Native Plant Landscaping

Native Plant Gardening Awards - A New Program of MNPS

The Native Plant Garden Awards will recognize outstanding efforts to use Montana native plants in gardens and landscapes in Montana. Three awards will be given each year to celebrate the gardens that best reflect the goal of MNPS: To preserve, conserve, and study the native plants and plant communities of Montana, and to educate the public about the values of our native flora.

Awards will be given to three outstanding gardens/landscapes, with recognition for additional entries.

Celebration of each of the 2012 winning gardens and their creators, including the presentation of a MNPS Garden Plaque and an award certificate, will be made during the MNPS Annual meeting at Lubrecht Conference Center in Greenough, July 1. Awardees will also be recognized in the Kelseya and on the MNPS website.

For complete information and a link to an application form, click here.

 

Articles About Landscaping with Montana Native Plants

Special Notice: As of October 2011, the Landscaping and Revegetation Committee has announced that it is seeking input for the next update to the Montana Native Plants Source Guide (see below). Please contact Kathy Settevendemie if you have information on a plant nursery in your area that may have begun to carry more natives or a new nursery that sells native plants. Contact Kathy at Blackfoot Native plants, P.O. Box 761, Bonner MT 59823, 244-5800 or through www.blackfootnativeplants.com.

Here we have gathered a number of native plant landscaping references.  Some are general, for the whole state of Montana, and others are specific to various regions of the state.

Represented regions include: Flathead Valley, Helena area, Bozeman & Southwest Montana area, and the Missoula & West-Central Montana area.  Click on the region you are interested in.  Don't feel limited to reading about your area only- much of the information is applicable to multiple regions.

General articles:

Where the Prairies Meet the Mountains: an introduction to using Montana native plants
This is a PDF file and requires Adobe Acrobat, which you can download for free from www.adobe.com

 

Guidelines for Selecting Horticultural Plant Material for Montana
These guidelines for avoiding introductions of invasive species were developed by the Montana Nurseryman's Association and the Montana Native Plant Society. This is a PDF file and requires Adobe Acrobat, which you can download for free from www.adobe.com

Creating Native Landscapes 
This is a comprehensive guide developed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Bridger Plant Materials Center.

Sources of Native Plants - 2011 Edition

Here is a newly researched statewide guide to sources of native plant material for your landscape needs.

Audubon At Home
A website from the Audubon Society about the Hows and Whys of native plants. The goal of this site is to encourage people to further develop an awareness of their ecological footprint and the impact each of their decisions can make on bird conservation and the environment at large.

Growing Echinacea
Background and guide to growing echinacea in a garden or farm environment - written by Helen Atthowe, Missoula County Extension.

Pollinator Links

Attracting pollinators is a rewarding goal for your native plant garden. Here are some links with more information on pollinators:

  • U.S. Forest Service's Celebrating Wildflowers Pollinator Page - Includes a section on gardening with native plants

  • Ecoregional Planting Guides from the Pollinator Partnership - Includes links to comprehensive pollinator information.

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You may also be interested in a document on Voluntary Guidelines for Selecting Horticultural Plant Material for Montana developed and posted by the MNPS Conservation Committee. The paper discusses non-native horticultural materials.