North Dakota is notorious for its cold winters and hot summers. With a wide range of temperatures, you might wonder what flowers grow well in North Dakota.
You can grow hardy plants like Rudbeckias, Prairie Onions, Coneflowers, Hyssops, Daylilies, Snakeroots, Indigo Blushes, Yarrows, and Hostas in North Dakota, the Rough Rider Country.
If you’re thinking of starting a new home garden or expanding on your current one, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll go over some of North Dakota’s best flowering options and how to care for them.
1. Fragrant Sand Verbena
Also known as Sweet Sand Verbena, Heart’s Delight, or Prairie Snowball, it’s one of the most common flowers growing in North Dakota.
It prefers to grow in partial sunlight and with low watering frequency, making it fairly low maintenance. It’s also a drought-resistant flower. This is why it can grow in rock gardens and meadows.
The whole plant grows around one to three feet high, with a similar range for spreading. So, it’s not too inconvenient for most gardens. As a bonus, it can attract butterflies to your yard!
2. Coreopsis
Coreopsis is a wide variety of daisy-like flowers. They range from single to double-petaled flowers in different shades of yellow and orange.
However, new hybrids come in shades of red, pink, and white, making them a great choice for flower beds.
They can vary greatly in height, with some growing to a mere 18 inches while others reach eight feet high!
Coreopsis blooms from early summer to the fall, preferring full sun to partial shade. Keep in mind that it thrives in loamy, well-drained soils.
3. White Yarrow
White Yarrow (simply known as Yarrow) grows up to three feet high, with a spread of 18-24 inches. It prefers full sun and grows in average to medium moisture.
It’s a moderately drought-tolerant plant suitable for various planters. It works well in rock gardens, prairies, and meadows.
The flower blooms in the summer, and it might attract butterflies, rabbits, or even deers to your garden.
4. Rudbeckia
The term Rudbeckia includes a wide variety of hardy flowers. The most common one is Black-Eyed Susan, with its bright orange-yellow petals and dark eyes.
Other varieties have different color schemes. For instance, the Irish Eyes have pale yellow petals and green eyes. The majority show autumn colors like red, brown, and mahogany.
Rudbeckia flowers are usually adaptable. They tolerate both full sun and partial shade. They’ll also grow in nearly any type of soil as long as it’s well-drained. You don’t need green thumbs to maintain that!
5. Anise Hyssop
The Anise Hyssop also goes by other names like the Fragrant Giant Hyssop, Lavender Hyssop, or Blue Giant Hyssop.
While it prefers full sun, it can also survive in partial shade. It’s also not particularly demanding in its watering needs, but having good soil drainage is essential here for its growth. In high humidity, the roots are susceptible to rot and mildew.
Since it’s so delicate, it’s popular for being a cut flower used in bouquets. However, you can make the Hyssop work for flower beds and garden borders.
If you’re lucky, it could attract a hummingbird to your yard.
6. Coneflower
Moving on to a flower with a stand-offish look, the Coneflower is popular for its purple petals and orange center.
However, it can also come in many color palettes, from green and yellow to shades of raspberry and cherry.
Coneflowers reach a height of two to four feet if they’re well cared for under direct sunlight. To a reasonable extent, they could tolerate intervals of partial shade.
The key here is to keep the soil evenly moist and well-drained.
7. White Snakeroot
The White Snakeroot is a solid option for people looking for low-maintenance plants, but it can take up a lot of space.
It could reach heights of three to five feet tall and spread to two to four feet wide. That’s why it’s recommended to space these flowers 48 inches apart for the best growth results.
Be careful, though. The cluster of small flat-topped white flowers provides nectar for butterflies, bees, and moths during fall and summer. It’ll keep your garden buzzing!
8. Blanket Flower
From mid-summer to fall, the Blanket flowers adorn vibrant and dazzling colors. The daisy-like petals can either be red, yellow, orange, or bronze, with a bold red center.
They reach a height of two to three feet, with a spread of two feet. So, their spreading isn’t as much of a concern as the Snakeroot.
You can also grow a bundle of flowers in an indoor planter if you’re looking to keep it as a houseplant.
9. Prairie Onion
The Prairie or Autumn Onion is a perennial that handles both full and partial sun. Its water needs are minimal, which makes it a highly adaptable plant.
To raise an Autumn Onion, you need well-drained loamy or sandy soil. Typically. it’ll grow to one or two feet high and spread from six-inch to one foot.
Because of its fragrant blooms, it attracts butterflies and other pollinators. Keep in mind that the plant spreads by self-seeding.
It also thrives in flower beds, borders, rock gardens, and cottage gardens. All in all, it’s a low-maintenance and versatile option.
10. Phlox
Garden Phlox is yet another fragrant flowering plant to grow in North Dakota. It ranges in color from white to red and pink, creating the perfect dash of color in your flower beds.
However, they’ll only bloom for a month or more during midsummer and will rebloom when pruned back after fading. Just make sure to use sharp garden shears.
Phlox prefer rich and moist soil and could grow to reach heights of two to four feet. They also like full sun to partial shade.
11. Indigo Bush
People might call the Indigo Bush the False Indigo Bush or the Desert False Indigo. Regardless of the name, it’s one of the prettiest blooms you’ll see in late spring and early summer.
It needs direct sunlight to thrive. Other than that, it has low watering needs and can grow in garden beds, wildflower gardens, or landscape borders.
As an added benefit, it’s resistant to many serious diseases and pests.
12. Daylilies
Daylilies are some of the most common species used in flower beds, as they come in a lot of sizes and colors. They’re also fairly easy to grow and care for.
To watch the trumpet-shaped flowers flourish, you need to expose them to full sun or partial shade. Once they open, they can attract many bees and hummingbirds to the garden.
Each Daylily flower blooms for one day, but it sprouts so many buds. This way, there’s always an abundance of new blooms. You can also extend their blooming season by planting them early in the season.
13. Meadow Anemone
Once you see how the Meadow Anemone foliage looks, it’s not hard to figure out why it’s called the Round-Leaf Anemone.
It can grow up to one to two feet high, and it tends to thrive in partial shade. The flower also has average to high watering needs, which means that it’ll need a bit of extra care.
The flower blooms at the top of the stems facing upwards, usually from mid-spring to early summer. Overall, the Anemone is suitable for a luscious groundcover.
14. Hostas
Hostas are hardy plants famous for their massive leaves, ranging from blue-green to deep green. Iconically, the foliage is trimmed in gold or white.
The plants also have a huge variation in size, with some being less than a foot tall while others reach a towering five feet tall!
Hostas prefer partial shade but can also grow in more direct sun. The plant grows best in moist and well-drained soil.
Conclusion: What Flowers Grow Well In North Dakota
By now, it should be easier to figure out what flowers grow well in North Dakota.
Despite having extreme weather conditions for both summer and winter, the state is still home to many hardy perennials
Rudbeckias, Garden Phlox, Coneflowers, Hyssops, Daylilies, and many more are all valid options. They could survive and thrive if given the right care.
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