Aug 12, 2022 - Things to Do

Three native Utah flowers for fall gardening

White daisy flowers bloom in front of red trumpet-shaped flowers.

Blackfoot Daisies and Firechalice grow in Erin's parking strip. Photo: Erin Alberty/Axios

Fall is an underrated season for flower gardening. Plants adjust better when they're not blooming, and winter precipitation helps them get established.

State of play: That means now is a good time to start thinking about landscape plants.

Why it matters: Replacing grass with drought-tolerant plants is an important step in water conservation.

  • Native plants are especially beneficial because they provide a habitat for bugs and birds.

Here are three Utah native flowers to consider planting for blooms next year.

1. Firechalice (Zauschneria garrettii)

Red, trumpet-shaped firechalice flowers bloom next to a cactus.
Red firechalice flowers bloom next to a cactus. Photo: Erin Alberty/Axios

These red trumpets bloom from midsummer to fall.

  • And hummingbirds love them.

2. Licorice Mint Hyssop (Agastache rupestris)

Pink and red flowers bloom with ornamental grass next to stone stairs.
The salmon pink flowers of Licorice Mint Hyssop bloom over Firechalice flowers in the foreground. Photo: Erin Alberty/Axios

The salmon-colored flowers bloom in late summer over sea green foliage. This provides a nice contrast to other plants.

  • The licorice smell is addictive.

3. Missouri Evening Primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa)

Yellow and red flowers grow in a rock garden.
Yellow Missouri Evening Primrose blooms next to red Pineleaf Penstemon in a rock garden. Photo: Erin Alberty/Axios

The dramatic yellow blooms appear all summer long.

  • Mine have self-seeded a second patch that I didn't have to pay for!
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