12 native Calgary plants to add to your garden this summer

Did you sleep on planting season this year? Lucky for us locals, Calgary’s ample sunshine and good summer weather mean you can catch up in no time. Besides, if you’re working with plants native to Calgary, you’ll have an even easier time getting your garden up to snuff.

Not only are native plant species easier to care for, but they’re already primed for our climate. Bees love them, and they are a great way to enhance your yard’s biodiversity.

Here are 12 plants native to Calgary to add to your garden this summer.

Sun-loving plants

Blanket Flower

These blooms look like little fiery blazes and can get as tall as four feet. They are an important source of pollen and nectar for bees and butterflies, and are also drought-tolerant! Enjoy these blooms all the way through late summer and into the fall.

Yarrow

These tight flower clusters have nice, feathery foliage that’s great for filling up space. They’re also easy to grow, tolerate dry conditions, and bloom throughout the summer.

Annual Sunflower

Is there anything more cheerful and summery than sunflowers? These showy yellow flowers can grow as tall as eight feet and last throughout the late summer and fall. They’re also quick to grow and self-seed, so you can enjoy them with minimal effort year after year.

Partial sunshine seekers

Joe Pye Weed

This showy bloom can grow as tall as seven feet and blooms in the late summer and early fall. Even if you’re late to start planting this year, you can still enjoy the flowers. The local insects will be pretty happy too!

Giant Hyssop

Growing in bushy clumps, this plant blooms throughout the summer and can reach heights of four feet. It’s also a known favourite of insect pollinators, birds, butterflies and bees.

Sticky Purple Geranium

Enjoy these blooms from late spring all the way to late summer. After the small purple flowers have bloomed, the leaves later turn a pretty shade of red. So it’ll still look lovely in the fall.

Slender Beardtongue

This native plant looks great along garden borders and has stalks that bloom as tall as one foot. They also attract tons of pollinators, so it’s a great way to make your garden more eco-friendly.

Shady blooms

Tall Lungwort

These elegant blue clusters can grow as tall as four feet and make for great eye candy in shady gardens. They’re also beloved by bumblebees.

Early Blue Violet

These are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom, so if you missed your window, bank this info for next year. They’re beautiful and attract lots of early-season pollinators while also providing food for the caterpillars of Fritillary butterflies.

Showy Aster

These beauties certainly live up to their name and flower in late summer and early fall. They can grow up to three feet in height and are a great way to add a pop of colour to your garden beds. As an added bonus, native bumblebees love them.

Canada Anemone

These make excellent ground cover and border plants thanks to their low-growing pattern. They’re also beloved by early spring pollinators.

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If you’re a real green thumb, you should check out the City of Calgary website for even more gardening tips and plant species recommendations.

Are you big into gardening when the season comes along? Let us know of any lovely local plant species that we missed in the comments.