Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, knits across the ground 1–2 ft wide and just 6–12 in tall, no mowing needed; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Indiana · Zones 5–7
Native Groundcover Plants in Indiana
Low, spreading natives that knit together to cover bare ground, smother weeds, and replace thirsty lawn or mulch. For Indiana, the right natives are shaped by Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna and a humid continental climate. Every species below, from Foamflower and Woodland Phlox to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Indiana and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7. A living native groundcover does everything mulch does and then keeps doing it for free — covering soil, blocking weeds, and feeding wildlife as it goes. Match the spreader to the site (sun or shade, wet or dry), plant on tight centers so they close ranks in a season or two, and weed faithfully that first year while they fill in.
The plants
13 native species for Indiana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, spreads low — 10–15 in tall, 12–18 in wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, spreads low — 6–16 in tall, 12–18 in wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, settles in as a weed-suppressing carpet 1.5–2 ft wide, no taller than 1.5–2 ft — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, carpets bare soil 1.5–2 ft wide to replace thirsty lawn or mulch, for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground — it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, a mat-forming native, 30–50 ft tall and 10–20 ft wide, that fills in and crowds out weeds; it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, weaves a 4–8 in-tall mat 3–6 ft across to blanket bare ground, good through zone 6; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, a mat-forming native, 4–8 in tall and 12–18 in wide, that fills in and crowds out weeds, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, spreads low — 4–8 in tall, 1.5–2 ft wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, knits across the ground 5–10 ft wide and just 2–6 ft tall, no mowing needed — it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, a low 1–2 ft-tall carpet that closes ranks 1.5–2.5 ft wide and shades out weeds.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2 ft
- Evergreen
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, weaves a 6–12 in-tall mat 1–2 ft across to blanket bare ground, happy in rocky and loam soil.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 6–12 in
- Foliage
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Through Indiana's Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna country, runs 2–3 ft wide and stays ankle-low at 2–3 ft, holding soil where lawn won't.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Indiana
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.