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Big sky Plant Recommendations

Plant Resource Center

Download our detailed spreadsheets featuring both recommended plants for Big Sky landscapes and noxious weeds, including care details, benefits, growth habits, and identification guidance.

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Top 10 Plant Options for Big Sky

Choose one or more of these keystone plants.

What are keystone plants? These native plants form the backbone of our local ecosystem. They are highly productive, supporting the highest number of species and playing a critical role in maintaining or restoring native biodiversity. Landscapes that don’t have one or more of these keystone plants will not have a thriving food web, resulting in imbalances in its ecosystem.

Help support the Big Sky ecosystem by incorporating one or more of these native plant species into your landscape while also reducing fire risk and water use.

* Please note that specific species are given as examples, but selecting any species within the genera that is native to Big Sky is a good option.

Quaking Aspen

(Populous tremuloides – Populous)

Chokecherry

(Prunus virginiana – Prunus)

Douglas Fir

(Pseodotsuga menziesii -Pseudotsuga)

Bebb Willow

(Salix bebbiana – Salix)

Pale Purple Coneflower

(Echinacea pallida – Echinacea)

Show Fleabane

(Echinacea pallida – Erigeron)

Silky Lupine

(Lupinus sericeus – Lupinus)

Littleflower Penstemon

(Penstemon procerus – Penstemon)

Oneflower Sunflower

(Helianthella uniflora – Helinanthus)

Goldenrod

(Solidao missouriensis – Salidago)

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Plant Resource Center

Download our detailed spreadsheet of the best plants for local landscapes in Big Sky with specifics on their care, benefits, and growth patterns.

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Learn More About Native Plants

Detailed information on native plants and managing noxious weeds.

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