YardSmart - Annuals and perennials

Water wise plants will need additional water for the first two years. After they are established, you can slowly reduce the amount of water they receive; eventually rainfall will be sufficient throughout most seasons.

The City of Calgary's native plant list is by no means exhaustive, so we recommend you also visit your local garden centre to discover more water wise plants. The Calgary Horticultural Society also provides excellent resources for Calgary gardeners.

Learn more in our YardSmart Annuals & Perennials Brochure.

Annuals

African Daisy (Dimorphotheca sinuata) –A native of South Africa that features daisy-like blossoms in a range of colours, often with blue or lavender undersides. Prefer sunny sites with well-drained soil.

Canary-bird Flower (Tropaeolum peregrinum) - A fast growing vine from Peru that has feathery yellow flowers and five lobed leaves, it is great for covering trellises or in hanging baskets. Light sandy nutrient poor soil and partial sun/shade are ideal conditions for good growth.

Cleome or Spider Flower (Cleome hasslerana) –A native to tropical America that quickly grows to 120 cm in hot and dry locations. Large airy pink, lavender or white flower clusters make for a graceful look at the back of a flower border. Attractive to birds and butterflies. Full sun. May self seed.

Cupid's Dart (Catananche caerulea) –Native to southern Europe, Long slender stalks with gray-green leaves topped by blue or white florets that are long lasting and great in dried flower arrangements. Full Sun.

Dusty Miller (Artemesi stelleriana) - Silvery, fuzzy, deeply cut foliage that thrives until a killing frost. A good choice for either containers or beds. Half to full sun.

Gazania (Gazania ringens) - Another daisy-like native of South Africa that prefers sunny and dry sites. A good choice for balconies, containers and the front of flower beds, as they thrive in windy conditions.

Ice Plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) - A South African ground hugging succulent that is covered in daisy like yellow or pink flowers. Its odd name comes from the drops of moisture that can be seen covering the surface of the leaves. To flourish it requires full sun and dry soil conditions.

Livingstone Daisy (Dorotheanthus bellidformis) - A native of South Africa, the flowers are similar to African Daisy, but in shades of lavender, pink and purple with dark centers. Full Sun.

Kenilworth Ivy (Cymbalaria muralis) – A trailing plant useful in hanging baskets and containers. Partial to full sun.

Portulaca or Rose Moss (Portulaca grandiflora) – A succulent from Brazil that produces masses of rose-like single or double flowers in an array of colours that open up in full sun. Do not plant in rich soil, as it prefers a predominately sandy mixture.

Mealy Cup Salvia (Salvia farinacea) – A native of Texas, this upright annual for the middle of the bed has square blue stems topped by spires of lavender blue flowers. Its narrow leaves look like they have been dusted with flour giving rise to its name. Sun or light shade.

Nasturtium (Tropaelum majus) – Native to central South America with broad shield-like leaves and spurred flowers in a range of colours, it has a range of usefulness in containers and beds as an ornamental edible plant and is often used as an aphid attractor in vegetable gardens. It flowers profusely if kept under dry soil conditions. Too much water will produce many leaves and little in the way of flowers. Attracts birds and butterflies. Full Sun.

Scarlet Sage (Salvia splendens) -A sturdy plant for the front of the border, this species of Sage has scarlet red flowers that look like tubes and deep green heart shaped leaves. Sun or part shade.

Sunflower spp. (Helianthus annus cvs.) - Grown best from seed, these fast growing plants will reward with sunny faces in a variety of colours from brilliant yellow through bronze, and a range of different sizes from dwarf to giant. Useful for screening, accent plants, and in containers. A great bird attractor in fall when the seeds ripen. Full sun.

Winged Everlasting (Ammobium alatum) - A native to Australia, with winged stalks and long lasting flowers that are great in dried flower arrangements. Full sun.

Perennials

Alpine Aster (Aster alpines) – A native to Alberta, this low-growing aster with purple-blue or white daisy-like flowers is great for the front of the bed. Allow to self-seed, as the parent plant is not long-lived. Prefers drier lighter soils but will tolerate heavier clay based soil if well drained. Full Sun. Attracts butterflies.

Basket-of-Gold (Aurinia saxatilis 'Compactum') – Forms low growing mounds with small grey-green leaves covered with bright gold flowers in early summer. Great in rock gardens or the front of the bed. Requires dry soil conditions and full sun to show at its best.

Blazing Star or Gay Feather (Liatris spicata) - A native to the prairies with grass-like foliage and upright spikes of purple flowers that bloom from the top down. Butterflies love these plants. Require full sun and average, well drained soils to flourish

Blue Flax (Linum perenne) - Slender fern-like stalks rise from compact mounds bearing loads of sky blue flowers. A prolific self-seeder in an un-mulched bed, but it is easy to weed out unwanted plants. Versatile in all soils as long as they are well drained and blooms best in full sun.

Coral Bells (Heuchera spp.) - Low growing mounds of colourful foliage and slender stalks of delicate pink, red or white flowers make these an attractive plant for the front of the bed. Tolerant of shade and full sun alike, as well as being wind resistant this species with its many cultivars will perform well in all well-drained soils.

Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) – Grassy foliage with brownish-orange individual blooms that only last for a day, this species grows well in partial shade to full sun in average soils. Many cultivars are available in a wide range of colour and blooming times throughout the season.

Gas Plant (Dictamnus albus) - Clusters of pink or white flowers with a pungent lemony fragrance in June and glossy dark green leaves make this a great middle of the bed plant for early summer blooming. A slow grower, it has deep taproots that make it drought tolerant when established, and prefers goods oil in full sun.

Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro) - A large plant with deeply cut leaves that are silvery-white underneath and stalks with steel blue prickly globes that are a magnet for bees and butterflies in late summer. With a deep branching tap root system the species is best in full sun in average, well-drained soils, but also tolerates light shady spots equally well.

Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum spp.) – Succulent rosettes with the parent plant being the hen, which dies after flowering, and the new growth chicks taking over. A great groundcover for a dry area with full sun and well drained soil.

Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule) – A self-seeding poppy with slender stems and paper thin flowers in orange, yellow and cream that bloom freely throughout the growing season. Remarkably drought resistant in full sun and thrives in all soil conditions.

Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) - A deep-rooted relative of our Prairie Crocus (P. Patens), this feathery leaved species with purple petals and yellow centers is often in bloom in early spring. Preferring average well-drained soils it will perform well in partial shade as well as full sun.

Peony (Paeonia cvs.) - Long lived durable species for the back of the bed or as a specimen plant in a variety of single or double flowers ranging from white through maroon. Thick and deeply rooted these plants flourish in all soil types that have good drainage. Part to fullsun.

Purple Cone Flower (Echinecea purpurea) - A native of the western United States, this species has a central brown cone fringed with deep pink-purple petals on tall stalks. It has a fine network of shallow roots that enable it to gather available moisture. Adapted to all soil and light conditions excepting deep shade, this versatile plant for the middle of the bed is a great butterfly and bee attractor.

Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) - An airy sub-shrub for the back of the border with long stems covered in lavender blue flowers in late summer. While usually forming a neat clump, older plants may become invasive and need to be kept under control. Prefers Full Sun in dry soil.

Sea Holly (Eryngium spp.) - A thistle-like plant for the middle of the bed, with steel blue prickly flowers rising from a base of shiny leaves. All species have thick taproots and thrive in dry average soils. Like most blue flowering plants butterflies are attracted to this species. Full sun, Well drained average soil.

Sea Lavender (Limonium latiflora) - An excellent substitute for Baby's Breath, also known as Statice, with fronds of delicate lavender flowers in late summer. Requires well drained soils in full sun to perform well, and is drought tolerant due to its deep taproot.

Silver Mound Artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana 'Silver Mound') – Feathery mounds of silver gray foliage, with a pungent sage-like smell meant only for the front of a sunny bed with well-drained soil.

Speedwell (Veronica teucrium 'Crater Lake Blue') – Compact plant for the middle of the bed that is covered in bright blue flowers in June. The plants spread to form a nice clump, are easy to divide, and may need support. Prefers fertile, but well drained soil in full sun.

Stonecrop or Sedum (Sedum spp.) - A large group of succulent plants ranging from low groundcovers through tall upright cultivars. 'Autumn Joy' is a staple for the fall bed with stiff stems topped with rose coloured florets, but there are many new cultivars on the market to incorporate into your garden. Part shade to full sun, well drained light soil.

Yucca (Yucca glauca) - A native of southern Alberta that features stiff sword-like grey-green leaves with creamy-white bell shaped flowers. Extremely drought resistant and reliable if planted in well-drained sandy loam in full sun. Groundcovers (Herbaceous)