Native Plant Gardens In and
Around the Flathead Valley

The Flathead
Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society recommends visiting the following
public and private gardens to observe how the distinctive vegetation of our
valleys and mountains may be used in differing landscape applications.

 

Harry Horn Native Plant Garden


Location: East shore of Flathead Lake about .8 mile south of
Bigfork. From Bigfork, turn right off Highway 35 at the entrance sign for
Flathead Lake State Park Wayfarers and Harry Horn. (Across the highway from
Burgertown.) About 100 yards beyond the entrance, take the first left into the
Harry Horn parking lot. Look for the "East Shore Bigfork Garden Club Botanical
Garden" sign.

Description: This 3,000 square foot garden can best be described as
a "prairie on steroids." In 1998, the East Shore Bigfork Garden Club planted
rich "Creston" topsoil with seeds of native plants. The high nutrient content
and moisture-holding capacity of the soil enable it to grow larger plants with
extended bloom times. In fact, wild strawberries have developed a weedy nature
here. The garden receives full sun during the day, but is also shaded by the
surrounding forest during morning and evening hours. Sit on the concrete bench
placed beside the garden trail and view grasses, bulbs and forbs of the
Palouse Prairie*:

Scientific Name Common Name


Anemone patens Pasqueflower

Antennaria neglecta Field Pussytoes

Antennaria rosea Rosy Pussytoes

Arnica cordifolia Heart-leaf Arnica

Balsamorhiza sagittata Arrow-leaf Balsamroot

Camassia quamash Blue Camas

Campanula rotundifolia Harebell

Clarkia pulchella Elkhorns

Dodecatheon Shooting Star

Festuca idahoensis Idaho Fescue

Festuca scabrella Rough Fescue

Fragaria spp. Strawberry

Gaillardia aristata Blanketflower

Geranium viscosissimum Sticky Geranium

Geum triflorum Prairie Smoke

Lupinus spp. Lupine

Monarda fistulosa Beebalm or Wild Bergamot

Penstemon spp. Beardtongue

Pseudoroegneria spicata Bluebunch Wheatgrass (also Agropyron spicatum)

Ratibida columnifera Mexican Hat or Coneflower

Stipa richardsonii Richardson's Needlegrass

Zigadenus venomous Common Death Camus

Certain orchid species may also be seen within Harry Horn Park:

Calypso bulbosa Fairy Slipper

Cypripedium montanum Mountain Lady's Slipper

Corallorhiza maculata Spotted Coralroot

Corallorhiza striata Striped Coralroot


For further information, contact: Brett Thuma at 837-4604 at the
Brett Thuma Gallery, Electric Avenue, Bigfork.


Best viewing: May through July

 

Highway 35 Native Palouse Garden

Location: In Bigfork, the east side of Highway 35, about .9 mile
north of the stoplight at the intersection of Highway 35 with Grand Avenue and
Holt Drive. Look for a roadside strip immediately to the south of the Peaceful
Acres road, Impressions and El Topo and across the highway from Sliter's Ace
Hardware/Lumber.

 

Description: The growing conditions provided by this roadside
border demonstrate that native plants are not only beautiful, but tough as
well. In 1997, the Bigfork Development Company and Brett Thuma created the 12'
by 200' curbed border with two goals in mind. First, they needed to improve
highway safety by better defining exits and entrances. Second, they desired to
enhance the drive through Bigfork on Highway 35 by seeding the border with
plants native to the Palouse Prairie* and nearby intermountain grasslands.
Seeds were both collected from the wild and purchased from growers. Volunteers
built the border upon pre-existing roadbed mix that was ripped and then topped
with donated soil. Brett Thuma keeps the plant community within the border
free of weed species that are continuously being introduced by vehicle
traffic. One of the members of this community, Arrow-leaf Balsamroot, takes
five to six years to flower from seed. Visitors may now observe the multiple
blooms of Arrow-leaf Balsamroot among its native companions:

Scientific Name Common Name

Balsamorhiza sagittata Arrow-leaf Balsamroot

Camassia quamash Blue Camas

Castilleja spp. Indian Paintbrush

Delphinium spp. Larkspur

Festuca idahoensis Idaho Fescue

Festuca scabrella Rough Fescue

Fritillaria pudica Yellowbells

Gaillardia aristata Blanketflower

Geranium viscosissimum Sticky Geranium

Linum lewisii Blue Flax

Lupinus argenteus Silvery Lupine

Lupinus sericeus Silky Lupine

Monarda fistulosa Beebalm or Wild Bergamot

Oryzopsis spp. Indian Ricegrass

Penstemon albertinus Alberta Beardtongue

Penstemon strictus Rocky Mountain Beardtongue

Pseudoroegneria spicata Bluebunch Wheatgrass (aka Agropyron spicatum)

Sedum lanceolatum Lance-leaf Stonecrop

Stipa richardsonii Richardson's Needlegrass


For further information, contact: Brett Thuma at 837-4604 at the
Brett Thuma Gallery, Electric Avenue, Bigfork.

Best viewing: May through July

Whitefish Central School Native Tree Site


Location: One block east of the Whitefish Train Depot on Railway
Street. Look for a cedar rail fence around the garden on the south side of the
street.

 

 

Description: Following the inspiration of Jan Metzmaker, this site
was developed by volunteers in 1999 when the Central School play area was
rebuilt. The City of Whitefish donated site preparation support and a
sprinkler system. A Plum Creek Foundation grant and community donations funded
the purchase of trees and materials. Vegetation was also donated by the
Glacier National Park Native Plant Nursery. Central School students spread
topsoil and Glacier Gold compost over the 400 square foot site and planted
over 16 different native trees and many shrubs and forbs. The students also
gathered seed from Big Mountain, grew the seeds in a local greenhouse, then
transplanted them onsite. Science students use the site for their forestry
unit and other projects, and spend some time each spring helping with
maintenance.


For further information, contact: Jan Metzmaker at 862-6110 (work)
or 862-7960 (home), Whitefish.


Best viewing: May through September

 

Flathead Valley Community College Native Plant Garden


Location: Just north of Kalispell on Highway 93, turn east at the
FVCC entrance on Grandview Drive. The garden may be found behind the
Administration Building on the east side of the campus in the FVCC Arboretum.

Description: Plants from the Palouse Prairie* habitats of western
Montana have been planted in this beautiful and spacious setting at the edge
of the campus. Visitors may view the surrounding valley, rolling hills, and
mountains that are home to the plants found here. The garden was established
in 1997 by members of the Flathead Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society
(Terry Divoky, Mary Sloan, Betty Kuropat, Maria Mantas and Jenny Tollefson).
Bill McClaren has maintained the garden since 2001. The garden includes the
following species:

 


Scientific Name Common Name

Anaphalis margaritacea Pearly Everlasting

Anemone patens Pasqueflower

Antennaria microphylla Rosy Pussytoes

Antennaria anaphaloides Tall Pussytoes

Aquilegia flavescens Yellow Columbine

Aquilegia formosa Red Columbine

Arnica cordifolia Heart-leaf Arnica

Balsamorhiza sagittata Arrow-leaf Balsamroot

Campanula rotundifolia Harebell

Cornus sericea Red Osier Dogwood (aka Cornus stolonifera)

Festuca idahoensis Idaho Fescue

Festuca ovina Sheep Fescue

Fragaria virginiana Mountain Strawberry

Gaillardia aristata Blanketflower

Geranium viscosissimum Sticky Geranium

Geum triflorum Prairie Smoke

Heuchera cylindrica Round-leaf Alumroot

Iliamna rivularis Mountain Hollyhock

Lewisii rediviva Bitterroot

Linum lewisii Blue Flax

Penstemon albertinus Alberta Penstemon

Penstemon confertus Yellow Penstemon

Penstemon nitrides Shining Penstemon

Philadelphus lewisii Mockorange or Syringa

Polemonium pulcherrimum Showy Jacob's Ladder

Pentaphylloides floribunda Shrubby Cinquefoil (aka Potentilla fruticosa)

Ratibida columnifera Mexican Hat or Coneflower

Rosa gymnocarpa Baldhip Rose

Sisyrinchium montanum Montana Blue-eyed Grass

Solidago canadensis Canada Goldenrod or Meadow Goldenrod

Zigadenus venomous Meadow Death Camas or Common Death Camas

 

For further information, contact: Bill McClaren at 257-2540,
Kalispell.


Best viewing: Early June. Bill McClaren offers a guided tour.

 

The Bill McClaren Native Plant Garden

Location: The Bill McClaren residence at 173 Lawrence Lane,
Kalispell.

Description: Bill McClaren established this residential
garden in 2000 with plants native to the Flathead National Forest and Glacier
National Park. The majority of the garden is shaded.


For further information, contact: Bill McClaren at 257-2540,
Kalispell.

Best viewing: Each summer in early June, Bill McClaren offers a
guided tour of his garden and the FVCC Native Plant Garden. However, visitors
may call and make appointments to visit at other times.

 

Yellow Bay Native Plant
Garden/ Lakeshore Restoration


Location: On the east shore of Flathead Lake about 15 miles south
of Bigfork off Highway 35. Turn at the sign for the University of Montana
Yellow Bay Biological Research Station.

Description: This "garden" is actually a lakeshore revegetation
project using native plants to minimize shoreline erosion. The front yard of
Biological Station Director Jack Stanford and his wife, Research Scientist
Bonnie Ellis, was converted from exotic grass back to a "natural" landscape by
planting a variety of native shrubs.


For further information, contact: Bonnie Ellis at 982-3301. Please
call before viewing.


Best viewing: June through September

 

Glacier National Park Hope Garden


Location: Headquarters Building, Glacier National Park, West
Glacier, MT.


Description: This small native plant rock garden is a memorial to
several park employees who have had serious health problems. Species
representative of several habitats throughout Glacier are planted here.
Placards identify most plants by their common and scientific names. The garden
was planted following construction of an accessible walkway into the Park
Headquarters Administrative Building.

For further information, contact: Joyce Lapp,
Horticulturist/Restoration Biologist, at 888-7817, or Sara Dedekam, Nursery
Manager, at 888-7835, or call for a tour.


Best viewing: Available for viewing during daylight hours from
Sunday through Saturday. There is also a tour every Tuesday during the summer.


Scientific Name Common Name

Abies lasiocarpa Rocky Mountain Subalpine Fir (aka Abies bifolia)

Achillea millefolium Common Yarrow

Anaphalis margaritacea Pearly Everlasting

Anemone multifida Cliff Anemone or Pacific Anemone

Antennaria neglecta Field Pussytoes

Antennaria rosea Pink Pussytoes

Aquilegia flavescens Yellow Columbine

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Common Bearberry or Kinnikinnick

Arnica cordifolia Heart-leaf Arnica

Artemisia frigida Fringed Sagewort

Artemisia ludoviciana Western Mugwort or Prairie Sagewort

Aster conspicuous Showy Aster

Berberis repens Creeping Oregon Grape (aka Mahonia repens)

Campanula rotundifolia Harebell

Corydalis sempervirens Pink Corydalis

Dryas drummondii Yellow Mountain Avens

Epilobium alpinum Alpine Willowherb (aka E. anagallidifolium)

Epilobium angustifolium Fireweed

Erigeron peregrinus Wandering Daisy or Subalpine Daisy

Erigeron speciosus Showy Fleabane

Eriogonum umbellatum Sulphur Buckwheat

Fragaria virginiana Wild Strawberry

Gaillardia aristata Blanketflower

Geum triflorum Prairie Smoke

Hedysarum boreale Sweetvetch or Northern Hedysarum

Hedysarum sulphurescens Yellow Sweetvetch or Yellow Hedysarum

Hypericum formosum Western St. John's-wort

Iliamna rivularis Mountain Hollyhock

Lewisia pygmaea Dwarf Lewisia or Pygmy Bitterroot

Linnaea borealis Twinflower

Lupinus sericeus Silky Lupine

Monarda fistulosa Beebalm or Wild Bergamot

Papaver pygmaeum Alpine Glacier Poppy

Paxistima myrsinites Mountain-Lover or Boxwood

Penstemon confertus Yellow Beardtongue

Phacelia hastata Silver-leaf Phacelia

Philadelphus lewisii Mockorange or Syringa

Polemonium pulcherrimum Showy Jacob's Ladder

Potentilla fruticosa Shrubby Cinquefoil

Oxyria digyna Mountain Sorrel

Oxytropis splendens Showy Crazyweed or Locoweed

Rosa woodsii Wood's Rose

Sedum lanceolatum Lance-leaf Stonecrop

Solidago canadensis Canada Goldenrod or Meadow Goldenrod

Spiraea betulifolia White Meadowsweet or Birch-leaf Spirea

Spiraea splendens Subslpine Spirea or Pink Spirea

Symphoricarpos albus Common Snowberry

 

Clare's Corner


Location: 137 Third Street West, Kalispell, MT. The garden is on
the west side of the house.


Description: Clare Hafferman's Montana wildflower garden attracts
attracts more bees, butterflies and other insects than does her perennial
border. As a member of the American Penstemon Society, this homeowner grows
her favorite beardtongues.

For further information, contact: Clare Hafferman mornings at
752-1341, except Saturdays.


Best viewing: June and July.

*Palouse Prairie: Plants of the northern Rocky Mountain region that are
also found on the dry, rolling, grasslands of eastern Oregon and Washington.

 

 

Waterton Lakes National Park Peace Garden


Location: In downtown Waterton, Alberta, Canada, just across the
parking lot from the boat docks. It is next to the Superintendent's
headquarters, which is a recently restored historic building.


Description: The Peace Garden was installed in 2004. It introduces
visitors and residents to the beauty of native plants in the surrounding
landscape. It also celebrates collaboration between Waterton Lakes National
Park and Glacier National Park in resources management.

For further information, contact: Cyndi Smith, Conservation
Biologist, Waterton Lakes National Park at (403) 859-5137.


Best viewing: The Peace Garden is open for viewing any time as its
gate is unlocked. However, it should be glorious during the summer months.

Scientific Name Common Name


Acer glabrum Rocky Mountain Maple

Anemone multifida Cliff Anemone or Windflower

Alnus viridis Sitka Alder

Anaphalis margaritacea Pearly Everlasting

Arnica cordifolia Heart-leaf Arnica

Antennaria spp. Pussytoes

Aquilegia flavescens Yellow Columbine

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Common Bearberry or Kinnikinnick

Aster conspicuous Showy Aster

Castilleja spp. Indian Paintbrush

Festuca idahoensis Idaho Fescue

Clematis columbiana Western Virgin's Bower (aka Clematis occidentalis)

Cornus sericea Red-osier Dogwood (aka Cornus stolonifera)

Dryas drummondii Yellow Mountain Avens

Elaeagnus commutata Silverberry or Wolfwillow

Epilobium angustifolium Fireweed

Eriogonum umbellatum Sulphur Buckwheat

Erigeron spp. Fleabane

Gaillardia aristata Blanketflower

Illiamna rivularis Mountain Hollyhock

Monarda fistulosa Beebalm, Wild Bergamot or Horsemint

Paxistima myrsinites Mountain-lover or Boxwood

Penstemon confertus Yellow Beardtongue

Pinus flexilis Limber Pine

Populus balsamiferous Cottonwood or Balsam Poplar

Potentilla gracilus Fan-shaped Cinquefoil

Rosa woodsii Wood's Rose

Rubus parviflorus Thimbleberry

Solidago canadensis Meadow Goldenrod

Sorbus scopulina Cascade Mountain Ash

Spiraea betulifolia White Meadowsweet or Birch-leaf Spirea

Spiraea splendens Subalpine Spirea or Pink Spirea

Symphoricarpos albus Common Snowberry