Clumping for Neatness: Tidy Native Plants

Columbiine still blooming — Columbine still blooming

Being known as a “plant person”, I am often asked for plants that are “neat” in habit. I don’t know if this is because they fear native plants are “messy” or they are just neatniks. The “messy”, unattractive plants we often see by waysides and roadsides are often non-native plants brought here from far away lands. Every “weed” we see is not a native “wildflower”.

For my neat and tidy friends, I suggest these plants which grow in easily managed clumps. When you choose plants look for the growth habit. If a plant description says “running” or “fast spreader”, watch out. Instead choose a “clumper”.

The clumping growth habit makes upkeep easy. Just divide the clumps when it becomes too big. Give the extra plants to your gardening friends to spread the native plant goodness around.

All the plants in this list are tough and hardy. I have planted some of them in some hard, dry, clay soil without any amendment but plenty of weeds. And they thrive.

How Clumpers Grow

Clumping Penstemon digitalis, ‘Husker Red’ in my garden.

Pruned Summer Phloxes

White Summer Phlox (Phlox paniculata) and Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)

A low, compact plant – Golden Alexanders.

New England Asters in my garden.

My flower garden may 2020. Photo by Donna L. Long.

The “Clumpers”

Herbaceous – Perennial flowers

Agastache scrophularifolia (Giant Purple Hyssop)
Aquilegia canadensis (Columbine)
Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed)
Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly-weed)
Baptisia tinctoria (Wild Indigo)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Euphorbia corollata (Flowering surge)
Heuchera americana (Alumroot)
Liatris spicata (Spiked Gayfeather)
Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower)
Penstemon digitalis (White Beardtongue)
Penstemon hirsutus (Hairy Beardtongue)
Rudbeckia triloba (Three-lobed Coneflower)
Thermopsis montana (Golden Pea or Mountain Pea)
Zizia aptera (Heart-leaved Golden Alexander)
Zizia aurea (Golden Alexander)

Shrubs

Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica)
Sambucus canadensis Common Elderberry)

A Gallery of Clumping Flowers

Penstemon barbatus native utah to Mexico. Photo: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra eximia) blooming in my garden.

False Indigo (Baptisia australis in my garden.

Sweet Violets in bloom in my garden.

Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ in my garden.

Creeping Phlox (Phlox stolonifera) blooming during Pink Moon in my garden.

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) blooming in my garden.

flat flower heads Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)

Flat top, umbrella shaped flower clusters of Golden Alexanders in my garden.

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis). Photo by Donna L. Long.

White Summer Phlox (Phlox paniculata)

Liatris and Purple Coneflower

Butterfly Weed just opeining

Tickseed in my garden.

Iris cultivar of native Northern Blue Flag

New England Asters in my garden.

Purple Giant Hyssop. Photo by Donna L. Long.

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