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Native Plants for Full Sun

Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon.

Tip: open your state below for the version of this list filtered to plants native to your region and hardy in your zone.
The plants

78 native species in this collection.

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.

Perennial

California Poppy

Eschscholzia californica

A sun-lover that blooms Mar through Jun, standing 8–18 in tall.

  • Full sun
  • Dry
  • 8–18 in
  • Blooms Mar–Jun
Perennial

Desert Marigold

Baileya multiradiata

Made for open ground — blooms Mar through Oct, 12–18 in tall.

  • Full sun
  • Dry
  • 12–18 in
  • Blooms Mar–Oct
Small tree

Eastern Redbud

Cercis canadensis

Give it full sun and it flowers in Mar and Apr, 20–30 ft tall.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 20–30 ft
  • Blooms Mar–Apr
Shrub

Red-Flowering Currant

Ribes sanguineum

Give it full sun and it flowers in Mar and Apr, 5–9 ft tall.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 5–9 ft
  • Blooms Mar–Apr
Shrub

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
Subshrub

Autumn Sage

Salvia greggii

Made for open ground — blooms Apr through Oct, 2–3 ft tall.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry
  • 2–3 ft
  • Blooms Apr–Oct
Vine

Crossvine

Bignonia capreolata

Made for open ground — flowers in Apr and May, 25–50 ft tall.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 25–50 ft
  • Blooms Apr–May
Small tree

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
Vine

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
Shrub

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
Perennial wildflower

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
Small tree

Desert Willow

Chilopsis linearis

A sun-lover that blooms May through Sep, standing 15–25 ft tall.

  • Full sun
  • Dry
  • 15–25 ft
  • Blooms May–Sep
Subshrub

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
Shrub

American Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

A sun-lover that flowers in Jun and Jul, standing 4–7 ft tall.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 4–7 ft
  • Blooms Jun–Jul
Browse by state

Full sun, near you.

Native ranges differ across the country — open your state for the list that actually applies to your yard.

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Sourcing

Where to find full sun plants

Seeds & live plants on Amazon

Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.

Browse on Amazon

Some 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.