Utah Natives
The Wasatch foothills, brought down to your front yard
Native plants know our alkaline soil, our late frosts and our dry Augusts. This plan has a loose, meadow-like feel that suits homes with a view of the mountains, and it supports local bees that specialize in these exact flowers.
- Size
- Fits a bed roughly 12 ft x 12 ft
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Very low
- Plants
- About 15 plants
How to put it in
- 1Skip the rich compost — natives prefer lean soil.
- 2Plant in fall or early spring so roots settle before the heat.
- 3Use a coarse mulch or gravel, not bark fines.
- 4Leave stems standing over winter for overwintering insects.
What is in this plan
Plant these in groups of three or more for the best effect.
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Penstemon strictus
Brilliant blue spires — a true Utah native.
Full sunVery low water
See plant details
Blanket Flower
Gaillardia aristata
Red and gold pinwheels that bloom until the first hard frost.
Full sunVery low water
See plant details
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
The monarch plant — glowing orange and completely drought tough.
Full sunVery low water
See plant details
Moonshine Yarrow
Achillea 'Moonshine'
Flat lemon-yellow flowers over silver, ferny leaves.
Full sunVery low water
See plant details
Blue Fescue
Festuca glauca
Neat silver-blue tufts — perfect between stones and gravel.
Full sunVery low water
See plant details