Native Perennials and “Nativars”
Did you know that Alberta is home to dozens of garden-worthy wild perennial species? Thanks to our numerous biomes, we are lucky to have a surprisingly diverse range of native plant species in the province, despite our harsh climate and short growing season.
Why grow native plants?
Plants that are native to Alberta are naturally adapted to our climate, which means you can expect high reliability and strong garden performance, as long as they are grown in a location they are suited to (for example, native plants will still have preferences in terms of sun exposure and soil moisture). They will also be preferred by our native pollinators, since they are the plant species our local pollinators have evolved to live with.
What is a “Nativar”?
A “nativar” (portmanteau of “native” and “cultivar”) is a garden selection of a native plant, so while it belongs to a native species, it is not from a wild population. Nativars have been selected for traits that are desirable in the garden. For example, they may be better behaved, more compact, more disease resistant, or have a longer bloom period than typical wild examples of the species. Nativars are almost always just as hardy and reliable as wild forms of native plants.
Native Perennials and Nativars Available in Spring 2025
Achillea millefolium cultivars (Yarrow)
Agastache foeniculum (Anise-Hyssop)
Allium cernuum (Nodding Onion)
Androsace chamaejasme (Rock Jasmine)
Anemone canadensis (Canada Anemone)
Anemone multifida ‘Rubra’ (Windflower)
Anemone occidentalis (Hippy on a Stick)
Antennaria microphylla (Littleleaf Pussy Toes)
Aquilegia flavescens (Yellow Columbine)
Aquilegia formosa (Red Columbine)
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnick)
Artemisia cana (Sagebrush)
Artemisia ludoviciana (White Sagebrush)
Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed)
Aster laevis, syn. Symphyotrichum laeve (Smooth Aster)
Athyrium filix-femina (Lady Fern)
Balsamorhiza sagittata (Arrowleaf Balsamroot)
Bouteloua gracilis (Mosquito Grass)
Campanula rotundifolia (Harebells)
Castilleja miniata (Scarlet Paintbrush)
Castilleja sulphurea (Sulphur Paintbrush)
Clematis occidentalis (Blue Clematis)
Cornus canadensis (Bunchberry)
Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens (Large Yellow Lady’s Slipper)
Deschampsia cespitosa cultivars (Tufted Hair Grass)
Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Northern Lights’ (Tufted Hair Grass)
Dodecatheon pulchellum (Saline Shooting Star)
Dryas drummondii (Yellow Mountain Avens)
Dryas octopetala (Mountain Avens)
Dryopteris filix-mas ‘Barnesii’ (Male Fern)
Erigeron compositus (Cutleaf Fleabane)
Erigeron speciosus (Showy Fleabane)
Eupatorium maculatum cultivars (Joe Pye Weed)
Fragaria vesca (Wild Strawberry)
Gaillardia aristata (Wild Blanketflower)
Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke)
Goodyera oblongifolia (Western Rattlesnake Plantain)
Gymnocarpium dryopteris (Oak Fern)
Helenium autumnale (Helen’s Flower)
Hierochloe odorata, syn. Anthoxanthum nitens (Sweet Grass)
Hymenoxys grandiflora (Old Man of the Mountains)
Iris versicolor (Blue Flag)
Liatris ligulistylis (Meadow Blazing Star)
Liatris punctata (Dotted Blazing Star)
Lilium philadelphicum (Western Wood Lily)
Linnaea borealis (Twinflower)
Linum lewisii (Wild Blue Flax)
Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern)
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)
Opuntia fragilis cultivars (Fragile Prickly Pear Cactus)
Opuntia polyacantha cultivars (Plains Prickly Pear Cactus)
Penstemon fruticosus var. scouleri (Littleleaf Shrubby Beardtongue)
Phacelia sericea (Scorpion Weed)
Poa alpina (Alpine Blue Grass)
Potentilla fruticosa ‘Yellow Gem’ (Shrubby Cinquefoil)
Potentilla hyparctica (Arctic Cinquefoil)
Potentilla tridentata, syn. Sibbaldia tridentata ‘Nuuk’ (Three-Leaved Cinquefoil)
Pulsatilla patens (Prairie Crocus)
Ratibida columnifera (Prairie Coneflower)
Schizachyrium scoparium cultivars (Little Bluestem)
Sedum lanceolatum (Spearleaf Stonecrop)
Silene acaulis (Moss Campion)
Smilacina racemosa, syn. Maianthemum racemosum (False Solomon’s Seal)
Solidago canadensis (Canada Goldenrod)
Viola pedatifida (Crow’s Foot Violet)
Yucca glauca (Soapweed)