Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 5–10 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Indiana · Zones 5–7
Native Plants for Clay Soil in Indiana
Native plants that root happily into heavy clay — the dense, slow-draining soil that defeats so many garden-center perennials. 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. Heavy clay is actually fertile and moisture-holding; the trick is choosing plants whose deep, muscular roots can punch through it and even improve it over time. Avoid working clay when it is wet, plant a little high to keep crowns from sitting in water, and mulch to keep the surface from baking into a crust. These natives do the soil-building for you.
The plants
46 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
A clay-buster — thrives in the slow-draining ground, 15–25 ft tall, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Roots straight into heavy clay and even improves it, standing 8–15 ft tall, and it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 2–4 ft tall; it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 2–3 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 1.5–2.5 ft tall, and it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 2–4 ft tall; it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 20–30 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 2–4 ft tall; it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Punches its roots through dense clay where garden-center perennials sulk, at 5–10 ft tall, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Punches its roots through dense clay where garden-center perennials sulk, at 3–4 ft tall — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Roots straight into heavy clay and even improves it, standing 5–8 ft tall — it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 2–3 ft tall; it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 6–10 ft tall — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 5–8 ft tall — it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Punches its roots through dense clay where garden-center perennials sulk, at 1.5–2.5 ft tall, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Roots straight into heavy clay and even improves it, standing 2–4 ft tall, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Punches its roots through dense clay where garden-center perennials sulk, at 2.5–4 ft tall; it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
A clay-buster — thrives in the slow-draining ground, 1.5–2.5 ft tall — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A clay-buster — thrives in the slow-draining ground, 2–4 ft tall, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 1.5–3 ft tall — it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Roots straight into heavy clay and even improves it, standing 2–4 ft tall — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A clay-buster — thrives in the slow-draining ground, 1.5–3 ft tall, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 3–5 ft tall; it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
22 more also qualify: New England Aster, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Smooth Hydrangea, Prairie Blazing Star, Common Milkweed, Virginia Creeper, Compass Plant, Stiff Goldenrod, Ninebark, Sideoats Grama, American Elderberry, Fragrant Sumac, Blue Vervain, Red-Twig Dogwood, Rattlesnake Master, Spicebush, Common Boneset, Indian Grass, Cinnamon Fern, Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, Big 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.