Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
Made for open ground — blooms Apr through Sep, 3–6 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
- Home
- By state
- New Mexico
- Full sun
New Mexico · Zones 4–8
Native Plants for Full Sun in New Mexico
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. Every species here is genuinely native to New Mexico and the wider flora of the desert Southwest and hardy through zones 4–8 — proven performers for New Mexico's arid, high-elevation sun climate across Chihuahuan desert & Southern Rockies, not a generic list. Local standouts include Apache Plume and Firecracker Penstemon. 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
60 native species for New Mexico
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–8 · see this collection in other states.
Firecracker Penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
Give it full sun and it blooms Mar through May, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A sun-lover that blooms May through Jul, standing 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Made for open ground — blooms Apr through Jun, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Sep, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Made for open ground — flowers in Sep and Oct, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Sep, 1–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–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
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Give it full sun and it flowers in Apr and May, 6–16 in tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Desert Willow
Chilopsis linearis
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Sep, 15–25 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Made for open ground — blooms Jul through Sep, 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Gregg's Mistflower
Conoclinium greggii
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Oct, 1–2 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Flame Acanthus
Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Oct, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Oct
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
A sun-lover that flowers in Sep and Oct, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Desert Marigold
Baileya multiradiata
A sun-lover that blooms Mar through Oct, standing 12–18 in tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Mar–Oct
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
A sun-lover that flowers in Aug and Sep, standing 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Made for open ground — blooms May through Aug, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A sun-lover that flowers in May and Jun, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Autumn Sage
Salvia greggii
A sun-lover that blooms Apr through Oct, standing 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Oct
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Made for open ground — flowers in Mar and Apr, 6–12 in tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Made for open ground — flowers in Jul and Aug, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
36 more also qualify: Anise Hyssop, Cup Plant, Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Black-Eyed Susan, Swamp Milkweed, Maximilian Sunflower, Aromatic Aster, Prairie Blazing Star, Chocolate Flower, Culver's Root, Eastern Redbud, Obedient Plant, Serviceberry, Ninebark, Virginia Creeper, Common Milkweed, American Elderberry, Blue Grama, New Jersey Tea, Bearberry, Rattlesnake Master, Sideoats Grama, Blue Vervain, Common Boneset, Stiff Goldenrod, Compass Plant, Fragrant Sumac, Red-Twig Dogwood, Oregon Grape, Purple Prairie Clover, Showy Milkweed, Switchgrass, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass, Big Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in New Mexico
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.