Hairy Goldenaster covers itself completely with small yellow aster-like flowers in early summer. Needs no water once established.
Coralbells has dramatic spikes of cream to white flowers rise from a base of scalloped deep green leaves. Favors rock outcroppings; great in full sun or dry shade. Very long blooming in our Boise garden. Firewise. Choice! More information here.
Alpine or Red Coralbells is another charming native Heuchera, this one with deep red to pink flowers on delicate wands. Great for full sun or dry shade. Sculpted evergreen foliage. Firewise.
Similar to the more common Ocean Spray, but growing in hotter, drier conditions. It thrives in dry rocky desert valleys and hillsides from Idaho south to Arizona and New Mexico. Foamy waves of white flowers cover this native shrub in summer. Supports native pollinators. Firewise.
Sundancer Daisy is a cheerful, showy, long-blooming western wildflower and is a gem in the xeric garden. The attractive thread- leaf foliage is covered by bright-yellow, long-stemmed daisies in summer. Remarkably adapted to arid regions, from low desert to mountains. More information here.
Large yellow daisies pop out on this mountain meadow plant in early summer.
Very low growing, evergreen cushion with dark green leaves and large, white flowers in spring that can fade to lilac. Sun, very well-drained soil.
This vigorous native perennial grows as large as a shrub then dies back to the ground each winter. Its atrractive maple-like leaves are accented with many beautiful hollyhock-like pink flowers. More information here.
This fantastic biennial, native to Texas, produces a profusion of tubular red flowers in the second summer. Closely related to our native Scarlet Gilia, it is proving to be more reliable in cultivation. And, being from Texas, it is naturally bigger, bolder and showier. A real magnet for Hummingbirds
Grown for its striking foliage, this Iris also produces a lovely lavender flower in late spring.
Prairie Junegrass is a native, perennial, cool season tufted bunch grass , growing actively when soil temps are cooler in spring and fall. It produces lustrous silver-green seedheads in early summer. The supporting foliage is an attractive green-gray color. June Grass prefers full sun and dry, sandy soil. More information here.
Winterfat is a low-growing, compact xeric shrub. Produces tiny white flowers in summer followed by ornamental woolly white seed heads in fall. Exciting in dried arrangements. Attracts birds & tolerates alkaline soils. An eye-catcher.
A groundcover that loves shade! Its variegated leaves light up a dark shady area, yet the plant will also grow in sun. Not picky about soil type or moisture.
This is a classic mid-sized Lavender. Spikes of fragrant lavender flowers in early summer.
Lavender “Grosso” is a vigorous, large lavender with long, deep purple flower spikes in early to mid-summer. Extremely drought- tolerant, good foundation planting. Flower spikes may be cut back for repeat bloom. Evergreen foliage. Pollinators: bees.
Great Basin Wildrye is the largest native Western bunchgrass. Tall and stately foundation plant for the dry garden. Seed heads in late summer .
Tall spikes of pink flowers late summer. Nice cut flower. Nectar for butterflies. Firewise.
Rocky Mountain Blazing Star produces tall stalks of lavender/purple flowers. This prairie native is a robust grower and does best in fertile soils with infrequent but deep soakings. Nectar plant for Monarch and other butterflies. Excellent cut flower. Firewise.
Dense spikes of lavender-pink flowers on tall, thick stems. Great pollinator plant. Prefers dry, sandy soil. Firewise.
A showy plant for dry gardens or shortgrass meadows, Dotted Gayfeather produces lavender bottlebrushes that bloom from the top down. Deep tuberous taproots account for extreme drought tolerance and long life. Nectar plant for butterflies. Firewise.
Dense Blazing Star: With showy spikes of pink flowers over grass-like foliage, Dense Blazing Star will add stunning variety, texture & beauty to your border or meadow. Excellent cut flower. Nectar plant for butterflies. Firewise.
This dwarf, perennial statice produces a bouquet of airy, blue-lavender flowers in mid-summer. The flowers are lovely in dried arrangements.
Lewis Flax, a vigorous native that produces masses of cheerful little blue flowers from late spring through mid-summer. Each flower lasts only a day, drops to the ground and is replaced by more the next morning. Charming. Pollinators: bees.
Hoary Aster: The big purple daisies of this fall-blooming biennial light up the Boise foothills in fall. In the garden, the plants will flower vigorously, then self-sow and reappear the following year. Pollinators: bees, butterflies.
Fremont’s Mahonia is a large, evergreen shrub native to the deserts of S. Utah and Nevada. Prickly leaves shade from turquoise to purple in different seasons. Rare! More information here.
Creeping Oregon Grape is a small, evergreen native shrub. Early flowers are a good pollen source for native insects. Tolerant of both sun and shade, firewise. It can propagate by runners with age. Edible fruit used by native peoples. More information here.
Creeping Horehound has showy, fuzzy leaves edged in silver, carefree ground cover with deep taproot. Especially recommended for shade or part shade areas. Evergreen.
Colorado Four O’Clock dies back to its enormous root in winter. Then, late in the spring, shoots begin to emerge and once the plant starts growing—there’s just no stopping it! It can sprawl far and wide and looks lovely draped over a wall. Long-lived! Firewise. More info here.
Bradbury’s Beebalm is shorter and earlier blooming than the more common Monarda fistulosa. This more compact beebalm will work well as an edging plant or at the front of a bed. Tolerates poor soil and dry conditions. Can spread gradually by root.
Beebalm or Wild Bergamot is a widespread native wildflower with clusters of tufted lavender flower, an important food source for native bees and butterflies. A long-lived, clump-forming perennial, it is attractive at the back of a border or in a meadow-like setting. Firewise. More information here.
Stunning pink Seedheads on SE native grass. Needs good drainage.
Ruby Muhly erupts in a cloud of reddish seedheads in the fall. Stunning!
A vigorous, long-blooming catmint. An excellent choice for pollinators. Can seed out aggressively. Firewise.
A vigorous, long-blooming catmint, great choice for pollinators. Will not spread by seed.
Fragrant Evening Primrose: Silken white blossoms unfurl each evening over shiny deep green mounds of leaves, slipping to a rosy tint with midday heat. The fragrance is sweet and exotic, contrasting sharply with the native surroundings of dry foothills, shrub steppe and pinyon-juniper. Tolerant of poor well-drained soils, and clay. Firewise. More information here.
Missouri Evening Primrose grows into mounds of glossy leaves followed by clear yellow blossoms over much of the summer. Plants sprawl widely then die back to the ground in winter. Firewise.
Fremont’s Evening Primrose produces a dazzling display of lemon-yellow flowers in mid-summer. Blooms are tucked in and around the narrow gray- green foliage. Deeply tap-rooted and long-lived. Needs good drainage. Firewise.
Showy Evening Primrose is a heat-loving beauty, thriving in sunny, dry areas. It can spread rapidly on shallow roots and can overrun smaller, less vigorous plants. Preferring unimproved, well-drained soils, this plant requires little extra water once established. Firewise. More information here.
Hopflower Oregano is an outstanding mounding or draping plant, producing hundreds of small lantern-like flowers on wiry stems. Terrific for edging, cascading over walls or filling in between larger plants.
Silver Nailwort is native to the Pyrenees of southern Europe, Silver Nailwort is a tough-as-nails ground cover that very closely resembles Creeping Thyme. Blooming in late spring, the flowers are insignificant, but the white bracts light up the plant for several months. Turns copper in winter then re-greens in spring.