Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Sets the autumn garden alight — white spring lace — 10–20 ft wide and hardy in zones 3–8.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Kansas · Zones 5–7
Native Plants for Fall Color in Kansas
Native trees, shrubs, and grasses that set the autumn garden alight with red, orange, copper, and gold. For Kansas, the right natives are shaped by Flint Hills & mixedgrass prairie and a continental, windy, semi-arid west climate. Every species below, from Serviceberry and Eastern Redbud to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Kansas and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 5–7. The natives behind New England's famous foliage will do the same work in your yard, and the show lasts far longer than the flowers did. Sugars trapped in the leaves on cool, sunny fall days drive the brightest color, so plant these in full sun for the most intense display. Pair fiery shrubs with the copper and amber of warm-season grasses for a season finale that rivals any flower bed.
The plants
10 native species for Kansas
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Fall color that lasts — rose-magenta, for clay, rocky, and loam ground and rose-magenta flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Sets the autumn garden alight — yellow catkins — for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground and reaching 2–6 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Turns inconspicuous green in fall, long after the flowers are gone; cold-hardy to zone 3 and spreading 10–20 ft.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Sets the autumn garden alight — white to pink — spreading 5–10 ft and good through zone 7.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Sets the autumn garden alight — bronze-purple seed heads — hardy in zones 3–9 and 4–7 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Sets the autumn garden alight — bronze-gold plumes — 2–3 ft wide and hardy in zones 4–9.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Lights up in autumn, airy pink-gold panicles, for a long late-season show, happy in sand, clay, and loam soil and 3–6 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Lights up in autumn, fine emerald to amber, for a long late-season show, happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil and 2–3 ft wide.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Fall color that lasts — blue-green to copper, 2–4 ft tall and spreading 1.5–2 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Kansas
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.