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