Learn About Native Iowa Plants

Although Iowa soil is dark and most plants do well here, we must pay attention to zonal needs of whatever we plant in our gardens, yards and flowerbeds. Wintry weather is killing and Jack Frost can be dangerous before and after growing season in Iowa.

Flowers grown in Iowa must love dark fertile soil. They must also be able to survive, if they are perennials, hot summer days and the brutal cold of winter. They must be able to grow if it's too dry or too wet. It is great if they can be planted as annuals, as some gardeners prefer - or perennials.

Black Eyed Susan

Almost everyone knows this American wildflower. It is warm and sunny yellow colored, daisy shaped and needs little attention.

Black Eyed Susan are grown from seed. If started early in the spring, you may get blooms the first year. Black Eye Susan seeds can be directly seeded into your flower garden as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. Also, seeds can be sown later in the summer for or fall for flowers next year.

Black Eyed Susan plants grow 2-3 feet tall on long stems. They like full sun and will even grow in poor soil. They tolerate dry weather and you do not need to water or fertilize Black Eye Susan, but if you do, you will be rewarded with more blooms. Separate clumps after a few years to prevent crowding. If they get too crowded, the results will be smaller plants and flowers.

Resistance to insects and disease makes the Black Eye Susan popular with growers in Iowa.

Blazing Star

Blazing Star is native to Iowa and to much of North America. Blazing Star is a striking plant of the summer prairie. It is a purple flower and a perennial. This plant returns each spring from the same roots, forming expanding clumps. It blooms the second spring from seed and during August through October. Blazing Star grows about 1-4 feet tall.

Blazing star has tiny flowers in heads 3/4 to 1 inch across. Many tiny purple flowers have showy spikes. The bulb of the plant can be transplanted for first year flowers. It has a vase life of 6 to 1- days. Blazing Star is also an excellent dried flower. In recent years, Blazing Star has become a favorite of the floral industry. In the garden, use it as a background or tall border flower.

A moist, well-drained fertile soil in full sun is preferred by this flower. The plant needs full sun to grow well and has an average moisture requirement. It may take two to three years to become established from seed.

Blazing Star is a great magnet for butterflies, bees, rare moths and hummingbirds. It also resists deer.

Phlox

In Greek the word phlox means "flame" and was thus named because of the red color of one its species. The colors of phlox also range from white and pink to purple.

Phlox are native to Iowa and to other parts of the United States. Phlox are among the most abundant and showy of all wild flowers. The light lavender species is found commonly in moist woodlands throughout Iowa. Iowans love this cheery native flower.

Although originally and often still grown as a perennial flower, a great variety of phlox are now grown in gardens. They are grown as annuals in many colors and forms.

Dozens of varieties have been named. Phlox are easily grown and flower abundantly from spring to autumn in Iowa.

Violets

Violets are one of the first flowers of spring and many Iowa children, for generations, have brought little fists-full of bouquets of sweet-smelling violets for their mothers. Violets are dark purple, growing close to the ground. You will easily find violets growing along a river bank or in the native Iowa woods. Violets will last a couple days as a picked flower in a little mini-vase.

Pussy Willows

Pussy willows are soft little tufts, like a kitten's foot that grow on a branch or tree. You can easily root the pussy willow branch and it will grow in your back yard. It is fast-growing and in a couple years you will have many more pussy willow branches to share with your friends and neighbors. The pussy willow branches can be picked and forced, or they can be dried to use in floral arrangements. Pussy willow tufts are one of the first signs of spring in Iowa and various other places in the United States.

Depending upon where you live, you may choose to have some of these native Iowa flowers. Some may be best planted as annuals in your garden. Others may be best planted at the edge or your lawn or enjoyed when you go for a walk in the woods. Yes, it is great to see the native flowers growing and sporting their lovely colors, but it's also fun to pick them and enjoy them in your own Iowa home.

If you desire to plant, go to or call your local garden store for information. You will be glad you did. Maybe you'd love to start an area of wild plants somewhere near your home or farm. You will be keeping a bit of Iowa history within site. Many Iowa farms are now "Century" farms. This means they have been owned by a member of the same family for one hundred years or more. Many people owning these farms are looking for ways to remember days gone by. Planting native Iowa flowers is one of the easiest ways to make this idea come true.