Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
A sun-lover that flowers in Apr and May, standing 15–25 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Oklahoma · Zones 6–8
Native Plants for Full Sun in Oklahoma
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. Oklahoma sits in a landscape of Cross Timbers & mixedgrass prairie, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its continental, hot summers character. The list below — led by Serviceberry and Maximilian Sunflower — is filtered to species genuinely native to Oklahoma and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 6–8. 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
62 native species for Oklahoma
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
A sun-lover that blooms Aug through Oct, standing 5–8 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Made for open ground — flowers in Mar and Apr, 20–30 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
A sun-lover that blooms Apr through Jun, standing 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Made for open ground — flowers in Apr and May, 6–16 in tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Made for open ground — flowers in Jul and Aug, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
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
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Give it full sun and it blooms Sep through Nov, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Give it full sun and it blooms Apr through Sep, 8–15 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
A sun-lover that blooms May through Sep, standing 1–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
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
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
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A sun-lover that flowers in Aug and Sep, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
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
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 5–8 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Give it full sun and it flowers in May and Jun, 6–10 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
Made for open ground — blooms May through Oct, 2–5 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Made for open ground — flowers in Jun and Jul, 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
A sun-lover that flowers in Mar and Apr, standing 6–12 in tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Aug, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Sep, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Made for open ground — flowers in Jul and Aug, 3–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
38 more also qualify: Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Foxglove Beardtongue, Crossvine, New England Aster, Wild Bergamot, Scarlet Beebalm, Anise Hyssop, Cardinal Flower, Showy Goldenrod, American Beautyberry, Blanketflower, Pink Muhly Grass, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Dense Blazing Star, Compass Plant, Inkberry Holly, Red-Twig Dogwood, Fragrant Sumac, Common Milkweed, Virginia Creeper, Rattlesnake Master, New Jersey Tea, Showy Milkweed, Purple Prairie Clover, Creeping Phlox, Ninebark, Stiff Goldenrod, American Elderberry, Sideoats Grama, Common Boneset, Blue Grama, Wild Lupine, Blue Vervain, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, Indian Grass, Prairie Dropseed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Oklahoma
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.