Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, weaves a 1.5–3 ft-tall mat 1.5–2 ft across to blanket bare ground, good through zone 9; it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Missouri · Zones 5–7
Native Groundcover Plants in Missouri
Low, spreading natives that knit together to cover bare ground, smother weeds, and replace thirsty lawn or mulch. Every species here is genuinely native to Missouri and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7 — proven performers for Missouri's humid continental to subtropical climate across Ozarks, glades & prairie, not a generic list. Local standouts include Common Yarrow and Wild Geranium. A living native groundcover does everything mulch does and then keeps doing it for free — covering soil, blocking weeds, and feeding wildlife as it goes. Match the spreader to the site (sun or shade, wet or dry), plant on tight centers so they close ranks in a season or two, and weed faithfully that first year while they fill in.
The plants
14 native species for Missouri
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, carpets bare soil 1.5–2 ft wide to replace thirsty lawn or mulch, for loam ground, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, settles in as a weed-suppressing carpet 12–18 in wide, no taller than 10–15 in, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, settles in as a weed-suppressing carpet 1–2 ft wide, no taller than 6–12 in; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, settles in as a weed-suppressing carpet 12–18 in wide, no taller than 6–16 in, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, weaves a 4–8 in-tall mat 3–6 ft across to blanket bare ground, pink-white bells flowers — it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, a mat-forming native, 2–6 ft tall and 5–10 ft wide, that fills in and crowds out weeds, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, runs 12–18 in wide and stays ankle-low at 4–8 in, holding soil where lawn won't — it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, settles in as a weed-suppressing carpet 10–20 ft wide, no taller than 30–50 ft, flowering as it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, weaves a 8–20 in-tall mat 8–16 in across to blanket bare ground, for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground — it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, a living mulch at 4–8 in tall, fanning 1.5–2 ft wide to cover soil and block weeds, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, spreads low — 1–2 ft tall, 1.5–2.5 ft wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2 ft
- Evergreen
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, weaves a 2–3 ft-tall mat 2–3 ft across to blanket bare ground, cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
In Missouri's Ozarks, glades & prairie, spreads low — 6–12 in tall, 1–2 ft wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 6–12 in
- Foliage
Sourcing
Where to find these in Missouri
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.