Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Made for open ground — blooms Jul through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Iowa · Zones 4–6
Native Plants for Full Sun in Iowa
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. Every species here is genuinely native to Iowa and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 4–6 — proven performers for Iowa's humid continental, cold winters climate across Western Corn Belt tallgrass prairie, not a generic list. Local standouts include Cardinal Flower and Serviceberry. 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
58 native species for Iowa
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–6 · see this collection in other states.
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
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Made for open ground — blooms Apr through Sep, 8–15 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
A sun-lover that blooms Sep through Nov, standing 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Made for open ground — blooms Jul through Sep, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Give it full sun and it flowers in Sep and Oct, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
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
A sun-lover that blooms May through Jul, standing 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 5–8 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A sun-lover that flowers in Aug and Sep, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
A sun-lover that blooms Jul through Sep, standing 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Made for open ground — flowers in Sep and Oct, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Made for open ground — flowers in Aug and Sep, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Give it full sun and it flowers in Jul and Aug, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Made for open ground — blooms Aug through Oct, 5–8 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
A sun-lover that flowers in Apr and May, standing 6–16 in tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A sun-lover that blooms May through Aug, standing 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
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
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
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Made for open ground — flowers in May and Jun, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
34 more also qualify: Swamp Milkweed, Golden Alexanders, Pasque Flower, Winterberry, Arrowwood Viburnum, Black-Eyed Susan, Blanketflower, Chocolate Flower, Eastern Redbud, Scarlet Beebalm, Common Milkweed, Creeping Phlox, Sideoats Grama, Compass Plant, Blue Vervain, Common Boneset, Wild Lupine, New Jersey Tea, Ninebark, American Elderberry, Rattlesnake Master, Showy Milkweed, Red-Twig Dogwood, Blue Grama, Fragrant Sumac, Purple Prairie Clover, Bearberry, Stiff Goldenrod, Virginia Creeper, Big Bluestem, Indian Grass, Prairie Dropseed, Switchgrass, Little Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Iowa
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.