United States Department of Agriculture Montana Native Natural Resources Plants for Conservation Service Pollinator-Friendly March 2012 Plantings Photos: USDA NRCS Tom Pick Native Plants Can Attract Establishing Pollinator- Pollinators and Beneficials Friendly Plantings Native trees, shrubs, forbs, and grasses Start right. Flowering plants can planted along farm and ranch borders be started from seed; shrubs are and within fields can attract wildlife, better established by transplanting including pollinators and beneficial seedlings. insects. The right mix of plant species Test soils for drainage. Most of will bloom all season and provide Montana’s native species will not a continuous source of nectar and do well in heavy, poorly drained, or pollen needed by pollinators and other saline soils. beneficials. Match plants with similar site Pollinator-Friendly Native Species preferences. Choose plants that Plantings Can Also: share similar light, soil, and water requirements and are adapted to the Reduce Pesticide Use climate. Sequentially blooming annual and perennial plants provide habitat and Water wisely. For the most winter cover for insects, enhance successful establishment of any weed seed suppression, and provide native shrubs, water weekly or some biological control of insect and bimonthly for the first two to three disease pests. years until well established. Stabilize Soil and Provide Ground Control weeds. Most natives do Cover not compete well with weeds. Start Root systems hold soil in place and with a weed-free area and keep reduce the risk of erosion. weeds to a minimum for the first two to three years of establishment. Act as Windbreaks and Shelterbelts Mowing weeds during herbaceous Taller trees and shrubs protect plant establishment will suppress farmsteads, crops, and livestock competition and encourage from wind and dust damage and may desirable plants. help to filter wind-blown weed seed. Protect from deer. Fencing may be Provide Wildlife Habitat required in areas with high deer Woody perennials provide food populations. Treatments with deer and shelter for many native wildlife repellents may help protect new species. plantings. - 2 - Bloom Period of Common Montana Native Plants April May June July August Sept Oct Shrubs American Plum Golden Currant Chokecherry Redosier Dogwood Serviceberry Common Snowberry Blue Elderberry Woods Rose Rabbitbrush Flowers Lewis Flax Fuzzytongue Penstemon Prairie Coneflower Wild Beebalm Slender White Prairie Clover Common Yarrow Blanketflower Maximilian Sunflower Dotted Gayfeather Purple Coneflower Smooth Blue Aster - 3 - Plant Choices - Montana Native Shrubs American Plum Blue Elderberry Chokecherry Prunus americana. Sambucus nigra. Prunus virginiana. Grows 6 to 10 feet Grows 6 to 15 feet tall Grows 10 to 15 feet tall with a 6- to 8-foot with a 4- to 8-foot spread. tall, suckering to a 4- to spread. Prefers loamy Prefers loamy to clayey 8-foot spread. Prefers soils. Foothill valleys soils. Foothill valleys. sandy to loamy soils. and grassland coulees. Moderate water use; Foothills to prairie Medium water use; full partial shade to full sun. coulees. Low water use; sun. Blooms April to Blooms in July. full sun. Blooms April May. to May. Common Snowberry Golden Currant Rabbitbrush Symphoricarpos alba. Ribes aureum. Ericameria nauseosa. Grows to 3 feet tall with similarGrows spread. 3 to 6Prefers feet tall, loamy to Growsclayey soils.2 to 4 Foothillfeet tall valleys and grassland coulees.suckering Low water to ause; 3- to full 6-foot sun. Bloomswith a June2- to to4-foot August. spread. spread. Tolerates sandy Prefers sandy soils, but to clayey soils. Foothills, tolerates heavier loam or valleys, and prairie clay soils. Grasslands and coulees. Low water use; foothills. Low water use; full sun. Blooms April to full sun. Blooms August May. to October. - 4 - Plant Choices - Montana Native Shrubs Redosier Dogwood Woods Rose Skunkbush Sumac Cornus sericea. Rosa woodsii. Rhus trilobata. Grows 4 to 7 feet tall Grows 4 to 5 feet tall, Grows 2 to 10 feet tall, with a 4- to 6-foot suckering to a 4- to forming thickets from spread. Prefers loam 10-foot spread. Prefers spreading rhizomes. to clayey textured sandy to loamy soils. Prefers sandy to heavy soils. Foothill valleys Foothills to prairie. clay soils. Low water and grassland coulees. Low water use; full sun. use; full sun to partial Medium water use; full Blooms in July. shade. Flowers open sun to partial shade. before leaves. Blooms in Blooms April to May. April. Serviceberry Silver Buffaloberry Rocky Mountain Juniper Amelanchier alnifolia. Shepherdia argentea. Juniperus scopulorum. Grows 2 to 16 feet tall, Grows 3 to 20 feet tall, Grows 15 to 20 feet tall with suckering to a 4- to 10- often forming thickets. a spread up to 8 feet. Prefers foot spread. Prefers sandy Prefers well-drained soils sandy soils, but will tolerate to loamy soils. Foothills along streams, coulees heavier loam or clay soils. to prairie ravines. Low and hillsides. Low water Transition between foothills water use; full sun to very use; full sun. Pollen and prairie. Low water use; light shade. Blooms May and seed flowers are on full sun. Slow growing. to June. separate plants. Blooms Provides winter food for May to June. songbirds and shelter for over wintering beneficial insects. - 5 - Plant Choices - Montana Native Flowers Common Yarrow Lewis Flax Smooth Blue Aster Achillea millefolium. Linum lewisii. Symphyotrichum laeve. Perennial. Grows 2 to 3 Short-lived perennial. Perennial. Grows 2 to 3 feet high, spreading to Grows 1 to 3 feet high. feet high and 1 to 2 feet 2 or 3 feet wide. Light Cold and drought wide. Light to moderate water use; full sun. tolerant; full sun to water use; full sun to Moist soils. Foothills to semi-shade. Well- partial shade. Moist soils. prairies. Blooms July to drained soils. Prairies, Foothills to prairies. September. foothills and forest Bright lavendar blooms openings. Blooms mid- August through frost. May to September. Prairie Coneflower Purple Coneflower Blanketflower Ratibida columnifera. Echinacea angustifolia. Gaillardia aristata. Perennial. Grows 1 to Perennial. Grows 1 to Perennial. Grows 12 to 2 feet high and 1 foot 2 feet high and 1 foot 16 inches high and 24 wide. Drought tolerant; wide. Needs little or no inches wide. Drought full sun. Loamy soils. additional water once tolerant once established; Foothills to prairies. established; full sun. full sun. Prefers well- Blooms June to Sandy to clayey soils. drained sandy, limey September. Forest valleys to prairie. soils; adapted to poorer, Blooms August to drier soils. Foothills to September. prairie. Blooms July to September. - 6 - Plant Choices - Montana Native Flowers Maximilian White Prairie Clover Dotted Gayfeather Sunflower Dalea candida. Liatris punctata. Helianthus maximiliani. Perennial legume. Grows Perennial. Grows 1 to Perennial. Grows 1 to 6 18 to 24 inches high and 2 feet high and 2 feet feet tall (shorter in dry, 12 to 24 inches wide. wide. Drought tolerant exposed, rocky areas). Drought tolerant once once established; full Drought tolerant once established; full sun. sun. Prefers sandy to established. Flowers best Prefers sandy soils. loamy soils. Foothills to in sandier, drier soils. Prairie. Blooms July to prairie. Blooms August Eastern prairie. Blooms August. to September. July to September. Wild Beebalm Fuzzytongue Hairy Goldenaster Monarda fistulosa. Penstemon Heterotheca villosa. Perennial. Grows 12 Penstemon eriantherus. Perennial. Grows 6 to 12 to 20 inches high, Perennial. Grows 12 to inches tall and 12 to 24 spreading to 1.5 to 2 feet 20 inches high and 12 inches wide. Survives wide. Drought tolerant inches wide. Drought on natural precipitation once established; full tolerant once established; once established; full sun or light shade. full sun. Prefers sandy sun. Grows in sandy, dry Prefers sandy but moist soil. Foothills to prairie. soils. Foothills to prairie. soil. Forests, valleys, Blooms May to June. Competes with knapweed. and prairie. Blooms July Small, yellow, daisy-like to August. blooms June to September. - 7 - Native Plant Seed and NRCS Programs Can Help Seedling Sources The Natural Resources Conservation Many commercial nurseries and seed Service supports the use of native species suppliers carry transplants or seed in many conservation practices that of the species listed in this brochure. involve seeding or transplanting. Selecting Check with local businesses to find pollinator-friendly species for these out what plants they carry. An internet practices can provide added conservation search can identify additional suppliers benefits. These practices include: of both seed and transplants for your • Streambank and shoreline area. protection • Critical area planting The USDA Natural Resources • Early successional habitat Conservation Service PLANTS development/management Database lists native plants and can be • Field borders viewed online at http://plants.usda.gov/ • Filter strips • Herbaceous wind barriers java/. • Range planting The Montana Native Plant Society has • Riparian herbaceous cover a publication entitled Sources of Native • Windbreak/shelterbelt Plants that can be downloaded from its establishmnet or renovation Web site at www.mtnativeplants.org/ NRCS financial assistance programs filelib/212.pdf. can help agricultural producers with the The Montana Conservation Seedling establishment of pollinator-friendly species Nursery in Missoula offers native plantings, including the species listed in this shrub seedlings. Contact