Low, spreading natives that knit together to cover bare ground, smother weeds, and replace thirsty lawn or mulch. North Dakota sits in a landscape of Northern mixedgrass prairie & Drift Prairie, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cold, semi-arid character. The list below — led by Prairie Smoke and Common Yarrow — is filtered to species genuinely native to North Dakota and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 3–4. 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.
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–4 · see this collection in other states.
Geum triflorum
In North Dakota's Northern mixedgrass prairie & Drift Prairie, carpets bare soil 12–18 in wide to replace thirsty lawn or mulch, dusky pink nodding bells flowers — it flowers in Apr and May.
Achillea millefolium
In North Dakota's Northern mixedgrass prairie & Drift Prairie, runs 1.5–2 ft wide and stays ankle-low at 1.5–3 ft, holding soil where lawn won't; it blooms May through Aug.
Bouteloua gracilis
In North Dakota's Northern mixedgrass prairie & Drift Prairie, settles in as a weed-suppressing carpet 8–16 in wide, no taller than 8–20 in; it blooms Jun through Aug.
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
In North Dakota's Northern mixedgrass prairie & Drift Prairie, spreads low — 30–50 ft tall, 10–20 ft wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds — it flowers in Jun.
Rhus aromatica
In North Dakota's Northern mixedgrass prairie & Drift Prairie, runs 5–10 ft wide and stays ankle-low at 2–6 ft, holding soil where lawn won't — it flowers in Mar and Apr.
Sporobolus heterolepis
In North Dakota's Northern mixedgrass prairie & Drift Prairie, a low 2–3 ft-tall carpet that closes ranks 2–3 ft wide and shades out weeds.
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.