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