Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Plant it and forget it: sky blue flowers and happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil, no fuss, flowering as it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Kansas · Zones 5–7
Easy Native Plants in Kansas
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. For Kansas, the right natives are shaped by Flint Hills & mixedgrass prairie and a continental, windy, semi-arid west climate. Every species below, from Aromatic Aster and Wild Columbine 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 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
26 native species for Kansas
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
A beginner's native — red & yellow flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3, content with whatever you give it; it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A beginner's native — hardy in zones 3–8 and happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Plant it and forget it: pink flowers and 2–4 ft tall, no fuss, flowering as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 10–20 ft wide and hardy in zones 3–8, and forgives neglect — it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Plant it and forget it: white (wild form) flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3, no fuss; it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A beginner's native — good through zone 9 and bright gold flowers, content with whatever you give it, and it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: for clay and loam ground and good through zone 8 — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Plant it and forget it: for clay, rocky, and loam ground and rose-magenta flowers, no fuss; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Thrives on neglect once placed right: reaching 1.5–3 ft and spreading 12–18 in, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and rosy purple flowers, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A beginner's native — reaching 3–5 ft and for clay and loam ground, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
About as hard to kill as a native gets — rose pink flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
A beginner's native — happy in clay and loam soil and reaching 3–5 ft, content with whatever you give it, and it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
A beginner's native — for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground and reaching 2–6 ft, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: creamy umbels flowers and happy in clay and loam soil — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
A beginner's native — for clay and loam ground and good through zone 7, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Plant it and forget it: cold-hardy to zone 3 and spreading 10–20 ft, no fuss, and it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Thrives on neglect once placed right: spreading 1.5–2.5 ft and happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil — it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
A beginner's native — foamy white flowers and 2–3 ft wide, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Plant it and forget it: 12–18 in wide and happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil, no fuss, flowering as 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: reaching 8–20 in and cold-hardy to zone 3, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
A beginner's native — spreading 5–10 ft and good through zone 7, 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 Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Thrives on neglect once placed right: cold-hardy to zone 3 and dusty mauve-pink flowers — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
2 more also qualify: Showy Milkweed, Little Bluestem.
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.