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