garden these beauties are often some of the first perennials to bloom in the spring and are long lasting. Columbines can grow up to 2 feet tall and have a spread of 1- 1.5 feet and are fairly adaptable in terms of light requirements. I have my columbines in a partially shaded area and they bloom like crazy, but columbine’s also do really well in full sun. Columbines can handle dry to medium conditions, but don’t want to be in standing water and are hardy down to zone 3. Wild Columbine will self seed and can also be divided after a couple years of being established. To grow from seed they do require cold stratification so I generally recommend starting outdoors in the fall or in containers placed outside in late winter.
Purple Coneflower, echinacea purpurea
Okay, so purple coneflower is not technically native to Canada, it is native to northern USA and is now naturalized in parts of Canada, mostly in Ontario and Quebec. Keeping in mind that prior to the creation of national borders, animals, plants and people migrated freely across these ‘borders’ and so with warming climates and garden zones stretching, its not surprising that with some human assistance, echinacea purpurea has naturalized here in Ontario. Either way it is a beautiful addition to a garden and attracts many pollinators including bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and the seeds provide some food for birds and wildlife over the winter. It can be sown in the fall to overwinter outdoors or sown indoors early in winter after providing some cold stratification. While these beauties are not technically native plants I couldn’t resist including them in this list.
Their distant cousin cut leaf cornflower IS native to Ontario and is a long blooming, very tall variety that bees love. I do find it a bit of an aggressive spreader but if you have the space for it or are wanting to create a bit of a screen, these fat growing prolific plants are a great option.
Sourcing Native Plants in Ontario
Seeds:
Seedlings that can be ordered and shipped:
ON Plants (ships Ontario wide)
Native Plants in Claremont (Ontario wide)
In person native plants:
Rideau Roots (Portland)
Native Plant Nurseries (Pefferlaw or Tottenham)
Not So Hollow Farm (Mulmur)
Bee Sweet Nature (Guelph)
Seed Libraries are an invaluable asset and do extremely important work in preserving and distributing native seeds. These organizations often run free seed exchange events and in some cases will mail out seeds for free, you just have to pay postage. Donations are recommended.
Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library
Royal Botanical Gardens Seed Library
Seeds of Diversity - List of Community Seed Libraries
