Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Sep, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wyoming · Zones 3–5
Native Plants for Full Sun in Wyoming
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. Every species here is genuinely native to Wyoming and the wider flora of the Mountain West and hardy through zones 3–5 — proven performers for Wyoming's cold, semi-arid, high elevation climate across Rocky Mountain montane & sagebrush steppe, not a generic list. Local standouts include Anise Hyssop and Aromatic Aster. A spot with six or more hours of direct sun is prime real estate for the prairie and meadow natives that evolved in the open — most want exactly that much light to bloom hard and stand up straight. Give them lean, well-drained soil rather than rich and pampered, skip the fertilizer, and they will reward the tough love with more flowers and sturdier stems.
The plants
54 native species for Wyoming
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Give it full sun and it blooms Sep through Nov, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
A sun-lover that flowers in Mar and Apr, standing 6–12 in tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Sep, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Firecracker Penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
Made for open ground — blooms Mar through May, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
A sun-lover that blooms May through Sep, standing 1–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Give it full sun and it blooms Aug through Oct, 5–8 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Give it full sun and it flowers in Sep and Oct, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
Made for open ground — blooms Apr through Sep, 3–6 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Give it full sun and it flowers in Mar and Apr, 20–30 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
A sun-lover that flowers in Apr and May, standing 15–25 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A sun-lover that flowers in Aug and Sep, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Made for open ground — flowers in Jul and Aug, 3–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Aug, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Sep, 1–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A sun-lover that flowers in Sep and Oct, standing 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Give it full sun and it flowers in Aug and Sep, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Give it full sun and it flowers in Jul and Aug, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Jul, 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Aug, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
30 more also qualify: Prairie Smoke, Dense Blazing Star, Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Golden Alexanders, Cup Plant, Buttonbush, Foxglove Beardtongue, Oregon Grape, Compass Plant, Red-Twig Dogwood, Blue Grama, Common Milkweed, Bearberry, Rattlesnake Master, Blue Vervain, Virginia Creeper, Stiff Goldenrod, New Jersey Tea, Sideoats Grama, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Common Boneset, Ninebark, Showy Milkweed, Fragrant Sumac, Switchgrass, Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Indian Grass, Big Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Wyoming
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.