Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 12–18 in wide and red & yellow flowers, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Arkansas · Zones 6–8
Easy Native Plants in Arkansas
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. For Arkansas, the right natives are shaped by Ozark Highlands & Mississippi Alluvial Plain and a humid subtropical climate. Every species below, from Wild Columbine and Common Yarrow to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Arkansas and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–8. The easiest natives are the ones already adapted to your local soil and rainfall, so they need no fertilizer, no irrigation after year one, and no winter coddling. Start with these, plant them where their light and moisture needs are genuinely met, mulch the first year, and the maintenance shrinks to a single late-winter cleanup. Right plant, right place does ninety percent of the work.
The plants
35 native species for Arkansas
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A beginner's native — hardy in zones 3–9 and white (wild form) flowers, content with whatever you give it, and it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
A beginner's native — 6–10 ft wide and reaching 6–10 ft, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Plant it and forget it: good through zone 9 and 1.5–2 ft tall, no fuss; it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Thrives on neglect once placed right: pink (then purple fruit) flowers and 4–7 ft wide, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A beginner's native — royal purple flowers and happy in clay and loam soil, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Thrives on neglect once placed right: pink flowers and hardy in zones 3–9; it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Plant it and forget it: rose-magenta flowers and spreading 15–25 ft, no fuss — it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 1.5–2.5 ft tall and happy in clay and loam soil, and forgives neglect — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Plant it and forget it: 1.5–2 ft wide and lavender-pink flowers, no fuss — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 1.5–2.5 ft and good through zone 8, and forgives neglect, flowering as it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 15–25 ft tall and happy in clay and loam soil, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A beginner's native — reaching 1.5–3 ft and happy in sand, clay, and loam soil, content with whatever you give it — it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
About as hard to kill as a native gets — white domes flowers and happy in clay and loam soil, and forgives neglect, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A beginner's native — cold-hardy to zone 3 and reaching 3–4 ft, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Plant it and forget it: reaching 2–4 ft and cold-hardy to zone 3, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Thrives on neglect once placed right: reaching 8–15 ft and coral-red flowers — it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A beginner's native — happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and spreading 1.5–2 ft, content with whatever you give it, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Plant it and forget it: cold-hardy to zone 3 and spreading 2–3 ft, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
A beginner's native — reaching 4–8 ft and cold-hardy to zone 4, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 2–4 ft tall and star-shaped pink flowers — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
Plant it and forget it: 3–5 ft tall and 1.5–2.5 ft wide, no fuss, flowering as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
A beginner's native — white to pink flowers and spreading 5–10 ft, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 5–10 ft wide and 2–6 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
11 more also qualify: Virginia Creeper, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Stiff Goldenrod, Wild Ginger, Common Milkweed, Blue Grama, Sideoats Grama, Little Bluestem, Christmas Fern, Pennsylvania Sedge.
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.