Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 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
Indiana · Zones 5–7
Easy Native Plants in Indiana
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. 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 Trumpet Honeysuckle 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 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
31 native species for Indiana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Plant it and forget it: 3–6 ft wide and reaching 8–15 ft, no fuss, and it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: red & yellow flowers and for rocky and loam ground; it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Plant it and forget it: hardy in zones 3–8 and spreading 2–3 ft, no fuss, and it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Plant it and forget it: bright gold flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3, no fuss, and it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 15–25 ft wide and hardy in zones 4–9, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A beginner's native — 2–4 ft tall and pink flowers, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Thrives on neglect once placed right: rose pink flowers and reaching 3–4 ft — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
A beginner's native — good through zone 8 and creamy white flowers, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
About as hard to kill as a native gets — for clay and loam ground and 1–2 ft wide, and forgives neglect — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Plant it and forget it: reaching 2–4 ft and spreading 1.5–2 ft, no fuss, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 1.5–2 ft tall and lavender-pink flowers — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 1.5–2 ft wide and for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground, and forgives neglect — it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A beginner's native — white flowers and reaching 2–4 ft, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 1.5–3 ft tall and spreading 12–18 in, and forgives neglect, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 3–5 ft and spreading 2–3 ft, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
A beginner's native — reaching 3–5 ft and cold-hardy to zone 3, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Thrives on neglect once placed right: dusty mauve-pink flowers and reaching 3–5 ft, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 30–50 ft and inconspicuous green flowers, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
Plant it and forget it: spreading 12–18 in and good through zone 7, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Plant it and forget it: 3–5 ft tall and good through zone 9, no fuss; it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Plant it and forget it: for clay, rocky, and loam ground and 5–10 ft tall, no fuss — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
A beginner's native — hardy in zones 4–9 and happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 6–12 ft and creamy umbels flowers, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
7 more also qualify: Fragrant Sumac, Blue Vervain, Red-Twig Dogwood, Common Boneset, Christmas Fern, Pennsylvania Sedge, Little Bluestem.
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.