Native Seeds, Grasses & Flowers of Missouri

• Native plants and grasses are easier to grow in gardens and landscapes because they are especially suited to the soil conditions, rainfall and climate in a particular area. Missouri has hundreds of plants to choose from that are not only suited to the state, but that can beautify your garden, attract butterflies and birds and provide a habitat and food source for wildlife.

Native Grasses

• The two most common native grasses in Missouri are Indian grass and buffalo grass. Buffalo grass is low growing and can be grown as a lawn grass. Compared to nonnative turfgrasses that require up to 1 1/2 inches of water per week, buffalo grass requires only 1/2 inch of water per week. This grass only reaches a height of 4 to 6 inches at maturity, so it can be left un-mowed, or if a lower height mowing is desired it only needs to be mowed once a month. For height and diversity, Indian grass can be planted as a meadow, or as a landscape plant. This grass reaches a mature height of up to 6 feet and has large fronds, up to 3/8-inch wide. Indian grass sends out a large flowering seed head in the summer. This grass prefers full sun and is both heat and drought tolerant.

Native Plants to Attract and Feed Butterflies and Hummingbirds

• Butterflies play a huge role in pollinating plants are beautiful to look at. The following native plants attract and feed butterflies and offer bloom times from early spring to late fall. The button bush is a native plant that sends out hundreds of round white flowers each fall that attract both butterflies and beneficial insects. The button bush will grow in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist soil. Purple coneflower will attract both butterflies and hummingbirds and is a good food source for both. Coneflowers bloom from early summer through early fall. They grow in full sun to light shade and tolerate drought well. Downy phlox blooms in the spring and is a good food source for butterflies. It grows well in full to partial sun and tolerates relatively dry soils.

Native Plants to Attract and Feed Birds

• Many native Missouri plants are also excellent food sources and habitat plants for native songbirds. Orange coneflower, like its purple cousin, is attractive to birds and after flowering its seed head offers hundreds of seeds for birds and small animals. All coneflowers will grow well in full to part sun and require a moderately moist soil. Prairie dropseed is a low-growing, clumping grass that grows well in full sun and is drought tolerant. This plant offers cover for small birds and animals as well as fragrant seed heads that offer fall and winter food. The lanceleaf coreopsis offers yellow flowers during the summer months and spent seed heads for small birds in the fall. It grows well in full sun and can tolerate average soil moisture. This plant is also attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.