Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Thrives on neglect once placed right: reaching 8–15 ft and good through zone 9 — it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Tennessee · Zones 6–8
Easy Native Plants in Tennessee
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. For Tennessee, the right natives are shaped by Cumberland Plateau, Ridge & Valley, cedar glades and a humid, four-season climate. Every species below, from Trumpet Honeysuckle and New England Aster to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Tennessee and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–8. The easiest natives are the ones already adapted to your local soil and rainfall, so they need no fertilizer, no irrigation after year one, and no winter coddling. Start with these, plant them where their light and moisture needs are genuinely met, mulch the first year, and the maintenance shrinks to a single late-winter cleanup. Right plant, right place does ninety percent of the work.
The plants
33 native species for Tennessee
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Thrives on neglect once placed right: royal purple flowers and 2–3 ft wide; it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Plant it and forget it: 2–4 ft wide and hardy in zones 3–9, no fuss — it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: cold-hardy to zone 3 and happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil, and it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
A beginner's native — happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and reaching 20–30 ft, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
A beginner's native — good through zone 9 and white domes flowers, content with whatever you give it; it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Plant it and forget it: lavender-pink flowers and for loam ground, no fuss, and it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A beginner's native — 3–4 ft tall and rose pink flowers, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: red & yellow flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — cold-hardy to zone 3 and for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground, and forgives neglect; it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A beginner's native — reaching 2–4 ft and good through zone 9, content with whatever you give it, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Plant it and forget it: for clay and loam ground and 10–20 ft wide, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Plant it and forget it: for clay and loam ground and creamy white flowers, no fuss; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Plant it and forget it: golden yellow flowers and 12–18 in wide, no fuss, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — sky blue flowers and good through zone 8, and forgives neglect, flowering as it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
About as hard to kill as a native gets — happy in sand, clay, and loam soil and reaching 4–7 ft, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
About as hard to kill as a native gets — chartreuse-gold flowers and hardy in zones 3–8, and forgives neglect; it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Plant it and forget it: 1.5–2 ft tall and happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil, no fuss; it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
Plant it and forget it: 12–18 in wide and cold-hardy to zone 3, no fuss; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Plant it and forget it: good through zone 7 and 6–10 ft wide, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
A beginner's native — 10–20 ft wide and cold-hardy to zone 3, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
A beginner's native — inconspicuous flowers and good through zone 9, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Thrives on neglect once placed right: flat gold heads flowers and spreading 1.5–2.5 ft, flowering as it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
A beginner's native — cold-hardy to zone 3 and spreading 5–10 ft, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
9 more also qualify: Common Milkweed, Sideoats Grama, American Elderberry, Blue Vervain, Common Boneset, Ninebark, Little Bluestem, Christmas Fern, Pennsylvania Sedge.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Tennessee
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.