These are five native plants you still can plant in summer

If you thought you missed your window to add some native plants to your landscape this year, think again.

Blazing star (Photo by Anthony Schalk)

We don’t typically think of summer as planting season, but it’s not too late to add some color to your yard with summer-blooming native plants.

Native plants are a good choice for home landscapes because they require less maintenance and upkeep. They are well adapted to our climate and soil because they are meant to grow here.

Native plants that bloom from late summer into fall can still be planted later in the growing season. Keep in mind, though, that the plants you add to your yard now might not bloom this year or even next. Native plants can take a few years to grow and become established, so it might take a year or two before the fruits of your labor this summer pay off with colorful displays in your yard. Once they do, though, they will be full of activity, providing food and shelter for all manner of insects plus some birds and other wildlife.

Asters

New England aster (Photo by Anthony Schalk)

Many people love asters because they provide a nice pop of purple or bluish-purple late in the growing season, when yellow can be the dominant color both in the prairies and in the forests as leaves begin to change color. These late-blooming plants are beneficial to pollinators too because they provide an important food source late in the growing season.

Good native aster species to grow in northern Illinois include aromatic aster, New England aster and smooth blue aster. All three bloom from late summer into fall, with some flowers even lingering into November. Aromatic aster and smooth aster both do well in sunny spots, but smooth aster can tolerate part shade. New England aster grows best in spots that get partial shade.

Blazing stars

Blazing star (Photo by Chad Merda)

Blazing stars, also called gayfeathers, produce spikes or stalks of feathery purple flowers, adding a different texture to your landscape. They can have a long bloom period, with flowers sometimes lasting from mid-summer into October. They will attract a variety of insects and are particularly of value to native bees as a food source.

The blazing star family include 45 species, all native to North America. Some good choices for your yard include meadow blazing star, northern blazing star and prairie blazing star. All do best in sunny locales with well-drained soil. Prairie blazing star grows to be the tallest, sometimes reaching heights of up to 6 feet tall. Northern blazing star reaches heights of 5 feet, while northern blazing star typically tops out at 3 feet tall.

Goldenrods

Goldenrod (Photo by Anthony Schalk)

Goldenrod is the quintessential late-blooming native plant, creating a palette of yellow in the prairies when late summer begins to give way to fall. Goldenrod produces a lot of pollen and nectar, which means it supports a lot of bees, beetles, butterflies, moths and more as the growing season begins to wind down and these food sources dwindle.

Among the native goldenrod species to consider for your yard are Ohio goldenrod, showy goldenrod and zigzag goldenrod, all three of which produce clusters of small yellow flowers. Showy goldenrod can reach heights of 6 feet tall, while zigzag goldenrod typically grows to between 2 feet and 4 feet tall and Ohio goldenrod grows to about 3 feet tall. Ohio goldenrod and zigzag goldenrod prefer sunny spots but can tolerate partial shade. Showy goldenrod does best in a spot that gets partial shade.

Joe-pye weed

Sweet Joe-pye weed (Photo by Chad Merda)

If you’re looking for a native plant to take up a lot of space in your yard, look no further than Joe-pye weed. These plants can grow to be more shrublike, reaching heights of up to 7 feet tall and 3 feet to 4 feet wide. They will typically bloom from July into September.

Two Joe-pye weed species are good choice for northern Illinois: spotted Joe-pye weed and sweet Joe-pye weed. Plant them in a spot that gets full sun or part shade. They will grow best in moist soil. Spotted Joe-pye weed produces deep pink blooms, while the flowers of sweet Joe-pye weed are a much more pale pink, almost white in color.

Milkweeds

Butterfly milkweed (Photo by Glenn P. Knoblock)

Milkweed gets a lot of buzz because it is the host plant for monarchs. The caterpillars only eat milkweed plants, and the butterflies only lay eggs on them. Simply put, without milkweed there would be no monarchs. This family of plants — which includes many species native to Illinois — will attract much more than just monarchs, though. Milkweed plants are often buzzing with insect activity, everything from bees to butterflies to beetles, including red milkweed beetles.

Among the milkweed plants you can buy for planting this summer include butterfly milkweed, prairie milkweed, swamp milkweed and whorled milkweed. Butterfly milkweed is a bushy plant that produces clusters of bright orange flowers, while prairie milkweed and swamp milkweed produce pink or pinkish-purple bloom. Whorled milkweed produces smaller flower clusters than other milkweed plants, and its blooms are white. All these milkweeds prefer sunny spots, but swamp milkweed and whorled milkweed can tolerate some shade.