Native wildflowers are beautiful and unique. They provide food and shelter to wildlife and are particularly suited to their habitats. Native wildflowers, once established, generally requires less care than non-native species.
Native wildflowers can easily be grown in pots. Let your native garden space be the envy of your neighbourhood and preserve these ancient plants for future generations.
Black-eyed Susan WS001 - Rudbeckia hirta
Black-eyed Susan is growing from the Canadian grasslands south to Florida,
A native of the prairies, blazing star is a favourite of butterflies, birds and bees. The long lasting, showy, purple-magenta spikes bloom in midsummer and grown up to 1.5 metres tall (2-5 feet).
Blue Huckleberry is a slender deciduous shrub with small elliptical leaves arranged in elegant sprays on a many-branched stem. It can grow from 1/2 to 2 m (1 1/2-6 ft).
Blue Vervain is a wonderful wildflower garden plant. Its prolific and showy deep-blue flower spikes attract bees and butterflies. Blue Vervain grows up to 1.5 metres tall (2-5 feet).
Brown-eyed Susan, also known as blanket flower because of its ability to disperse widely, is one of the hardiest, longest flowering native North American perennials.
Bunchberry is a low-trailing forest herb with whorls of 4 or 5 leaves that surround a central cluster of greenish-white to purplish flowers. The bright-red fleshy berries make a spectacular display in the summer.
Cardinal Flower is a striking, bright-red, perennial flower that blooms from July to September. The blossoms are delicate, gradually opening from bottom to top on two to four foot spikes.
Chocolate Lily is a captivating dark purple and greenish-yellow, checkered-pattern lily. This perennial her emerges from a bulb with numerous bulblets, and can reach up to 80 cm (32 in) in height.
Common Camas is a beautiful star-shaped lily with colours ranging from deep violet to light blue. The 1 to 1-1/2 cm (1/2 in) long grass-like leaves surround a terminal spike which bears five of more flowers.
Fireweed is an exceptionally colourful perennial plant, marking mountain clearings by the tall, long terminal spike-like clusters of pinky purple blossoms. The floral emblem of the Yukon.
Large-leaved Lupine is a tall perennial herb with stately spikes of rich blue-violet flowers. The long stiff stems, tightly packed with flowers can reach heights of up to 1.5 m (4 ft).
New England aster, with its daisy-like, deep violet to rosy pink flowers, is one of the most striking native asters. It blooms proficiently from August until first frost, and grows 60 cm-1.3 m (24-54 in) tall.
Nodding Onion, part of the lily family, is one of the most common and wide-spread onions. Blooming between May to July, its tiny pink, bell-shaped flowers are a beautiful addition to the open woodlands and meadows of interior and coastal BC, Washington and Oregon.
Ocean Spray is a beautiful deciduous shrub which, in the spring, is covered in a mass of large, creamy flowered plumes 10-17 cm (4-7 in) long that give off a heavy-sweet fragrance.
Paintbrush is a perennial herb which grows from 20-80cm (8in-3ft) tall. The showy terminal leaves are generally a range of bright hues from red, purple, to yellow.
Purple Coneflower is a tall, impressive wildflower native to North American prairie meadows. Its daisy-like, pinkish-purple ray petals droop elegantly from its bristling purplish-brown cone-shaped centre.
Red-osier Dogwood is a free-spreading deciduous shrub which grows from 1-6m (3-20ft) in height. The flowers occur in open clusters and are white to greenish in colour. The stems of young plants are often bright red – hence the name.
Salal is a lush evergreen shrub native to the Pacific Northwest.
Highly variable in height, it grows from 20cm to 5m (8in – 16ft) tall. The shiny dark green leaves are somewhat egg shaped, leathery, and finely serrated.
Saskatoon Berry grows from 1-5m (3-6ft) tall, has attractive oval foliage, large white flowers in the spring, and edible dark-purple berries in the fall.
Shooting Star is a small but stunning wildflower native to southwestern BC and California. Rarely taller than 30cm (1ft), Shooting Star nevertheless dazzles grassy Gary oak meadows.
The spectacular bright-orange flowers with deep red or purple spots make Tiger Lily a wildflower lover’s delight. Tiger Lilies generally grow between 30 and 130cm tall, preferring full sun to light shade and moist conditions.
Turk’s-cap Lily is a native wetland meadow perennial with dramatic orange petals. It flowers from mid-late summer; reaching heights of five to eight feet tall. Some of these Lilies have been seen with up to 50 blooms per plant.
Vanilla leaf is a perennial herb with large leaves shaped like butterflies. The leaves emerge in threes from a single slender stalk 10 to 30cm (3-12in) tall.
White Fawn Lily is a lovely perennial herb with graceful white flowers with upturned tips and a yellow-orange base. It emerges from a bulb and reaches up to 30cm (1ft) in height.
Wild Bergamot is a beautiful, lavender-coloured, perennial flower native to parts of eastern Canada south to Georgia. It grows 60-120cm tall, and can tolerate a wide variety of conditions from wet to dry.
Wild Iris (Blue Flag) is the most common of the native irises. It grows 45-75cm tall, and does best in moist, but well-drained, slightly acidic soils with full to partial sun.