10 Native Wildflowers With Striking Foliage for Year-Round Interest

Native flowers celebrate life: they feed pollinators with nectar and pollen, provide seeds for wildlife, and host caterpillars and bees. What's good for nature is good for us—creating gardens that are both beautiful and ecologically rich. Here are ten native wildflowers with exceptional foliage that shines long after blooms fade.

Not in the Central Plains? Explore attractive foliage for other U.S. regions.

1. Pale Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium)

Native from Minnesota south to Oklahoma and eastward. Fan-like, blue-gray leaves dangle from towering stems. Blooms mid-to-late summer; prefers dry to medium soil in full to partial sun.

2. American Senna (Senna hebecarpa)

Native from Wisconsin and Illinois east to New England, south to Georgia and Tennessee. Tropical-looking fanning leaves; weeks of mid-to-late-summer blooms attract hordes of bumblebees. Grows 4–5 feet tall and wide; full sun, medium to moist soil.

3. Giant Coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima)

Native to northeastern Texas, northwestern Louisiana, southwest Arkansas. Striking giant blue foliage; 4–6 feet tall. Four-week midsummer bloom with big yellow flowers that draw birds and insects. Moist soil, full sun.

4. Hubricht's Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii)

Native to eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Fine, feathery foliage turns brilliant yellow-orange in fall. Masses of blue flowers in late spring feed long-tongued bees, moths, and hummingbirds. Dry soil, full to partial sun; 2–3 feet tall and wide.

5. Short-Toothed Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)

Native from Texas north through Illinois and Michigan eastward. 3-foot-tall pollinator magnet with frosty-colored leaves that cool the summer garden. Moist soil, full sun to partial shade.

6. Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis)

Native to Central Plains, Southeast, Northeast. Smooth oval leaves shift from bright green to dusky blue depending on light. 3–4 feet tall and wide; May blooms, dark ornamental seedpods persist through winter. Full to partial sun, medium to dry clay or sand.

7. Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)

Native from Minnesota south to Texas and east. Smoky leaves look sharp but aren't; white globular blooms in midsummer attract pollinators like crazy. Adaptable once established; full sun, almost any soil.

8. Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)

Native from Minnesota south to Oklahoma and west to the Pacific. Big, fuzzy leaves; sweetly scented blooms. Monarchs love this 3–5-foot milkweed. Full sun to partial shade, any soil including clay; occasional water once established.

9. Early Meadow-Rue (Thalictrum dioicum)

Native from Arkansas north to Minnesota and east. Grown for foliage, not flowers—leaves resemble old coins. Thrives in dry woodlands and tough shady spots.

10. Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)

Found from North Dakota to Oklahoma and east. Over 8 feet tall with huge leaves (10" long, 6" wide) that cup water for insects and birds. Square, sturdy stems. Full sun, all soils except dry.

Bonus: Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)

Native to northern Plains, Midwest, Northeast. Leaves circle the 4–6-foot stem; newly emerging top leaves add color. Long-blooming white flowers attract every pollinator imaginable.

Your turn: What native wildflowers with interesting foliage would you add? Share in the comments.