Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
In Arkansas's Ozark Highlands & Mississippi Alluvial Plain, doesn't drop its leaves — winter green, cover for birds, and structure, 1–2 ft wide and hardy in zones 3–8.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Native shrubs, groundcovers, and ferns that hold their leaves through winter for year-round green, screening, and cover. For Arkansas, the right natives are shaped by Ozark Highlands & Mississippi Alluvial Plain and a humid subtropical climate. Every species below, from Foamflower and Crossvine to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Arkansas and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–8. Evergreen natives carry the garden through the bare months, giving structure, privacy, and winter shelter for birds when the deciduous plants have dropped their leaves. Site broadleaf evergreens out of harsh winter wind and afternoon sun to prevent leaf scorch, and water them deeply going into a dry fall so they enter winter fully charged.
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Tiarella cordifolia
In Arkansas's Ozark Highlands & Mississippi Alluvial Plain, doesn't drop its leaves — winter green, cover for birds, and structure, 1–2 ft wide and hardy in zones 3–8.
Bignonia capreolata
In Arkansas's Ozark Highlands & Mississippi Alluvial Plain, evergreen structure and privacy through the bare months, reaching 25–50 ft and orange-red flowers.
Ilex glabra
In Arkansas's Ozark Highlands & Mississippi Alluvial Plain, an evergreen anchor that never goes bare, reaching 4–8 ft and cold-hardy to zone 4.
Phlox subulata
In Arkansas's Ozark Highlands & Mississippi Alluvial Plain, green in January as in July, for screening and winter cover — for sand, rocky, and loam ground and hardy in zones 3–9.
Polystichum acrostichoides
In Arkansas's Ozark Highlands & Mississippi Alluvial Plain, carries the planting through winter with leaves intact, for rocky and loam ground and reaching 1–2 ft.
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.