31 Native Plant Seeds to Sow in Protected Pots Now

While native species like coneflower and milkweed bloom in the spring or summer, fall is the best time to plant many native seeds. This makes sense when you consider the plants’ natural growth cycles—the seeds drop in the fall, overwinter on the ground, and germinate when the ideal conditions arise in the spring.

Fortunately, it’s easy to mimic this growing environment at home. All you have to do is sow the native seeds in a protected container, set the pot outside, and wait until the seeds germinate in the spring. The cold temperatures present in the winter will fulfill cold stratification requirements, allowing you to skip the step of sticking the seeds in the refrigerator before planting.

Aromatic Aster

	common name Aromatic Aster
	botanical name Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 3-8

If you’re tired of your garden fading to brown in the fall, add the aromatic aster to your plant lineup. They explode with hundreds of tiny purple and yellow blooms in the middle of fall, and the flowers often remain until October or November.

Not only do their late blooms provide beauty, but they also act as a valuable source of pollen and nectar when many flowers have faded. Bees, wasps, and other insects regularly flock to asters in the late fall, creating a literal buzz in the garden.

This aster is native to much of the central United States and Appalachia. It prefers soil with medium moisture, but it can also tolerate soil that’s on the drier side. Just don’t plant it in an area that remains constantly wet.

Butterfly Weed

	common name Butterfly Weed
	botanical name Asclepias tuberosa
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 3-10

A popular plant for pollinators and flower farmers alike, this milkweed species stands out thanks to its bright orange blooms. It’s native to much of the eastern and central United States, where you can find it growing in dry mixed meadows and near forest edges.

The leaves provide food for monarch caterpillars, and the flowers offer nectar to various insects. Plus, the flowers hold up extremely well after you cut them. Cutting a few stems for yourself and leaving the rest in the garden lets you and the wildlife enjoy the flowers.

Although the seeds can sometimes germinate without cold stratification, they are great candidates for protected winter sowing. The seed will wait until warm temperatures arrive and pop up at the ideal time of year.

Showy Milkweed

	common name Showy Milkweed
	botanical name Asclepias speciosa
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-5’
	hardiness zones 3-9

This milkweed’s name doesn’t lie. The flowers have elongated, tapered petals arranged in a beautiful star shape. Each light pink flower combines to form a spherical flower cluster. These flowers have a pleasant fragrance and provide nectar for various insects.

While many milkweed species are native to the eastern US, showy milkweed is native to regions west of the Mississippi. It can tolerate various soil types but prefers moderate to dry moisture levels.

Meadow Blazing Star

	common name Meadow Blazing Star
	botanical name Liatris ligulistylis
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 3-8

This native is a must-have in any pollinator garden. The small flowers are true magnets for various butterfly species, but they are particularly useful nectar sources for monarchs migrating south. Each plant produces multiple flower stalks covered with hairy, purple flowers.

They prefer soil that ranges from slightly moist to slightly dry, so don’t expect them to thrive in a wet area or extreme drought. However, they aren’t picky about the soil type as long as it’s well-draining.

Anise Hyssop

	common name Anise Hyssop
	botanical name Agastache foeniculum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-4’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Anise hyssop is one of my favorite species to add to pollinator gardens. Each summer, the plant produces lots of flower spikes made up of tiny, purple flowers. Not only are these flowers beautiful, but they have a pleasant anise fragrance and attract all kinds of pollinators.

Since the flowers are so small, anise hyssop is a great plant for attracting beneficial insects like hoverflies, ladybugs, and green lacewings. The adults will stick around to feed on the flower’s nectar, making it more likely they will parasitize pests or lay eggs that turn into predatory larvae.

Before you plant one of these fragrant herbs, be aware that they spread by rhizomes. They also readily self-seed, but you can easily pull any unwanted seedlings.

Cardinal Flower

	common name Cardinal Flower
	botanical name Lobelia cardinalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-5’
	hardiness zones 3-9

This member of the lobelia family gets its common name from its bright red flowers that resemble its namesake bird. The blooms appear on tall flower spikes and remain from late summer through early fall.

Cardinal flower requires moist soil, so it’s an excellent option for wet areas of your garden. It can thrive in low-lying areas that become wet during heavy rains and happily grows beside streams and ponds.

The plants are short-lived perennials that typically last for two to four years. However, since they easily self-seed, cardinal flowers often remain in an area for over a decade.

Rattlesnake Master

	common name Rattlesnake Master
	botanical name Eryngium yuccifolium
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3-6’
	hardiness zones 3-8

Rattlesnake master is one of my favorite native species thanks to its unique appearance. The leaves are flat and slender with parallel veins, making them look like members of the yucca family. However, they are more closely related to carrots and parsley.

During the summer, rattlesnake master sends up branching stalks topped with rounded, bristly flowers that resemble fat rattlesnake tails. Small plants produce just one or two stalks, but large ones can produce up to ten!

You can find rattlesnake master growing throughout much of the eastern U.S. Since these natives are drought-tolerant, they are an excellent choice for dry areas. Their roots are large and allow them to store water that they can utilize during periods of drought.

Prairie Onion

	common name Prairie Onion
	botanical name Allium stellatum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-16”
	hardiness zones 3-8

Native to portions of the Midwest, the prairie onion pops up in meadows and rocky areas. Since prairie onions grow from a bulb, they can easily survive drought. Slender leaves emerge from the bulbs, followed by thin stalks topped with handfuls of small, star-shaped, pink or purple flowers.

Each flower is attached to the center of the flower with a short, slender stem called a pedicel. As the flowers age, the pedicels droop, and each floret dries out.

Eastern Bluestar

	common name Eastern Bluestar
	botanical name Amsonia tabernaemontana
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 3-9

The eastern bluestar provides beauty to the garden both in and out of bloom. Numerous long stems appear from a singular base, creating a rounded, shrub-like appearance. The stems become topped with clusters of light blue, star-shaped flowers in the late spring and early summer.

The flowers attract pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, and the foliage serves as a food source for the coral hairstreak caterpillar. However, deer and rabbits tend to leave them alone.

Although eastern bluestar can grow in partial shade, they prefer full sun. Shaded specimens tend to produce fewer flowers and often droop enough to require staking. The plants have wider leaves than many other bluestar species.

Pearly Everlasting

	common name Pearly Everlasting
	botanical name Anaphalis margaritacea
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 3-8

Pearly everlasting is mostly native to colder regions of the United States, including the Upper Midwest, New England, and the Rocky Mountains. However, you can also find them growing in warmer areas of California and the Pacific Northwest. Pearly everlasting tolerates dry, poor soil, and you can often spot it in rocky outcroppings and recently disturbed areas.

The stems grow in a wild, mounded shape and are topped with clusters of tiny flowers. The actual flowers are small and yellow, but they’re surrounded by shiny, white bracts that people often mistake as petals.

Pussytoes

	common name Pussytoes
	botanical name Antennaria plantaginifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-12”
	hardiness zones 3-8

You can find pussytoes growing throughout much of the eastern half of the United States. Since they are low-growing and drought-tolerant, people often use them as ground covers in rock gardens and other areas with shallow, dry soil. The plants spread by rhizomes, so they can completely cover an area in a few years.

Pussytoes produce short, green, velvety leaves with a silvery shimmer. During the late spring, they send up short flower stalks with clusters of rounded, white, fuzzy flowers.

Swamp Rose Mallow

	common name Swamp Rose Mallow
	botanical name Hibiscus moscheutos
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-10’
	hardiness zones 4-9

A native hibiscus, the swamp rose mallow thrives in moist soils. Therefore, you can often spot it growing in wetlands and near ponds in the eastern half of the US. If you want to grow it at home, make sure to place it in a spot that never dries out.

They produce large, round pink or white flowers with bright red centers. That’s why people sometimes refer to this plant as crimson-eyed rose mallow. However, you can find some cultivars of this plant with solid red or pink flowers. Although each flower only lasts a few days, the plants continue to produce new blooms for about a month.

These plants are cold-hardy, but their branches and stems typically die back in the winter. Pruning the branches in the late fall or early spring will clean up the plant and prepare it for the new growth that will appear in the spring. 

Tall Green Milkweed

	common name Tall Green Milkweed
	botanical name Asclepias hirtella
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-4’
	hardiness zones 4-8

While many milkweed species produce pink flowers, this plant sends out umbels of light green flowers. Each rounded umbel contains around 100 florets that attract all kinds of pollinators. The plants themselves are tall and slender with multiple stems emerging from a central base. Each stem is covered with narrow, lanceolate leaves.

They can tolerate a wide range of soil types of moisture levels, but you should avoid planting them in a wet area. Since Asclepias hirtella have deep taproots, they can tolerate drought much better than other milkweed species. However, you should keep the seedlings moderately moist in their first few months of growth.

Common Milkweed

	common name Common Milkweed
	botanical name Asclepias syriaca
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Perhaps the most well-known milkweed species, common milkweed is one of the easiest species to grow. It’s quick to establish and can survive in small urban gardens as well as in open meadows. They are native to the northeast quarter of the US, from North Dakota to Maine to Tennessee.

The plants produce upright stems that produce a milky sap when broken. Oblong leaves are attached to the stems, and if you’re lucky, you’ll spot monarch caterpillars munching on the foliage. Each summer, the plants produce spherical umbels of pink or white blooms.

Since they spread via rhizomes, tall green milkweed can colonize large areas. However, you can easily trim the rhizomes to keep them contained in a small area. 

Blue Vervain

	common name Blue Vervain
	botanical name Verbena hastata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-5 feet
	hardiness zones 3-8

Also known as swamp verbena, blue vervain is a branching perennial native to much of the United States. Since it grows taller than many other flowering perennials, it works well in mixed plantings. However, since they cannot tolerate drought, avoid planting them with species that require dry soil.

In the summer, the plants send up branching stems topped with flower spikes. Each spike contains many small, tubular purple blossoms that open from the bottom to the top. Small pollinators visit them, and birds and mammals enjoy eating the resulting seeds.

Take note that the seeds need light to germinate. When sowing, simply sprinkle the seeds on the soil surface and avoid covering them with soil. After they experience winter’s cold temperatures, they’ll germinate in the spring.

Marsh Marigold

	common name Marsh Marigold
	botanical name Caltha palustris
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 3-7

These plants can tolerate pretty much any type of light but need moist soil. Therefore, you’ll typically only see them growing in wetlands or near the edges of lakes and rivers. If you want to grow them in your garden, make sure you have an area that remains moist throughout the year.

When the right conditions exist, these plants are beautiful. They produce heart or bean-shaped leaves with elongated petioles and become covered with bright yellow blooms in the early spring. The plants often appear in large clusters but can exist as single plants.

Harebell

	common name Harebell
	botanical name Campanula rotundifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 12-18″
	hardiness zones 3-6

A member of the bellflower family, harebell is native to most of the United States, except the Deep South and parts of the Great Plains. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the plants can tolerate a wide range of light conditions, soil types, and elevations. However, they prefer soil that remains on the drier side.

The plants produce thin, wiry stems covered with slender leaves. They produce light purple or blue blooms with a definitive bell shape. Most of these perennials bloom in the spring, but some can continue to flower into the summer when the right conditions exist.

New Jersey Tea

	common name New Jersey Tea
	botanical name Ceanothus americanus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-3 feet
	hardiness zones 3-8

This small shrub works great in landscapes, whether or not you’re interested in native plants. Even when it’s not in bloom, its rounded shape looks beautiful. And when the shrubs become covered with small white blossoms in the summer, they take on another level of beauty.

Although it may not look like it, this plant is a nitrogen-fixer. That means it hosts soil-dwelling bacteria that take in atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into a plant-available form. 

New Jersey Tea prefers medium to dry ground and doesn’t mind rocky or poor soil. However, the shrubs don’t like being moved, so think carefully before transplanting them into your garden.

Fireweed

	common name Fireweed
	botanical name Chamaenerion angustifolium
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-6’
	hardiness zones 2-7

This perennial gets its name from its tendency to be one of the first plants to appear after wildfire ravages a landscape. Since it forms rhizomes, it can take over large areas, especially after fires. It’s native to most of the western US as well as parts of the Upper Midwest and Northeast. 

The plants form red stems and elongated lanceolate leaves that feature unique curricular veins. During the summer, up to 50 pink blooms appear on the top of the stems. They often bloom throughout the summer and into the early fall. When they’re done blooming, they form seeds that feature silky hairs.

Virgin’s Bower

	common name Virgin’s Bower
	botanical name Clematis virginiana
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 8-20 feet
	hardiness zones 6-8

A common native clematis, virgin’s bower grows as a climbing vine. The stems easily twist around fences, tree trunks, and trellises, so you can easily train this plant to grow up an arbor or over a fence.

The plants produce clusters of white, four-petaled blossoms in the early fall. These flowers give way to unique seed pods that look like a wild haircut. Each seed contains a long, feathery plume that grows out from the seed pod like a single hair.

Mistflower

	common name Mistflower
	botanical name Conoclinium coelestinum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-2’
	hardiness zones 5-10

If you love the flossy look of the cultivated annual ageratum, add a mistflower to your garden. These plants produce light purple flower clusters with fluffy tops that closely resemble the blooms of ageratum. However, mistflower is a perennial native to much of the southeastern United States.

Mistflower prefers moderately moist soil but often requires more moisture when it’s growing in full sun. The plants grow in a low branching form with multiple stems topped with flower clusters. Since the seeds are so small, you should avoid covering them when sowing.

Lanceleaf Coreopsis

	common name Lanceleaf Coreopsis
	botanical name Coreopsis lanceolata
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Lanceleaf coreopsis is native to much of the eastern US, where you can find it growing in meadows, roadsides, and other open areas. As its common name suggests, the plants produce lance-shaped leaves. The plants send up slender flower stalks in the late spring, and each stalk contains a single, bright yellow flower.

Since the plants can tolerate poor soil and drought, they are great options for rocky areas and hot, urban areas. Try mixing them with other hardy natives like purple coneflower and yarrow.

Narrow-Leaved Coneflower

	common name Narrow-Leaved Coneflower
	botanical name Echinacea angustifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3 feet
	hardiness zones 3-8

As its name suggests, this Echinacea species stands out from others thanks to its narrow leaves. While purple coneflower and Tennessee coneflower have leaves that are a few inches wide, this species’ leaves are only around an inch across. However, they have large, pinkish-purple flowers that are similar to those of other species.

Narrow-leaved coneflower is native to most of the Central Plains. The plants prefer moderately dry soil and can tolerate periods of drought, so they don’t mind the harsh conditions often present in this region.

White Wood Aster

	common name White Wood Aster
	botanical name Eurybia divaricata
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 3-8

The white wood aster is home in the Appalachian mountains. You can find it growing from Maine all the way down to high-elevation areas of Georgia in the dappled light of forests. These perennials prefer well-draining, so you probably won’t spot them in moist, low-lying areas.

The asters produce branching clusters of small, yellow and white flowers in the late summer and early fall. Since they spread via rhizomes, you’ll often see multiple stems emerging from a single location.

Joe Pye Weed

	common name Joe Pye Weed
	botanical name Eutrochium maculatum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-7 feet
	hardiness zones 3-8

Joe Pye weed is one of my favorite natives for moist and wet areas. In the wild, you can see it growing beside streams and ponds, so it makes an excellent addition to low-lying areas of the garden that hold moisture.

The plants grow impressively tall, and their strong stems mean you don’t need to stake them. In the summer, the plants produce clusters of dusty pink flowers with a hairy look. Pollinators love the blooms, so you’ll often see them covered with many different species of bees and wasps. The plants spread by rhizomes, so they often produce more stems each year.

Queen of the Prairie

	common name Queen of the Prairie
	botanical name Filipendula rubra
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-8’
	hardiness zones 3-8

Native to portions of the northeast and midwest United States, queen of the prairie is a unique native plant. The plants produce deeply lobed foliage that looks a bit like maple leaves and send up flower stalks that rise above the leaves. In the beginning, the stalks are covered with shiny pink buds, and eventually these buds open up into small pink flowers.

They prefer moderately moist to wet soil and will struggle in dry soil. If you plant them in the right conditions, they can grow into large, beautiful clumps.

Wild Geranium

	common name Wild Geranium
	botanical name Geranium maculatum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-18”
	hardiness zones 3-11

A classic native for woodland edges and shade gardens, the wild geranium is stunning in the spring though early summer. It produces deeply lobed leaves and produces dainty light purple or pink flowers in the spring. Since the plant’s unique seed pods fling the seeds into the air, you can often find large patches of these plants that resulted from self-seeding.

Although these plants are beautiful in the spring, they often fade by the late summer. So consider planting summer and fall blooming plants alongside them.

Hairy Beardtongue

	common name Hairy Beardtongue
	botanical name Penstemon hirsutus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 12-18”
	hardiness zones 3-9

Hairy beardtongue produces tubular flowers that are a key feature of the Penstemon genus. The flowers appear on long stalks and are a combination of white and purple. Each flower has a few hairs on its lower lip, which explains the plant’s common name. These blooms typically last from late spring into early summer.

This Penstemon species is native to most of eastern North America. It can grow well in various soil conditions, including both dry and moderately moist soil, but it prefers good drainage. Plus, it can tolerate any type of light!

Wild Blue Phlox

	common name Wild Blue Phlox
	botanical name Phlox divaricata
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 8-12”
	hardiness zones 3-8

When it comes to phlox, you have lots of options. Phlox plants range from tall perennials with rigid stalks to low-growing plants that easily form groundcovers. Wild blue phlox falls somewhere in between, with a spreading habit and short flower stalks.

In the spring, the plants send up flower stalks topped with purple flowers with five distinct petals. The flowers continue blooming for multiple months, and the plants often spread by rhizomes.

Unlike many types of phlox, these plants prefer shade over sun. That means they’re a great choice for forest edges as well as the north-facing side of your home.

May Apple

	common name May Apple
	botanical name Podophyllum peltatum
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 12-18”
	hardiness zones 3-8

If you’ve spent spring days walking through forests in the eastern US, you’ve probably stumbled upon patches of May apples. The plants emerge from the ground resembling short, closed umbrellas. As they age, they grow taller, and their umbrella-like leaves begin to open. If you peek under the leaves, you may discover a single white flower nodding down from the top of the stem.

May apples tend to form large colonies via rhizomes, so remember that before planting them. They are true spring ephemerals and fade from the landscape by midsummer.

Prairie Sage

	common name Prairie Sage
	botanical name Artemisia ludoviciana
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 4-10

Also known as white sagebrush, prairie sage is an important native plant in most portions of the United States west of the Mississippi. The plants produce silvery-green foliage and stems and often spread to cover large areas. In the summer, they send up stalks covered with clusters of small yellow flowers.

Prairie sage prefers moderately dry to dry soil, and it can tolerate poor soil. Since it’s left alone by livestock and readily spreads, it often becomes the dominant species in western landscapes. Take note of its somewhat aggressive nature before planting it at home.