Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Structure year-round and flowers in season — a native shrub, white, red berries flowers and spreading 5–8 ft, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Indiana · Zones 5–7
Native Flowering Shrubs in Indiana
Native shrubs that flower for pollinators, fruit for birds, and give the garden its year-round backbone and structure. For Indiana, the right natives are shaped by Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna and a humid continental climate. Every species below, from Winterberry and Serviceberry to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Indiana and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7. Shrubs are the bones of a garden — they hold their shape through winter, screen what you would rather not see, and pack flowers, berries, and fall color into a single long-lived plant. Give them room to reach full size rather than shearing them into boxes, plant in fall for the best root establishment, and choose species suited to your light and moisture so they thrive on near-zero care.
The plants
11 native species for Indiana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
The kind of native shrub a border is built around, white spring lace flowers and reaching 15–25 ft, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A shrub that gives the border its bones, 5–10 ft tall and cold-hardy to zone 5, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
A four-season shrub — bloom, fruit, and winter form — good through zone 8 and creamy white flowers — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Shrub-scale presence for screening and structure, with seasonal bloom — reaching 3–5 ft and cold-hardy to zone 3, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Shrub-scale presence for screening and structure, with seasonal bloom — for clay, rocky, and loam ground and 5–10 ft tall — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Long-lived woody structure with flowers for pollinators and fruit for birds, reaching 6–12 ft and creamy umbels flowers; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
The kind of native shrub a border is built around, 2–6 ft tall and cold-hardy to zone 3 — it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
A flowering native shrub for the garden's backbone, 6–9 ft tall and spreading 6–10 ft, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanus
A woody native that holds its shape through winter and flowers in season, cold-hardy to zone 3 and 2.5–4 ft wide; it blooms May through Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–3.5 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Shrub-scale presence for screening and structure, with seasonal bloom — chartreuse-gold flowers and 6–12 ft wide — it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
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.