Native Groundcover Plants in Nebraska

Low, spreading natives that knit together to cover bare ground, smother weeds, and replace thirsty lawn or mulch. For Nebraska, the right natives are shaped by Sandhills & mixedgrass prairie and a continental, semi-arid west climate. Every species below, from Prairie Smoke and Common Yarrow to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Nebraska and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 4–6. A living native groundcover does everything mulch does and then keeps doing it for free — covering soil, blocking weeds, and feeding wildlife as it goes. Match the spreader to the site (sun or shade, wet or dry), plant on tight centers so they close ranks in a season or two, and weed faithfully that first year while they fill in.

6 native species for Nebraska

Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–6 · see this collection in other states.