Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
A sun-lover that flowers in Apr and May, standing 25–50 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Texas · Zones 6–9
Native Plants for Full Sun in Texas
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. Texas sits in a landscape of Hill Country, Blackland Prairie & Gulf Coast, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its hot, dry west to humid east character. The list below — led by Crossvine and Prairie Blazing Star — is filtered to species genuinely native to Texas and the wider flora of the South-Central region and hardy through zones 6–9. 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
70 native species for Texas
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–9 · see this collection in other states.
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
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
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
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
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Give it full sun and it flowers in Apr and May, 15–25 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Gregg's Mistflower
Conoclinium greggii
Made for open ground — blooms May through Oct, 1–2 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
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
A sun-lover that blooms Jul through Sep, standing 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
A sun-lover that blooms Apr through Sep, standing 3–6 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
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
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Made for open ground — flowers in Aug and Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Aug, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Made for open ground — flowers in Jul and Aug, 2.5–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Made for open ground — blooms Sep through Nov, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Give it full sun and it flowers in May and Jun, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Oct, 2–5 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Autumn Sage
Salvia greggii
Give it full sun and it blooms Apr through Oct, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Oct
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Aug, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
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
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
A sun-lover that flowers in Jul and Aug, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–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
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Made for open ground — blooms May through Jul, 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
46 more also qualify: Trumpet Honeysuckle, Maximilian Sunflower, Black-Eyed Susan, Showy Goldenrod, Anise Hyssop, New England Aster, Eastern Redbud, Swamp Milkweed, Pink Muhly Grass, Blanketflower, Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Arrowwood Viburnum, Flame Acanthus, Cardinal Flower, Cup Plant, Pasque Flower, Wild Bergamot, Winterberry, Desert Marigold, Great Blue Lobelia, Desert Willow, American Beautyberry, Common Milkweed, Rattlesnake Master, Showy Milkweed, Wild Lupine, Common Boneset, Fragrant Sumac, Compass Plant, New Jersey Tea, Stiff Goldenrod, Inkberry Holly, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Blue Vervain, Blue Grama, Ninebark, Purple Prairie Clover, Virginia Creeper, Sideoats Grama, Creeping Phlox, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, Prairie Dropseed, Indian Grass.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Texas
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.