5 native perennials you should plant right now

With fluffy, exotic, purple blooms, it’s hard to believe that this long-lived perennial is native to southwest Ontario. Also known as the prairie gayfeather — or liatris spicata — this flower can be found growing naturally in prairies and sedge meadows. When planted in your garden, it’s guaranteed to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

The Perennial Plant Association named this naturalized wildflower the “Perennial Plant of the Year” in 2010. If its accolades don’t win you over, its blooms will — early settlers used the blue flowers to make dye, and, today, the blue false indigo — or baptisia australis — will make for a beautiful, cut arrangement. However, like other long-lived perennials, it may take up to three years to bloom for the first time.

This wildflower needs no introduction. Both Ontario’s official emblem and a beloved favourite of Canadians, this perennial grows from a long-lived rhizome, lasting up to 30 years. Although trilliums favour deep, moist soil, they’re easy to grow. When taken care of (with weeding, feeding, and mulching) they can even double in size.

Another award-winning perennial, the National Garden Bureau named the Heuchera as its first-ever “Perennial of the Year” in 2012. Found naturally throughout the mountains and woodlands of North America, this low-growing perennial has kidney-shaped leaves and stems of delicate flowers.

If you’re looking for ground cover, look no further than the Canadian ginger or asarum canadense. This colony-forming perennial thrives in moist, shady spots, with attractive, round foliage. It even flowers, although the blooms are hidden below the leaves.