15 Native Wildflowers for Idaho Gardens

Adding more native plants to your garden is a great idea for anyone who wants to create a thriving ecosystem in their space. For Idaho residents, this is an easy and wonderful process. Many native plants in Idaho are not only beneficial to the environment but also ornamental!

Native plants are important in any region, as they support a healthy biosphere. Many animals and insects depend on these plants. Their flowers support important pollinator populations, as well as other beneficial insects. Seeds left behind are important to overwintering birds and other small animals in the region. Stems house insects, and their roots feed native fungi.

Another great benefit of native plants is that they are naturally adapted to your climate. That means much less work for you to maintain them. Follow along, Idaho gardeners, and let’s grow some wonderful native plants!

Splitleaf Indian Paintbrush

A single tall flower with vibrant pink petals and a soft, velvety texture, standing out among green grass. — The flashy red bracts hide smaller, inconspicuous flowers and remain on the plant longer.

Showy and easygoing, splitleaf Indian paintbrush grows wild throughout most of the state. Bees will visit, but the red flowers are particularly attractive to hummingbirds. They are biennial, lasting for two years, but they re-seed. Seeds can germinate the same year they’re released, so once they are in the yard, you’ll never go without them.

The plants, which contain toxic properties, were used by indigenous peoples as a poison. The flashy red bracts hide smaller, inconspicuous flowers and remain on the plant longer for extra decorative value.

Scarlet Gilia

Tubular, scarlet red flowers grow in clusters on upright stems in a sunny garden. — A hummingbird favorite for its red, tubular flowers, which can also be pink or white.

Another hummingbird favorite, scarlet gilia blooms are tubular and red, but can also be pink or white. The lighter-colored cultivars provide food for moths, which pollinate them at night. They are flexible about their environment, growing naturally in desert canyons, prairies, and rock fields.

Scarlet gilia is a short-lived native that dies after flowering. The leaves can persist for several years, but they won’t flower more than once. The flower stalks are edible and provide food for wildlife. If something eats the first stalk, a second stalk will grow.

Small Camas Lily

Delicate blue flowers with star-shaped petals bloom on sturdy stems, surrounded by long, grass-like leaves that create a charming presence in the garden. — Clumps of grasslike leaves send up tall racemes of powder blue flowers that attract local bees and hoverflies.

Camas lilies are bulbous perennials that colonize beautifully. Clumps of grasslike leaves send up tall racemes of powder blue flowers that attract local bees and hoverflies. These are spring to early summer bloomers and will re-seed, though not aggressively.

These bulbs prefer fertile soil but are tolerant of clay. They are tolerant of wet and dry soil types, too. Camas lilies aren’t just great for pollinators. They make beautiful cut flowers, as well. Plant the bulbs in the fall for early spring foliage. After blooming, the plant will enter dormancy during the hot summer months.

Fireweed

Tall spikes of pink to purple flowers with narrow, lance-shaped leaves. — Tall stems produce a mass of pinkish-purple blooms, lighting up your beds.

If you want to add a spreader with flamboyant flowers to your wildflower garden, fireweed is perfection. It spreads by rhizome and ample self-seeding, quickly creating a colony. If you want to stem the spread, deadhead the flower spikes, as one plant can release up to 80,000 seeds!

Fireweed is a late summer and early fall bloomer that provides a great food source for pollinators. Tall stems produce a mass of pinkish-purple blooms, lighting up your beds. The seed heads are fluffy and attractive, but those fluffy seeds can travel a long way. It’s best to snip them before they go to seed in cultivated areas.

Deerhorn Clarkia

Multiple small, light purple blooms with slender petals on thin stems, growing close together in a patch of greenery. — It gets its name from the shape of its petals and its discovery by Lewis and Clark.

This herbaceous perennial is a member of the evening primrose family. Its needs and care requirements are moderate. Moderate shade and water are ideal. In spring and summer, flowers bloom in many shades of pink and white.

Sometimes called pink fairies, the delicate and beautiful flowers are Deerhorn clarkia. It gets its name from the shape of its petals and its discovery by Lewis and Clark. First described in 1806, it grows naturally on hillsides. It provides food for pollinators and birds, which eat the seeds.

Daisy Fleabane

A dense grouping of daisy-like flowers with white petals and bright yellow centers, surrounded by lush green foliage. — This pretty plant will mingle unobtrusively with your prairie garden.

Daisy fleabane is a charming wildflower with small, white, daisy-like flowers. The blooms are small, at only 1/2″ in diameter, and have a multitude of ray florets surrounding a yellow eye. They re-seed themselves, though not aggressively, forming loose colonies over time.

This pretty plant will mingle unobtrusively with your prairie garden. It won’t crowd out other plants. Rather, it will pop up here and there, adding some balance to other more colorful flowers. It attracts and feeds a multitude of native bees and flies.

Western Columbine

Delicate, spurred flower in shades of red and yellow sway on a slender stem, complemented by deeply lobed, green leaves forming a graceful rosette. — Its red and yellow flowers dance atop thin, graceful stems that grow from fernlike foliage.

Western columbine is delicate and lovely. Its red and yellow flowers dance atop thin, graceful stems that grow from fernlike foliage and bloom in late spring and early summer. Although it is an annual, under the right conditions, it self-seeds readily.

Their ideal location is partial shade and rich, moist soil. However, they tend to be flexible about their environment and make attractive cut flowers. These grow well from seeds. Cut them down after they bloom to reduce re-seeding.

Rubber Rabbitbrush

Dense clusters of bright yellow flowers growing in a rugged, arid landscape with rocky terrain in the background. — The fluffy, yellow flowerheads are profuse and a valuable source of food for local pollinators.

This funny name, rubber rabbitbrush, belongs to a bright and cheerful plant that is perfect for the dry, bright areas of the garden. Plant this in bare spots where other plants will dry up in the heat. The fluffy, yellow flowerheads are profuse and a valuable source of food for local pollinators.

The delicate-looking foliage and flowers will make you think this is a fragile plant. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Rubber rabbitbrush is tough, tolerant, and exceptionally drought-resistant.

Payette Beardtongue

A close-up of several tubular, purple blooms hanging gracefully from a stem, each with subtle white edges. — Tall stems hold clusters of soft cobalt-blue blooms that resemble snapdragons.

Beardtongues are wonderfully ornamental, and Payette beardtongues are native to Idaho. Tall stems hold clusters of soft cobalt-blue blooms that resemble snapdragons. Blue is a bee’s favorite color, so these are wonderful for native bee populations. This is a midsummer bloomer with good heat tolerance.

Beardtongues don’t transplant well, so it’s best to direct sow them from seeds. They work well in rock gardens but don’t handle foot traffic well, so plant them where they won’t get crushed.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Bright yellow flowers with prominent, wide petals surrounded by coarse green leaves, growing in a grassy area. — The bright yellow flowers are large for a wildflower, about two and a half inches across.

Arrowleaf balsamroot is a floriferous wonder that appreciates cool, dry climates. It thrives in both full exposure and partial shade, growing naturally on mountainsides and as a forest understory plant. The bright yellow flowers are large for a wildflower, about two and a half inches across.

This plant gets its name from its arrow-shaped foliage. The leaves are fuzzy on top. It has a long taproot, which makes it more drought-tolerant. The seeds are nutritious and a great food source for animals and birds.

Rocky Mountain Beeplant

Tall, spiky stems bear pinkish-purple, spider-like flowers with thin, elongated petals. — Large fluffy flower heads are different shades of purple, lavender at the base, turning lilac at the top.

These big, beautiful wildflowers are some of the showiest around. Large fluffy flower heads are different shades of purple, lavender at the base, turning lilac at the top. As their name implies, they are a favorite for native bees. Bees love blue and purple flowers, as these are the colors they see best.

Rocky Mountain bee plant has many uses for humans. It has been a food source, a medical herb, and the source of a lovely chartreuse dye. It grows native throughout most of the North American continent and has a long blooming period, making it valuable for pollinators.

Wild Bergamot

Pale purple, whorled flowers sit atop tall, straight stalks, each bloom composed of numerous thin, petal-like structures emerging from dense greenery. — It’s a tall plant with fluffy pink or lavender flowers that are especially nectar-rich.

Wild bergamot also goes by the name bee balm. It’s a tall plant with fluffy pink or lavender flowers that are especially nectar-rich. As a member of the mint family, I find the leaves aromatic. You can use them to prepare tea. This tea has been used as a remedy for respiratory ailments.

This plant blooms from July to September and looks stunning when planted alongside rudbeckia or coneflowers. It re-seeds freely, so if you prefer to keep it relegated to one space, make sure to trim the flowers off before they go to seed.

Cutleaf Coneflower

Vibrant yellow flowers with long, drooping petals and greenish-brown centers, perched on tall stems surrounded by lush foliage. — Cutleaf coneflowers range from yellow to green and have bright yellow ray petals and a large, prominent cone in the center.

Coneflowers are wonderful in the garden. Their substantial seed heads are a great source of nutrition for overwintering birds. Cutleaf coneflowers range from yellow to green and have bright yellow ray petals and a large, prominent cone in the center.

The leaves of cutleaf coneflowers are edible and tender in spring. They perform well in partial shade but will thrive with full exposure with some protection in the afternoon. This is a tall variety of coneflower that can grow upwards of nine feet tall.

Prairie Flax

Light purple-blue flowers with five delicate petals bloom in clusters, each supported by slender green stems and narrow leaves, creating a wispy texture against a blurred, leafy background. — This plant is exceptionally drought-tolerant, and its blue flowers appeal to bees.

This next plant has pretty periwinkle blue blooms. Prairie flax, also called wild blue flax, has the most lovely little blue blooms. In the right location, it can flower from spring through to fall.

Flax is tougher than it looks, preferring full exposure and sandy soil. It’s exceptionally drought-tolerant, and its blue flowers appeal to bees. Once established, it will self-sow. It’s a short-lived perennial, but once you have it in the garden, it should stick around by self-seeding.

Swamp Milkweed

No native garden is complete without at least one type of milkweed. Milkweed plants are the sole larval host plants for Monarch butterflies, whose populations are dwindling all the time. Swamp milkweed doesn’t sound very pretty, but I assure you, it is.

Swamp milkweed is a tall variety, reaching up to five feet. It towers in the wildflower garden. The flower heads are clusters of tiny, perfect pink blossoms that smell of vanilla and attract all types of pollinators. Milkweed plants produce seed pods with silky fluff attached. These pods fly through the air, distributing themselves in nearby spaces.