Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Turns white spring lace in fall, long after the flowers are gone; white spring lace flowers and for clay and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
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North Dakota · Zones 3–4
Native Plants for Fall Color in North Dakota
Native trees, shrubs, and grasses that set the autumn garden alight with red, orange, copper, and gold. North Dakota sits in a landscape of Northern mixedgrass prairie & Drift Prairie, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cold, semi-arid character. The list below — led by Serviceberry and Eastern Redbud — is filtered to species genuinely native to North Dakota and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 3–4. The natives behind New England's famous foliage will do the same work in your yard, and the show lasts far longer than the flowers did. Sugars trapped in the leaves on cool, sunny fall days drive the brightest color, so plant these in full sun for the most intense display. Pair fiery shrubs with the copper and amber of warm-season grasses for a season finale that rivals any flower bed.
The plants
10 native species for North Dakota
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–4 · see this collection in other states.
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Lights up in autumn, rose-magenta, for a long late-season show, happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and 15–25 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Turns white to pink in fall, long after the flowers are gone; happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and spreading 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Fall color that lasts — inconspicuous green, inconspicuous green flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Sets the autumn garden alight — yellow catkins — 2–6 ft tall and good through zone 9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Sets the autumn garden alight — blue-green to copper — for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground and hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Sets the autumn garden alight — airy pink-gold panicles — for sand, clay, and loam ground and reaching 3–6 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Sets the autumn garden alight — bronze-gold plumes — hardy in zones 4–9 and spreading 2–3 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Sets the autumn garden alight — fine emerald to amber — 2–3 ft wide and for sand, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Fall color that lasts — bronze-purple seed heads, 4–7 ft tall and 2–3 ft wide.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in North Dakota
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.