Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Give it full sun and it flowers in Mar and Apr, 6–12 in tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Arkansas · Zones 6–8
Native Plants for Full Sun in Arkansas
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. For Arkansas, the right natives are shaped by Ozark Highlands & Mississippi Alluvial Plain and a humid subtropical climate. Every species below, from Pasque Flower and Showy Goldenrod to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Arkansas and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–8. A spot with six or more hours of direct sun is prime real estate for the prairie and meadow natives that evolved in the open — most want exactly that much light to bloom hard and stand up straight. Give them lean, well-drained soil rather than rich and pampered, skip the fertilizer, and they will reward the tough love with more flowers and sturdier stems.
The plants
62 native species for Arkansas
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
A sun-lover that flowers in Sep and Oct, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
A sun-lover that flowers in Jul and Aug, standing 2.5–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Give it full sun and it flowers in Aug and Sep, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
A sun-lover that blooms May through Oct, standing 2–5 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A sun-lover that blooms May through Aug, standing 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
A sun-lover that flowers in May and Jun, standing 6–10 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
A sun-lover that flowers in Sep and Oct, standing 2–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A sun-lover that blooms May through Jul, standing 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Made for open ground — flowers in Jun and Jul, 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Give it full sun and it flowers in Sep and Oct, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
A sun-lover that flowers in Jul and Aug, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Sep, standing 1–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Made for open ground — blooms Jul through Sep, 5–8 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
A sun-lover that blooms May through Sep, standing 1–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Give it full sun and it flowers in Aug and Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Give it full sun and it blooms Aug through Oct, 5–8 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
A sun-lover that flowers in Jul and Aug, standing 3–5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Give it full sun and it flowers in Mar and Apr, 20–30 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
38 more also qualify: Golden Alexanders, Prairie Smoke, Winterberry, Wild Bergamot, Aromatic Aster, Crossvine, Serviceberry, Black-Eyed Susan, Buttonbush, Swamp Milkweed, Foxglove Beardtongue, Anise Hyssop, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Purple Coneflower, Rattlesnake Master, Common Boneset, Purple Prairie Clover, Inkberry Holly, Showy Milkweed, New Jersey Tea, Compass Plant, Wild Lupine, Blue Vervain, Ninebark, Fragrant Sumac, Virginia Creeper, Creeping Phlox, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Stiff Goldenrod, Common Milkweed, Blue Grama, Sideoats Grama, Indian Grass, Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Switchgrass.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Arkansas
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.