Utah native plants for landscaping — print version.
Press Cmd/Ctrl + P, then choose “Save as PDF.”
SUS Farms · Utah Gardening
Utah native plants for landscaping
design · intermediate · ~7 min read
Utah natives evolved here. They handle alkaline soil, intense UV, low humidity, and our late frosts without amendments, irrigation babying, or pesticides. They feed native pollinators that ornamental imports do not. They look right in our landscape because they belong here.
Wildflowers that thrive
Blue flax (Linum lewisii) — sky-blue flowers, drought-tolerant, self-sows. Sulfur buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum) — yellow flower heads, attracts bees and butterflies. Showy goldeneye (Heliomeris multiflora) — long-blooming yellow daisies. Western yarrow (Achillea millefolium) — pollinator magnet. Penstemon (multiple species) — trumpet flowers for hummingbirds.
Shrubs
Curl-leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) — evergreen, deer-resistant, shapes well. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) — silver foliage, the iconic Utah plant. Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa) — white flowers, feathery seed heads in fall. Three-leaf sumac (Rhus trilobata) — fall color, edible berries.
Trees
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) — only at elevations above 5,500 ft, and they sucker. Bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum) — Utah's native red-leaf fall tree. Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) — drought-tolerant, slow-growing, valuable wildlife. Pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) — produces edible pine nuts, evergreen, slow.
Where to source
Utah Native Plant Society sales (April, May, October) are the best source for actual natives. Most chain nurseries stock "native-themed" cultivars that aren't true natives. Wildland Nursery (Joseph, UT) and Plant Select carry verified Utah natives.
Establishment care
Water deeply once a week the first growing season — natives need root development before drought tolerance kicks in. After year one, water once every 2–3 weeks during the hot dry stretch. Mulch heavily with gravel or wood chip. No fertilizer; native soil is fine.