Native Forbs & Flower Varieties
At Albert Lea Seed, we carry a wide selection of native forbs and flowering species for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), CREP seeding, filter strip plantings, and landscaping projects. Our native seed comes from Midwest growers and processors and is well adapted to the growing conditions of the Upper Midwest. If you need specific varieties or species you don’t see here, we can special order species and/or mixes for you.
Black Eyed Susan
1-3 ft tall, biennial
- 1-3 ft tall, biennial
- Fast growing
- Yellow blossoms with dark centers
Blue Flag Iris
- Wetland native
- Narrow, grass-like leaves
- Attractive, down curved, purple & yellow blossoms
Blue Flax
1-3 ft tall, short lived perennial
- 1-3 ft tall, short lived perennial
- Slender, leafy stems
- Will produce sky blue blossoms all summer
Butterfly Milkweed
Bushy, grows 1-2 ft tall
- Bushy, grows 1-2 ft tall
- Stiff, lance-shaped leaves
- Striking, flat topped, bright orange flowers
Canada Milkvetch
Stout, branched perennial, grows 1-4 ft tall
- Stout, branched perennial, grows 1-4 ft tall
- Compound leaves with many leaflets
- Upright, yellow-whitish flower clusters
Canada Tick Trefoil
Bushy, hairy plant, grows 2-6 ft tall
- Bushy, hairy plant, grows 2-6 ft tall
- Dense clusters of rose-colored, pea-like flowers
- Compound leaves with many leaflets
Compass Plant
- Tall, coarse Asteraceae
- Palm-shaped, deeply incised hairy leaves & resinous stems
- Yellow inflorescence
Pale Purple Coneflower
Upright, 2-4 ft tall
- Upright, 2-4 ft tall, coarse lance-shaped leaves
- Lavender to white colored drooping flowers with spiny cone center
Purple Coneflower
Popular perennial, grows 2-5 ft tall
- Popular perennial, grows 2-5 ft tall, upright
- Single drooping purplish flowers on each stem, spiny brown center
Upright Coneflower
Grows 1-3 ft tall
- Branched, leafy plant with leafless stems
- Bears yellow to red-brown drooping flowers with red-brown cone
- Grows 1-3 ft tall
Yellow Coneflower
Slender, hairy-stemmed plant, grows 3-5 ft tall
- Slender, hairy-stemmed plant, grows 3-5 ft tall
- Plant bears yellow drooping flowers with grayish-brown cone
Lance Leaf Coreopsis
Grows 1-3 ft tall
- Grows 1-3 ft tall, forms small clumps, branching stems
- Yellow disk or ray inflorescence with opposite leaflets on the stem
Plains Coreopsis
Grows 1-2 ft tall
- Grows 1-2 ft tall, annual, compound leaves
- Small, numerous composite flowers, yellow fading to maroon in the center
Red Dwarf Coreopsis
- Hardy, upright annual
- Produces abundant, mahogany-red disk flowers
- Thin, compound leaves
Culvers Root
Grows 2-6 ft tall
- Erect stems with spike-like cluster of white flowers
- Whorled leaves; grows 2-6 ft tall
Cup Plant
- Tall growing perennial with yellow composite flowers
- Square stems & leaves joined at the stem forming a cup
Evening Primrose
- Average height biennial with ~1in. yellow flowers
- Reddish hairy stem with long, tapered leaves
Golden Alexander
- Average height short lived perennial with tiny yellow flowers creating a flat-topped flower head
- Branched & erect stems
Hoary Vervain
Grows 1-4 ft. tall
- Grows 1-4 ft. tall, hairy stem with narrow flowering spikes
- Purplish flowers
Illinois Bundleflower
- Erect, average height stems, producing ball-like clusters of greenish/white flowers
- Compound leaves, folding to the touch
Ironweed
Unbranched 2-5 ft. stems
- Unbranched 2-5 ft. stems; close, clustered rose-purplish flowers
- Coarse, lance shaped leaves
Joe Pye Weed
- Tall growing perennial with whorled lance-shaped leaves
- Large domed flower head comprising tiny pinkish-lavender flowers
Maximillian Sunflower
- Unbranched stems with narrow leaves growing 3-10 ft tall
- Numerous flower heads; composite rayed yellow flowers
New England Aster
Grows 6> ft. tall with hairy clasping leaves
- Profuse, large, showy rose-purple flowers with orange centers.
- Grows 6> ft. tall with hairy clasping leaves.
Ox-Eye Sunflower
Common perennial, grows 3-5 ft tall
- Common perennial, grows 3-5 ft tall.
- Stiff, branched stems with sunflower-like heads; opposite toothed leaves
Partridge Pea
- Slender-stemmed annual with compound leaflets
- Short growing; produces large, showy yellow flowers
- Produces pea-like pods after pollination
Perennial Lupine
- Elongated, upright flower head with multiple pea-shaped blue, violet, pink or white flowers
- Palmately compound leaves growing in groups, pointed at the tips
Prairie Blazing Star
Grows 2-5 ft. tall
- Grows 2-5 ft. tall.
- Large showy flower spike with rose-purple, stalkless flowers covering the stem
- Hairy, very leafy stem. Fuzzy appearance
Prairie Cinquefoil
- Stout, upright stems with tufted, basal, sticky leaves
- Yellow to creamy white flowers clustered at the end of the stem
Purple Prairie Clover
- Short growing, upright wiry stems with palmate compound leaves
- Tiny rose-purple flowers in a circular mass at end of stems
Rattle Snake Master
- Upright stem with tough, spiny, yucca-like leaves.
- Thistle-like, globular flower heads made up of greenish-white flowers
Rough Blazing Star
- Upright, zig-zag stem with narrow, short leaves.
- Button-like purple florets up the upper portion of the floral spike
Stiff Goldenrod
- Tall, coarse hairy stem
- Dense cluster of dark yellow flowers at the end of stems
Tall Bellflower
Grows 3-4 ft. tall
- Grows 3-4 ft. tall, upright plant with leafy stems
- Upper portion of the stem is lined with clusters of showy, lavender-blue flowers.
- Flowers not bell-shaped
White Prairie Clover
- Patchy growth; short growing wiry stems with narrow leaflets
- Tiny, white flowers clustered around a cylinder-like cone
White Yarrow
- Average height plant, fernlike leaves on relatively unbranched stem
- Compact, white, multiple flower heads at the end of stems
Wild Bergamont
Grows 2-5 ft tall, branched stems
- Showy perennial with clusters of lavender, pink or white pompom-like flowers
- Grows 2-5 ft tall, branched stems
- Aromatic, minty fragrance
Wild White Indigo
Grows 2-4 ft. tall
- Showy, upright, bushy perennial growing 2-4 ft. tall with trifoliate leaves
- White, pea-like flowers clustered in an upright spike
Blue Vervain
2-5 ft tall, stemy perennial
- 2-5 ft tall, stemy perennial
- Produces upright spikes with violet-blue flowers
Boneset
- Asteraceae family
- White composite flower heads