Quick answer: 21 native plants for shade are native to Montana, 20 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
21 species
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Canada anemone Anemone canadensis · 29 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Colorado blue columbine Aquilegia coerulea · 9 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 22 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Riverbank grape Vitis riparia · 20 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
Native plants for shade in Montana: what to know
21 of the 78 plants native to Montana in this directory fit this need: 27% of the state's list, well below the 47% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through October, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 18 are also good for birds, 17 are also good for pollinators, 12 are also drought-tolerant.
15 of them grow in full or partial sun and 21 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Creeping Oregon grape and Red baneberry to trees such as American plum and Bearberry. For wildlife, 17 support pollinators, 18 provide food or cover for birds and 11 are caterpillar host plants.
20 of the 21 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Harebell, Indiangrass: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun