Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Plant it and forget it: pink flowers and spreading 2–4 ft, no fuss — it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Illinois · Zones 5–7
Easy Native Plants in Illinois
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. For Illinois, the right natives are shaped by Central Tallgrass Prairie and a humid continental climate. Every species below, from Obedient Plant and Golden Alexanders to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Illinois and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7. 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
33 native species for Illinois
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
A beginner's native — chartreuse-gold flowers and 1.5–2.5 ft tall, content with whatever you give it, and it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Plant it and forget it: hardy in zones 3–8 and sky blue flowers, no fuss, and it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A beginner's native — good through zone 9 and spreading 1.5–2 ft, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Thrives on neglect once placed right: hardy in zones 3–8 and 1.5–2 ft wide, and it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
About as hard to kill as a native gets — for clay and loam ground and cold-hardy to zone 3, and forgives neglect, 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 — reaching 2–4 ft and spreading 1–2 ft, and forgives neglect; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–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
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: good through zone 9 and for clay, rocky, and loam ground, and 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: 3–4 ft tall and 2–3 ft wide, no fuss — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Plant it and forget it: spreading 3–6 ft and 8–15 ft tall, no fuss, and it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — hardy in zones 3–8 and happy in clay and loam soil, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A beginner's native — for clay and loam ground and 3–5 ft tall, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A beginner's native — 1.5–3 ft tall and happy in sand, clay, and loam soil, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Plant it and forget it: happy in rocky and loam soil and red & yellow flowers, no fuss, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
About as hard to kill as a native gets — bright gold flowers and reaching 1.5–2 ft, and forgives neglect — it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Thrives on neglect once placed right: white (wild form) flowers and 1.5–3 ft tall, flowering as it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Plant it and forget it: white, white berries flowers and reaching 6–9 ft, no fuss — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
About as hard to kill as a native gets — happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil and good through zone 9, and forgives neglect — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 8–16 in wide and 8–20 in tall, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Plant it and forget it: for sand, clay, and loam ground and 2–4 ft tall, no fuss; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 3–5 ft tall and dusty mauve-pink flowers, and forgives neglect — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
A beginner's native — spreading 12–18 in and for loam ground, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 6–12 ft tall and spreading 6–12 ft; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
9 more also qualify: Virginia Creeper, Common Boneset, Stiff Goldenrod, Ninebark, Blue Vervain, Fragrant Sumac, Christmas Fern, Pennsylvania Sedge, Little Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Illinois
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.