Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Made for open ground — blooms May through Aug, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
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North Carolina · Zones 6–8
Native Plants for Full Sun in North Carolina
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. For North Carolina, the right natives are shaped by Blue Ridge, Piedmont & Coastal Plain and a humid subtropical to montane climate. Every species below, from Common Yarrow and Aromatic Aster to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to North Carolina and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–8. A spot with six or more hours of direct sun is prime real estate for the prairie and meadow natives that evolved in the open — most want exactly that much light to bloom hard and stand up straight. Give them lean, well-drained soil rather than rich and pampered, skip the fertilizer, and they will reward the tough love with more flowers and sturdier stems.
The plants
51 native species for North Carolina
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
A sun-lover that blooms Sep through Nov, standing 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A sun-lover that flowers in Aug and Sep, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Aug, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A sun-lover that flowers in Sep and Oct, standing 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Made for open ground — flowers in Jul and Aug, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A sun-lover that blooms Jul through Sep, standing 5–8 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Made for open ground — flowers in May and Jun, 6–10 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Made for open ground — flowers in Jul and Aug, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Made for open ground — flowers in Apr and May, 15–25 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A sun-lover that flowers in May and Jun, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Made for open ground — flowers in Apr and May, 25–50 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Give it full sun and it flowers in Jun and Jul, 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Made for open ground — blooms Apr through Sep, 8–15 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Give it full sun and it flowers in Sep and Oct, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Made for open ground — blooms May through Jul, 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Oct, 2–5 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Give it full sun and it flowers in Mar and Apr, 20–30 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
A sun-lover that blooms Jul through Sep, standing 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Give it full sun and it flowers in Jul and Aug, 3–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
27 more also qualify: American Beautyberry, Great Blue Lobelia, Buttonbush, Butterfly Weed, Black-Eyed Susan, Scarlet Beebalm, Golden Alexanders, Showy Goldenrod, Stiff Goldenrod, Creeping Phlox, Ninebark, Virginia Creeper, Common Boneset, American Elderberry, Fragrant Sumac, Common Milkweed, Inkberry Holly, Blue Vervain, Red-Twig Dogwood, New Jersey Tea, Wild Lupine, Rattlesnake Master, Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, Indian Grass, Big Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in North Carolina
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.