American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Plant it and forget it: spreading 4–7 ft and cold-hardy to zone 6, no fuss, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
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- Mississippi
- Low-maintenance
Mississippi · Zones 7–9
Easy Native Plants in Mississippi
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. Every species here is genuinely native to Mississippi and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 7–9 — proven performers for Mississippi's hot, humid subtropical climate across Gulf Coastal Plain & Black Belt prairie, not a generic list. Local standouts include American Beautyberry and Aromatic Aster. 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 Mississippi
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 7–9 · see this collection in other states.
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — sky blue flowers and reaching 1.5–2.5 ft, and forgives neglect, flowering as it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
About as hard to kill as a native gets — spreading 1.5–2 ft and 2–4 ft tall, and forgives neglect — 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: spreading 1.5–2 ft and lavender-pink flowers, and it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Thrives on neglect once placed right: spreading 6–10 ft and for clay and loam ground — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–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, flowering as it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Thrives on neglect once placed right: pink flowers and 2–4 ft wide, and it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Plant it and forget it: cold-hardy to zone 3 and 10–20 ft wide, no fuss — it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
About as hard to kill as a native gets — spreading 2–3 ft and hardy in zones 3–9, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Plant it and forget it: good through zone 9 and coral-red flowers, no fuss, flowering as it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
A beginner's native — for clay, rocky, and loam ground and spreading 15–25 ft, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Plant it and forget it: bright gold flowers and good through zone 9, no fuss, and it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 1–2 ft wide and cold-hardy to zone 3, and forgives neglect — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Thrives on neglect once placed right: for sand, clay, and loam ground and 1.5–3 ft tall; it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
About as hard to kill as a native gets — white domes flowers and happy in clay and loam soil, and forgives neglect, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
About as hard to kill as a native gets — royal purple flowers and 2–3 ft wide, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 1.5–2.5 ft and happy in clay and loam soil, and forgives neglect; it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — spreading 12–18 in and reaching 1–2.5 ft, and forgives neglect — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
A beginner's native — reaching 5–10 ft and 5–10 ft wide, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 2–6 ft tall and 5–10 ft wide, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Plant it and forget it: happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and good through zone 9, no fuss, flowering as it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
Thrives on neglect once placed right: cold-hardy to zone 4 and inconspicuous flowers, and it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 1.5–2.5 ft wide and happy in clay and loam soil; it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Plant it and forget it: spreading 6–12 ft and reaching 6–12 ft, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
7 more also qualify: Wild Ginger, Virginia Creeper, Common Milkweed, Common Boneset, Little Bluestem, Christmas Fern, Pennsylvania Sedge.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Mississippi
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.