Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
A beginner's native — hardy in zones 3–8 and reaching 1–2.5 ft, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Texas · Zones 6–9
Easy Native Plants in Texas
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. Texas sits in a landscape of Hill Country, Blackland Prairie & Gulf Coast, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its hot, dry west to humid east character. The list below — led by Wild Columbine and Purple Coneflower — is filtered to species genuinely native to Texas and the wider flora of the South-Central region and hardy through zones 6–9. 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
36 native species for Texas
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–9 · see this collection in other states.
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 2–4 ft and for clay, rocky, and loam ground, and forgives neglect; it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Plant it and forget it: good through zone 8 and 1.5–2.5 ft tall, no fuss; it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — white spring lace flowers and 15–25 ft tall, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A beginner's native — pink flowers and spreading 2–4 ft, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
A beginner's native — for loam ground and spreading 1.5–2 ft, content with whatever you give it; it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — spreading 2–3 ft and reaching 1.5–2.5 ft, and forgives neglect; it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A beginner's native — for clay, rocky, and loam ground and 2–4 ft tall, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A beginner's native — 1.5–2 ft wide and good through zone 9, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Thrives on neglect once placed right: bright gold flowers and spreading 12–18 in, and it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 3–5 ft and white domes flowers, and forgives neglect, and it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Thrives on neglect once placed right: reaching 8–15 ft and coral-red flowers, and it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
About as hard to kill as a native gets — for sand, clay, and loam ground and cold-hardy to zone 3, and forgives neglect, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 3–5 ft tall and good through zone 8, flowering as it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: for clay, rocky, and loam ground and rose-magenta flowers — it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Plant it and forget it: hardy in zones 3–9 and for clay and loam ground, no fuss; it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Penstemon strictus
About as hard to kill as a native gets — deep blue-purple flowers and 1.5–2.5 ft tall, and forgives neglect; it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Thrives on neglect once placed right: creamy white flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
A beginner's native — pink (then purple fruit) flowers and reaching 4–7 ft, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
A beginner's native — 3–5 ft tall and cold-hardy to zone 3, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Plant it and forget it: 2–4 ft tall and good through zone 9, no fuss, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 3–5 ft tall and cold-hardy to zone 3 — it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 2–6 ft tall and good through zone 9, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
Thrives on neglect once placed right: hardy in zones 3–7 and spreading 12–18 in, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
12 more also qualify: Stiff Goldenrod, Inkberry Holly, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Blue Vervain, Blue Grama, Ninebark, Virginia Creeper, Sideoats Grama, Little Bluestem, Christmas Fern, Pennsylvania Sedge.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Texas
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.