Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A beginner's native — for sand, clay, and loam ground and spreading 12–18 in, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Louisiana · Zones 8–9
Easy Native Plants in Louisiana
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. For Louisiana, the right natives are shaped by Mississippi Delta & Gulf Coast Prairie and a hot, humid subtropical climate. Every species below, from Black-Eyed Susan and American Beautyberry to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Louisiana and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 8–9. 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 Louisiana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 8–9 · see this collection in other states.
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Plant it and forget it: hardy in zones 6–10 and spreading 4–7 ft, no fuss — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Thrives on neglect once placed right: spreading 3–5 ft and 3–5 ft tall, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Thrives on neglect once placed right: hardy in zones 3–8 and lavender-pink flowers, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: rosy purple flowers and reaching 2–4 ft — it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Plant it and forget it: 2–4 ft wide and reaching 2–4 ft, no fuss, and it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 15–25 ft tall and 10–20 ft wide, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A beginner's native — white (wild form) flowers and reaching 1.5–3 ft, content with whatever you give it, and it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A beginner's native — spreading 2–3 ft and cold-hardy to zone 3, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A beginner's native — happy in clay and loam soil and coral-red flowers, content with whatever you give it, and it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
A beginner's native — cold-hardy to zone 3 and spreading 1–2 ft, content with whatever you give it; it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Plant it and forget it: cold-hardy to zone 3 and for clay and loam ground, no fuss; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Plant it and forget it: spreading 1–2 ft and good through zone 8, no fuss, and it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A beginner's native — rose pink flowers and good through zone 9, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: good through zone 9 and rose-magenta flowers; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — red & yellow flowers and spreading 12–18 in, and forgives neglect — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A beginner's native — good through zone 9 and 12–18 in wide, content with whatever you give it — it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Plant it and forget it: spreading 2–3 ft and reaching 1.5–2.5 ft, no fuss, and it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
About as hard to kill as a native gets — for clay and loam ground and 3–5 ft tall, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Thrives on neglect once placed right: for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground and reaching 1.5–2.5 ft — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Plant it and forget it: spreading 10–20 ft and happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil, no fuss, and it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Thrives on neglect once placed right: cold-hardy to zone 3 and 1.5–3 ft wide; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
About as hard to kill as a native gets — cold-hardy to zone 3 and reaching 2–6 ft, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Thrives on neglect once placed right: for clay, rocky, and loam ground and cold-hardy to zone 3, and it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
7 more also qualify: Inkberry Holly, Blue Vervain, Blue Grama, American Elderberry, Little Bluestem, Christmas Fern, Pennsylvania Sedge.
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.