How To Use This Information
Columns 1 and 2 have species for different planting types. It is recommended to use about 7 species per planting of the Build Your Own Mix choices. Choose 3-4 grass species and 3-4 forb species to create a mix of about 7 species.
Suggested pounds/acre assume a 7 species mix with each species comprising about 15% of the full stand.
Column 3 has some recommended mixes if you don’t want to make up your own.
Build Your Own Mix!
Riparian Species
(stream/wet area)
Grass
| SPECIES | POUNDS/ACRE |
| Slender wheatgrass | 2.1 |
| Bluebunch wheatgrass | 2.1 |
| Streambank wheatgrass | 2.1 |
| American managrass | 0.3 |
| Big bluegrass | 0.6 |
| Basin wildrye | 2.1 |
| Prairie junegrass | 0.3 |
Forbs
| SPECIES | POUNDS/ACRE |
| Rocky Mountain beeplant | 4.05 |
| Small burnet | 4.5 |
| Lacy phacelia | 1.2 |
| Purple prairie clover | 1.0 |
| Prairie coneflower | 0.6 |
Trees/Shrubs
| SPECIES |
| Native willow |
| Cottonwood |
| Redosier dogwood |
| Chokecherry* |
| Quaking aspen |
| Serviceberry (Juneberry)* |
| Snowberry* |
Build Your Own Mix!
Upland Species
(dry areas)
Grass
| SPECIES | POUNDS/ACRE |
| Slender wheatgrass | 2.1 |
| Bluebunch wheatgrass | 2.1 |
| Western wheatgrass | 3.0 |
| Idaho fescue | 0.8 |
| Sandberg bluegrass | 0.6 |
| Needle and thread | 2.7 |
| Indian ricegrass | 1.5 |
Forbs
| SPECIES | POUNDS/ACRE |
| Maximillian sunflower | 1.2 |
| Western yarrow | 0.08 |
| Small burnet | 4.5 |
| Lewis flax | 1.05 |
| Blanketflower | 1.8 |
Trees/Shrubs
| SPECIES |
| Ponderosa pine |
| Douglas fir |
| Buffaloberry* |
| Golden currant* |
| Native plum* |
| Woods’ rose |
| Snowberry (common & western)* |
| Skunkbush sumac |
Or Use One of These Mixes
note: individual species rates not compatible with “build your own mixes”
Single Species Grass
| Slender wheatgrass | 12#/acre |
Dry Site Grass Mix
| SPECIES | POUNDS/ACRE |
| Slender wheatgrass | 4 |
| Bluebunch wheatgrass | 3 |
| Big bluestem | 1 |
| Thickspike wheatgrass | 4 |
| Total | 12 |
Riparian (stream or wet area)
| SPECIES | POUNDS/Acre |
| Prairie Junegrass | 0.3 |
| Streambank wheatgrass | 2.1 |
| Bluebunch wheatgrass | 2.1 |
| Basin wildrye | 2.1 |
| Small burnet | 4.5 |
| Rocky Mountain beeplant | 4.05 |
| Maximillian sunflower | 1.2 |
| Total | 16.35 |
Species with * have potential bear conflicts
Pollinator Habitat
If your plant species goals relate to pollinator habitat (bees–including native bees–,butterflies, moths, bats and some birds), take a look at the Conservation District’s Pollinator Initiative page. It’s critical to consider bloom times when choosing species, so that your planting has blooming species across the entire growing season. The NRCS publication, How to Choose a Good Pollinator Seed Mix, has a really great list and shows the bloom times for plants listed, in Montana.
The Conservation District has most recently had 4 different mixes to give away to landowners in Lewis and Clark County, but the sign up time for 2025 is closed and the seed is all taken. If you’re interested in participating in our Pollinator Initiative, please sign up for our quarterly newsletter. All of the information about the Initiative will be sent out via that newsletter.
Plant Materials Sources
(Local or semi local)
There are a number of nurseries and seed sources in and near the county. These include, but are not limited to:
Gardenwerks:Landscaping, Garden Center, Flower Farm & Florist
Chadwick Nursery
Circle S Seeds of Montana, Inc.
Townsend Seeds
Bruce Seed
Treasure State Seed Co.
High Country Growers
Johnson’s Nursery & Gardens
The importance of deep-rooted, and especially native, species cannot be overstated, especially in sites like shorelines and streambanks. Those deep roots intertwine and help keep banks in place, without the need for expensive rip rap. They also hold soil in place in windy areas.
Using a shallow rooted grass like Kentucky bluegrass may look pretty, but it is very shallow rooted and does very little to hold your soil and especially streambanks and shorelines in place. Use of native willows, cottonwood and other shrubs and trees, along with deep rooted grasses is far more cost-effective than rip rap (around $40 per lineal foot versus over $200) and work just as well once they are established. 
