Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Lights up in autumn, white spring lace, for a long late-season show, white spring lace flowers and reaching 15–25 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Indiana · Zones 5–7
Native Plants for Fall Color in Indiana
Native trees, shrubs, and grasses that set the autumn garden alight with red, orange, copper, and gold. For Indiana, the right natives are shaped by Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna and a humid continental climate. Every species below, from Serviceberry and Flowering Dogwood to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Indiana and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7. The natives behind New England's famous foliage will do the same work in your yard, and the show lasts far longer than the flowers did. Sugars trapped in the leaves on cool, sunny fall days drive the brightest color, so plant these in full sun for the most intense display. Pair fiery shrubs with the copper and amber of warm-season grasses for a season finale that rivals any flower bed.
The plants
13 native species for Indiana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Lights up in autumn, white bracts, for a long late-season show, happy in loam soil and spreading 15–25 ft.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Sets the autumn garden alight — rose-magenta — 15–25 ft wide and hardy in zones 4–9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Sets the autumn garden alight — creamy white — good through zone 8 and creamy white flowers.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Lights up in autumn, inconspicuous green, for a long late-season show, reaching 30–50 ft and inconspicuous green flowers.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Sets the autumn garden alight — white to pink — for clay, rocky, and loam ground and 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Lights up in autumn, yellow catkins, for a long late-season show, 2–6 ft tall and cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Lights up in autumn, chartreuse-gold, for a long late-season show, chartreuse-gold flowers and 6–12 ft wide.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Sets the autumn garden alight — bronze-gold plumes — happy in sand, clay, and loam soil and cold-hardy to zone 4.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Lights up in autumn, blue-green to copper, for a long late-season show, 2–4 ft tall and for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Lights up in autumn, airy pink-gold panicles, for a long late-season show, happy in sand, clay, and loam soil and cold-hardy to zone 4.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Turns bronze-purple seed heads in fall, long after the flowers are gone; good through zone 9 and reaching 4–7 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Sets the autumn garden alight — fine emerald to amber — reaching 2–3 ft and 2–3 ft wide.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Indiana
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.