Oklahoma’s frigid winters and hot summers can make it hard and costly to keep a garden. That’s why Sarah Cross planted native species. Within a couple of years, it paid off — and saved her hundreds of dollars.
Cross is one of the gardeners at Across the Prairie & Friends: Native Plants & More near 14th and Harvard. Many native plants grow fast and don’t need as much water. So, she saved on fertilizer costs and now only waters between May and September.
You also don’t need to spend a lot on pesticides, herbicides or insecticides, according to Karen Watkins, an Oklahoma State University master gardener. She says planting native is a new trend.
“Everything is working together, and they know how to coexist,” Watkins said. “What people are learning is, if you want to have less work in your yard, you’re going to start planting more native plants.”
Both Watkins and Cross recommend keeping leaves instead of bagging them as a cost saver. Leaf litter attracts beneficial insects to your garden and is a natural nest for butterflies over winter.
Here are 10 native plants to bring bees and butterflies to your garden this summer.
Early summer
The pale purple coneflower, Echinacea pallida, is a perennial that blooms for three weeks from June into July. Perennials grow back every year. They make good seeds for finches.
- $2.49 at Southwood Landscape & Garden Center in Tulsa
- $2.99 at Southern Agriculture in Tulsa, Owasso and Broken Arrow
- $5 at The Painted Prairie in Tulsa
- $6-$10 at Across the Prairie in Tulsa, depending on size
- $12.50 at Native Plants Nursery in Oklahoma City
The common yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is another perennial. The native species is white. Cross says fast-growing plants like these can be traded in various Facebook groups.
- $2.69 at Southwood Landscape & Garden Center in Tulsa
- $4 at Across the Prairie in Tulsa
- $5 at The Painted Prairie in Tulsa
- $12.50 at Native Plants Nursery in Oklahoma City
Summer
Sunflowers, Helianthus annuus, provide great seeds for birds and people. This species is an annual, which means it will only last one year. It comes in yellow, red, gold and orange.
Sunflowers are a keystone flower, meaning they’re essential to the local ecosystem.
- Free at Across the Prairie in Tulsa; perennials are $4-10, depending on size
- $2-$5 at Southwood Landscape & Garden Center in Tulsa
- $2.99 at Southern Agriculture in Tulsa, Owasso and Broken Arrow
- $5-$10 at The Painted Prairie in Tulsa
- $10-12.50 at Native Plants Nursery in Oklahoma City
The blue giant hyssop, Agastache foeniculum, is a perennial in the mint family. Cross says the blue species is not native to Oklahoma, but it does well here.
- $2.99 at Southwood Landscape & Garden Center in Tulsa
- $2.99 at Southern Agriculture in Tulsa, Owasso and Broken Arrow
- $6 at Across the Prairie in Tulsa for a yellow hyssop
- $12.50 at Native Plants Nursery in Oklahoma City
Horsemint, Monarda punctata, is a perennial that works best in well-drained soil. This means it lets water pass through quickly. It can be trickier to grow and is in high demand, Cross says.
- $6-12 at Across the Prairie in Tulsa, depending on size
- $10 at The Painted Prairie in Tulsa
- $12.50 at Native Plants Nursery in Oklahoma City
Purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, is a perennial that blooms all summer if you remove the dead flowers. It is also a great seed for goldfinches in the fall.
- $4-10 at Across the Prairie in Tulsa, depending on size
- $5 at The Painted Prairie in Tulsa
- $5-12.50 at Native Plants Nursery in Oklahoma City
Black-eyed susans, Rudbeckia spp., can be both an annual or perennial.
- $2-3 for annuals at Across the Prairie in Tulsa; $6-10 for perennials, depending on size
- $2.69 at Southwood Landscape & Garden Center in Tulsa
- $2.69 at Southern Agriculture in Tulsa, Owasso and Broken Arrow
- $5 at The Painted Prairie in Tulsa
- $10-12.50 at Native Plants Nursery in Oklahoma City
Late summer and fall
Asters, Symphyotrichum spp., are another keystone plant that has a pink, blue and purple flowering species.
- $5 at The Painted Prairie in Tulsa
- $6-10 at Across the Prairie in Tulsa, depending on size
- $12.50-13.50 at Native Plants Nursery in Oklahoma City
Joe pye weed, Eutrochium spp., blooms in mid-to-late summer. Its flowers are big, fuzzy and purple in color. Joy pye weed has adapted to moist soil.
- $5 at The Painted Prairie in Tulsa
- $6-10 at Across the Prairie in Tulsa, depending on size
- $12.50 at Native Plants Nursery in Oklahoma City
Goldenrods, Solidago spp., are another keystone flower that grows quickly. It has delicate nectar.
- $4 at Across the Prairie in Tulsa
- $12.50 at Native Plants Nursery in Oklahoma City
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