Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — red & yellow flowers and reaching 1–2.5 ft, and forgives neglect; it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Nebraska · Zones 4–6
Easy Native Plants in Nebraska
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. For Nebraska, the right natives are shaped by Sandhills & mixedgrass prairie and a continental, semi-arid west climate. Every species below, from Wild Columbine and Obedient Plant to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Nebraska and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 4–6. 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 Nebraska
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–6 · see this collection in other states.
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 2–4 ft tall and spreading 2–4 ft, and it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 3–4 ft and spreading 2–3 ft, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Plant it and forget it: 1.5–2.5 ft tall and good through zone 8, no fuss, and it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — cold-hardy to zone 3 and reaching 15–25 ft, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: cold-hardy to zone 3 and chartreuse-gold flowers; it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Plant it and forget it: cold-hardy to zone 3 and 1.5–2 ft tall, no fuss — it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A beginner's native — white (wild form) flowers and spreading 1.5–2 ft, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
About as hard to kill as a native gets — golden yellow flowers and for sand, clay, and loam ground, and forgives neglect; it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Plant it and forget it: 15–25 ft wide and 20–30 ft tall, no fuss; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and rosy purple flowers — it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A beginner's native — 2–4 ft tall and hardy in zones 3–8, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
About as hard to kill as a native gets — reaching 3–5 ft and 2–3 ft wide, and forgives neglect, and it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Plant it and forget it: foamy white flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3, no fuss; it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
A beginner's native — dusty mauve-pink flowers and reaching 3–5 ft, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 8–16 in wide and 8–20 in tall, and forgives neglect, and it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
About as hard to kill as a native gets — 1.5–3 ft wide and hardy in zones 3–9, and forgives neglect, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
A beginner's native — for clay, rocky, and loam ground and 5–10 ft tall, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
A beginner's native — inconspicuous green flowers and 30–50 ft tall, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Thrives on neglect once placed right: creamy umbels flowers and 6–12 ft tall, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
A beginner's native — reaching 1.5–2.5 ft and spreading 12–18 in, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
Thrives on neglect once placed right: happy in clay and loam soil and good through zone 8, flowering as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Thrives on neglect once placed right: cold-hardy to zone 3 and happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil; it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
A beginner's native — reaching 2–6 ft and good through zone 9, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
2 more also qualify: Red-Twig Dogwood, Little Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Nebraska
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.