Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: reaching 1.5–2.5 ft and chartreuse-gold flowers, and it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Wisconsin · Zones 3–5
Easy Native Plants in Wisconsin
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. For Wisconsin, the right natives are shaped by Northern forest, driftless prairie & oak savanna and a cold continental climate. Every species below, from Golden Alexanders and Trumpet Honeysuckle to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Wisconsin and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 3–5. 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
31 native species for Wisconsin
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A beginner's native — for clay and loam ground and 3–6 ft wide, content with whatever you give it — it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
A beginner's native — spreading 2–3 ft and reaching 1.5–2.5 ft, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A beginner's native — 2–4 ft tall and white flowers, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Plant it and forget it: good through zone 9 and for clay and loam ground, no fuss, and it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 1.5–2 ft tall and lavender-pink flowers, and forgives neglect, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
A beginner's native — reaching 6–10 ft and hardy in zones 3–8, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Thrives on neglect once placed right: pink flowers and 2–4 ft tall, and it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 1.5–3 ft tall and spreading 1.5–2 ft — it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — rose-magenta flowers and happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
About as hard to kill as a native gets — good through zone 8 and 3–5 ft tall, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Thrives on neglect once placed right: golden yellow flowers and for sand, clay, and loam ground, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Plant it and forget it: for sand, rocky, and loam ground and cold-hardy to zone 3, no fuss, and it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A beginner's native — good through zone 9 and rose pink flowers, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 1–2.5 ft tall and spreading 12–18 in, and forgives neglect, and it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Plant it and forget it: white spring lace flowers and reaching 15–25 ft, no fuss, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Plant it and forget it: 2–4 ft tall and spreading 1.5–2 ft, no fuss — it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 3–5 ft tall and violet-blue flowers — it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
A beginner's native — spreading 10–20 ft and inconspicuous green flowers, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Plant it and forget it: good through zone 9 and dusty mauve-pink flowers, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Plant it and forget it: oat-like, orange anthers flowers and for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 3–5 ft and spreading 2–3 ft, and forgives neglect — it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
About as hard to kill as a native gets — hidden maroon flowers and for loam ground, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Plant it and forget it: creamy umbels flowers and reaching 6–12 ft, no fuss; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
7 more also qualify: Stiff Goldenrod, Fragrant Sumac, Red-Twig Dogwood, Ninebark, Little Bluestem, Christmas Fern, Pennsylvania Sedge.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Wisconsin
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.