Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Plant it and forget it: 12–18 in wide and 1.5–3 ft tall, no fuss, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
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North Dakota · Zones 3–4
Easy Native Plants in North Dakota
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. 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 Black-Eyed Susan and Golden Alexanders — is filtered to species genuinely native to North Dakota and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 3–4. 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
26 native species for North Dakota
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–4 · see this collection in other states.
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: hardy in zones 3–8 and chartreuse-gold flowers — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: white spring lace flowers and for clay and loam ground, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Thrives on neglect once placed right: happy in clay and loam soil and royal purple flowers; it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Thrives on neglect once placed right: pink flowers and hardy in zones 3–9, and it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Plant it and forget it: reaching 1–2.5 ft and 12–18 in wide, no fuss — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
About as hard to kill as a native gets — rose pink flowers and happy in clay and loam soil, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and 15–25 ft wide, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Plant it and forget it: cold-hardy to zone 3 and 1.5–2.5 ft tall, no fuss — it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
About as hard to kill as a native gets — cold-hardy to zone 3 and bright gold flowers, and forgives neglect, and it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: spreading 1–2 ft and happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil, and it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Plant it and forget it: spreading 1.5–2 ft and rosy purple flowers, no fuss — it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Thrives on neglect once placed right: reaching 1.5–3 ft and white (wild form) flowers; it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: happy in clay and loam soil and white, white berries flowers, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Plant it and forget it: happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and spreading 5–10 ft, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
A beginner's native — hardy in zones 4–9 and happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
About as hard to kill as a native gets — for clay and loam ground and hardy in zones 3–8, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
A beginner's native — hardy in zones 3–10 and spreading 8–16 in, content with whatever you give it; it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Plant it and forget it: cold-hardy to zone 3 and for clay, rocky, and loam ground, no fuss — it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
A beginner's native — inconspicuous green flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Plant it and forget it: 2–6 ft tall and good through zone 9, no fuss — it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Thrives on neglect once placed right: for sand, clay, and loam ground and 1.5–3 ft wide — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 6–12 ft and happy in clay and loam soil, and forgives neglect — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
About as hard to kill as a native gets — good through zone 9 and reaching 2–4 ft, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
2 more also qualify: Blue Vervain, Little Bluestem.
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.