Planting self-seeding flowers in late summer is like giving your future garden a head start. These plants naturally drop their seeds, creating new blooms year after year without extra work from you.
Michigan gardeners especially benefit from these hardy native plants that thrive in our unique climate and soil conditions.
1. Black-Eyed Susan Brings Golden Cheer
Black-Eyed Susan’s sunny yellow petals surrounding dark centers create cheerful splashes across Michigan gardens. Once established, these native beauties spread enthusiastically through self-seeding, forming larger colonies each year.
Plant them in well-drained soil with full sun exposure for best results. Their drought tolerance makes them practically maintenance-free once established, and they’ll attract butterflies and beneficial insects to your garden ecosystem.
2. Purple Coneflower’s Elegant Resilience
Standing tall with distinctive drooping lavender petals, Purple Coneflower brings architectural interest to any Michigan landscape. The spiky central cone contains seeds that birds love, especially goldfinches who visit in late fall.
Give these prairie natives full sun and average soil. Their deep taproots create exceptional drought resistance, perfect for Michigan’s variable summers. Left uncut after flowering, they’ll scatter seeds that sprout into new plants the following spring.
3. Evening Primrose Glows At Dusk
Magical yellow blooms unfurl rapidly at sunset, creating a nightly show worth watching. Evening Primrose thrives in poor soils where other plants struggle, making it perfect for challenging garden spots.
Sow seeds directly in late summer for next year’s display. The plants form a rosette the first year, then send up 3-5 foot stalks covered with lemon-yellow flowers the second season. After flowering, each plant produces thousands of tiny seeds that ensure future generations.
4. Wild Columbine’s Dancing Blooms
Nodding red and yellow flowers dangle like tiny lanterns from delicate stems, attracting hummingbirds and early butterflies. Wild Columbine’s unique backward-pointing spurs give these native flowers their distinctive shape.
Scatter seeds in partially shaded areas with well-drained soil. They prefer woodland edges and rocky slopes. After flowering, distinctive seed pods form and eventually split open, distributing seeds that will grow into new plants without any gardener intervention.
5. Anise Hyssop’s Aromatic Appeal
Brushing against Anise Hyssop releases a sweet licorice scent that perfumes the garden. Pollinators absolutely adore the purple flower spikes, making this plant a buzzing hub of activity from midsummer through fall.
Plant in full sun to light shade in average soil. Drought-tolerant once established, these native perennials form tidy clumps that gradually expand through self-seeding. Leave the spent flower stalks standing for winter interest and to ensure seeds drop where you want new plants.
6. Butterfly Weed’s Fiery Orange Clusters
Brilliant orange flower clusters stop traffic and serve as critical monarch butterfly habitat. Unlike common milkweed, Butterfly Weed stays compact and well-behaved in garden settings while still providing essential food for monarch caterpillars.
Choose a permanent spot with full sun and well-drained soil. Their deep taproots make them difficult to transplant but extremely drought-resistant. After flowering, distinctive seed pods form, eventually splitting to release seeds with silky parachutes that float on the breeze.
7. Joe-Pye Weed’s Majestic Height
Towering up to seven feet tall, Joe-Pye Weed creates a dramatic backdrop in Michigan gardens. The huge dusty-pink flower clusters appear in late summer, becoming absolute magnets for butterflies, especially swallowtails.
Plant in full sun to partial shade with consistently moist soil. These native plants naturally grow along streams and in moist meadows. After flowering, the seed heads provide winter interest and food for birds before dropping seeds that will grow into new plants the following spring.
8. Foxglove Beardtongue’s Vertical Drama
White tubular flowers line tall stems like an elegant procession of tiny trumpets. Foxglove Beardtongue creates vertical interest in the garden while attracting hummingbirds and specialized native bees.
Grow in full sun to light shade in average to poor soil. Their adaptability to different conditions makes them easy to grow throughout Michigan. After flowering, small seed capsules form and eventually split, releasing tiny seeds that readily germinate in open soil.
9. Wild Bergamot’s Fragrant Fireworks
Lavender-pink flowers explode like fragrant fireworks above aromatic foliage. Also called Bee Balm, Wild Bergamot’s minty scent fills the garden when brushed against, adding a sensory dimension beyond just visual beauty.
Plant in full sun to partial shade in average soil. Fairly drought-tolerant once established, these native perennials form expanding colonies through both underground rhizomes and self-seeding. Deadheading extends the bloom period, but leave late-season flowers to form seeds for natural spread.
10. New England Aster’s Purple Finale
Royal purple daisy-like flowers create a spectacular grand finale to the growing season. New England Aster blooms when many other plants have finished, providing crucial late-season nectar for migrating monarch butterflies.
Give these natives full sun and average to moist soil. They naturally grow in meadows and along woodland edges throughout Michigan. After flowering, fluffy seed heads form that distribute seeds widely, ensuring new plants will appear the following year.
11. Wild Senna’s Sunny Disposition
Cheerful yellow pea-like flowers contrast beautifully with feathery compound leaves. Wild Senna adds unique texture to Michigan gardens while serving as a host plant for several butterfly species.
Plant in full sun with average to moist soil. These sturdy natives grow 3-5 feet tall, making them perfect for the middle or back of perennial borders. After flowering, distinctive black seed pods form that eventually split open, scattering seeds that readily germinate in open soil.
12. Lance-Leaved Coreopsis’s Golden Coins
Bright golden-yellow flowers resembling shiny coins appear in profusion throughout summer. Lance-Leaved Coreopsis creates sunny drifts of color when allowed to self-seed naturally throughout the garden.
Grow in full sun with well-drained soil. These adaptable natives tolerate poor soils and drought once established. Deadheading encourages continuous blooming, but allow late-season flowers to form seeds. Each plant produces hundreds of seeds that readily germinate in open soil.
13. Meadow Blazing Star’s Purple Spires
Tall purple spikes create vertical exclamation points throughout the garden. Meadow Blazing Star blooms from top to bottom over several weeks, extending the display and providing ongoing nectar for butterflies and bees.
Plant in full sun with well-drained soil. These prairie natives are extremely drought-tolerant once established. After flowering, fluffy seed heads form that can be left for winter interest. The seeds eventually scatter on the wind or can be collected for strategic placement.