Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A sun-lover that blooms Apr through Sep, standing 8–15 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Virginia · Zones 6–8
Native Plants for Full Sun in Virginia
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. Virginia sits in a landscape of Blue Ridge, Piedmont & Tidewater, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its humid, four-season character. The list below — led by Trumpet Honeysuckle and Butterfly Weed — is filtered to species genuinely native to Virginia and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic 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 Virginia
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
A sun-lover that flowers in Jun and Jul, standing 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Made for open ground — flowers in Sep and Oct, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
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
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
A sun-lover that blooms Jul through Sep, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Jul, 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Give it full sun and it flowers in Jul and Aug, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Made for open ground — blooms Jul through Sep, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
A sun-lover that flowers in Apr and May, standing 15–25 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
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
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Made for open ground — flowers in Sep and Oct, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
A sun-lover that flowers in Aug and Sep, standing 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
Made for open ground — blooms May through Oct, 2–5 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
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
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Made for open ground — flowers in Jul and Aug, 2.5–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Give it full sun and it blooms Apr through Jun, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
A sun-lover that blooms Jul through Sep, standing 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Give it full sun and it blooms Sep through Nov, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A sun-lover that blooms May through Aug, standing 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Give it full sun and it blooms Jul through Sep, 5–8 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
27 more also qualify: Arrowwood Viburnum, Foxglove Beardtongue, Black-Eyed Susan, Swamp Milkweed, Winterberry, Prairie Blazing Star, Pink Muhly Grass, Obedient Plant, Wild Lupine, Ninebark, Common Boneset, Rattlesnake Master, Creeping Phlox, Fragrant Sumac, Blue Vervain, Virginia Creeper, Common Milkweed, Stiff Goldenrod, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Inkberry Holly, New Jersey Tea, Switchgrass, Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Big Bluestem, Indian Grass.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Virginia
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.