Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Louisiana · Zones 8–9
Native Plants for Full Sun in Louisiana
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. For Louisiana, the right natives are shaped by Mississippi Delta & Gulf Coast Prairie and a hot, humid subtropical climate. Every species below, from Butterfly Weed and Scarlet Beebalm to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Louisiana and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 8–9. A spot with six or more hours of direct sun is prime real estate for the prairie and meadow natives that evolved in the open — most want exactly that much light to bloom hard and stand up straight. Give them lean, well-drained soil rather than rich and pampered, skip the fertilizer, and they will reward the tough love with more flowers and sturdier stems.
The plants
55 native species for Louisiana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 8–9 · see this collection in other states.
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Give it full sun and it flowers in Jul and Aug, 2.5–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Sep, standing 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Made for open ground — flowers in Jun and Jul, 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Made for open ground — flowers in Sep and Oct, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Oct, 2–5 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
A sun-lover that flowers in Apr and May, standing 25–50 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A sun-lover that flowers in Aug and Sep, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
A sun-lover that flowers in Jul and Aug, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
A sun-lover that flowers in Apr and May, standing 15–25 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Aug, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Made for open ground — flowers in Sep and Oct, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Give it full sun and it flowers in Sep and Oct, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Sep, 1–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Give it full sun and it blooms Apr through Sep, 8–15 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Give it full sun and it blooms Apr through Jun, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
A sun-lover that flowers in May and Jun, standing 6–10 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Made for open ground — blooms Jul through Sep, 5–8 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Made for open ground — blooms Jul through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
31 more also qualify: Great Blue Lobelia, Winterberry, Foxglove Beardtongue, Prairie Blazing Star, Swamp Milkweed, Buttonbush, Eastern Redbud, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Maximilian Sunflower, Aromatic Aster, Common Boneset, Compass Plant, Sideoats Grama, Rattlesnake Master, Virginia Creeper, Common Milkweed, Fragrant Sumac, Stiff Goldenrod, Purple Prairie Clover, Inkberry Holly, Wild Lupine, Blue Vervain, Creeping Phlox, New Jersey Tea, Blue Grama, American Elderberry, Switchgrass, Indian Grass, Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Big Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Louisiana
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.