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Native June Blooms for Your Garden

Native June blooms, crops to sow now, Seed Bombs

Author

Ken Welch
June 05, 2025

What’s Blooming Now: Natives for Early June

Low quality photo by yours truly.

This week, we’re exploring native plants that are blooming right now that you should consider adding to your garden. These are all wonderful options for supporting pollinators and bringing joy to your space as we near the Summer solstice. I’ll include links to the Wiki pages for all of these so you can learn more about them. Let’s dive right in!

  1. Baptisia australis, Blue False Indigo

    Baptisia is a beautiful garden plant with deep blue to purple spring flowers, which turn into seed pods. It can grow 3-4 feet tall and wide, and is pretty drought tolerant due to it’s deep taproot. It prefers sun or part-sun. It forms a nice mounding vase shape, and can be used in borders or groups within larger plantings. Just be aware that the foliage dies back in early fall, so you will want other plants with more structure to make up for that.

  2. Zizia aurea, Golden Alexanders

    This plant grows to 2’6” and has yellow flowers in an umbel shape, which is beloved by pollinators. You can think of it as a helicopter pad for our winged friends. This plant does well in part shade. Note the leaves do have a phototoxic effect, meaning that if they are broken and you have sap on your skin you will burn in sunlight. So make sure to be careful to not get plant sap on your skin, and if you do wash it off immediately. These plants can be grouped or used as a matrix in a part shade area.

  3. Penstemon Digitalis, Foxglove Beardtongue

    This tall striking plant can grow 3-5 feet tall with white flowers on a panicle structure. Penstemon works well scattered throughout a garden where it can self-sow and surprise you the next year. Over time it may be outcompeted by more competitive plants, but it is very useful in the early years of a garden. It prefers full sun and like well drained soil with some moisture.

  4. Tradescantia ohiensis, Ohio Spiderwort

    Spiderwort prefers full sun and produces flowers in the morning which last a single day, but it blooms this way for a few weeks. It is used well in crappy sites for remediation and forms small clumps that spread by rhizome. It grows 2-3 feet tall and 2 feet wide.

There are so many beautiful native plants blooming in June. Reply to this email with what you are growing, or what you want to learn about next. I’d love to hear from you.

This Weekend in the Midwest Garden

🌱 1. Sow a Quick Crop

Still time to direct-sow bush beans, carrots, or zinnias. A quick planting session now = fresh harvests or blooms by late July.

🐝 2. Plant Something for the Pollinators

Now’s a great time to tuck in a few pollinator-friendly natives like:

  • Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue)

  • Zizia aurea (golden alexanders)

  • Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)
    They’re available at local native plant sales — and even just one pot can make a difference.

🌾 3. Mulch Before the Rain

If you’ve got new transplants or bare soil, get a layer of mulch down before Sunday’s storm. It keeps weeds down, conserves moisture, and protects young roots from runoff.

What I Loved This Week

Written for 8 beautiful readers. 💌
Send this to a friend who loves gardening, or an enemy who hates it.

Until next Thursday,
Ken Welch

About the Author

Ken Welch is a horticulturist and research professional at UW–Madison. He’s drawn to native ecosystems, community gardens, and helping others grow confidence in their craft.

There was a short time when my native plants were Californian, but don’t worry, your author is Midwest born and raised.