Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 1.5–2.5 ft tall, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
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- By state
- Rhode Island
- Clay soil
Rhode Island · Zones 6–7
Native Plants for Clay Soil in Rhode Island
Native plants that root happily into heavy clay — the dense, slow-draining soil that defeats so many garden-center perennials. Rhode Island sits in a landscape of Narragansett coastal lowland, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cool, humid, maritime character. The list below — led by Golden Alexanders and Foxglove Beardtongue — is filtered to species genuinely native to Rhode Island and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 6–7. Heavy clay is actually fertile and moisture-holding; the trick is choosing plants whose deep, muscular roots can punch through it and even improve it over time. Avoid working clay when it is wet, plant a little high to keep crowns from sitting in water, and mulch to keep the surface from baking into a crust. These natives do the soil-building for you.
The plants
39 native species for Rhode Island
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 2–4 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 2–3 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A clay-buster — thrives in the slow-draining ground, 3–4 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 1.5–3 ft tall, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Roots straight into heavy clay and even improves it, standing 3–5 ft tall — it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Roots straight into heavy clay and even improves it, standing 2–4 ft tall, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 5–10 ft tall, and it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Roots straight into heavy clay and even improves it, standing 2–4 ft tall, and it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 15–25 ft tall, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A clay-buster — thrives in the slow-draining ground, 8–15 ft tall, and it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 5–10 ft tall, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A clay-buster — thrives in the slow-draining ground, 2–4 ft tall; it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 3–5 ft tall — it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Punches its roots through dense clay where garden-center perennials sulk, at 6–10 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
A clay-buster — thrives in the slow-draining ground, 4–7 ft tall — it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Roots straight into heavy clay and even improves it, standing 2.5–4 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 3–5 ft tall; it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 1.5–2.5 ft tall, and it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Punches its roots through dense clay where garden-center perennials sulk, at 1.5–3 ft tall — it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 2–4 ft tall, flowering as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
At home in the dense clay that defeats most perennials, 2–3 ft tall, and it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
A clay-buster — thrives in the slow-draining ground, 2–4 ft tall, and it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
A clay-buster — thrives in the slow-draining ground, 20–30 ft tall; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
15 more also qualify: American Elderberry, Spicebush, Red-Twig Dogwood, Inkberry Holly, Common Boneset, Fragrant Sumac, Virginia Creeper, Common Milkweed, Ninebark, Blue Vervain, Indian Grass, Little Bluestem, Cinnamon Fern, Big Bluestem, Switchgrass.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Rhode Island
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.