The allure of native plants is undeniable. They play a critical role in the local ecosystem, bringing charming butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden, and they’re simply easy to grow. They’re native to your area, so they’re predisposed to thrive.
However, some native plants grow almost too well, spreading like weeds via underground rhizomes, above-ground stolons, and easily dispersed seeds. If your gardening style is more low-key, you may be turned off by the constant upkeep.
Thankfully there are plenty of native species that grow and spread slowly. These are typically clumping species. They’re neat, tidy, and easy to manage. At most, you may want to chop off their seed heads one afternoon or divide them every couple of years.
Clever planning is a factor here, too. Plant taller natives in the back of borders or in the center of gardens, so they don’t fall into your walkways, for a tidier look. Save the garden real estate near your sidewalk for small, clumping natives that max out at two or three feet.
Need more inspiration? Consider these hassle-free native plants for a tidy garden.
Red Columbine
This perennial attracts hummingbirds and thrives in partial shade.
Red columbine, also known as eastern columbine, is native to the eastern half of the United States and Canada. This perennial is compact with a medium growth rate. You can grow it in partial shade, where it will stay small for longer.
This native can also spread via seed, but it’s easy to prevent if you don’t want more columbine in your garden. Red columbine produces tubular flowers in early spring, attracting hummingbirds, and the flowers mature into distinct seed heads that are easy to chop off and give to friends.
Butterfly Weed
This perennial adds vibrant orange and attracts butterflies.
Butterfly weed is native to most of the U.S., besides the Pacific Northwest. It is a critical food source for monarch butterfly larvae in its natural range. This perennial grows fairly slowly and only reaches about three feet in height.
Large, distinct seed pods will appear on pollinated plants in the fall. Wind-dispersed seeds emerge from these pods, but butterfly weed is not considered an aggressive spreader. This native will add bright pops of orange to your garden and hopefully attract butterflies, too.
Foxglove Beardtongue
Tall blooms attract pollinators and resist pests naturally.
Foxglove beardtongue, like multiple other beardtongue plants in the Penstemon genus, is a clump-forming perennial with showy, light white or light purple flowers. These flowers emerge in spring and summer from tall, 4-foot stems that pollinators love.
This native will grow fairly quickly over the years, though it won’t spread from where you planted it. You dig it up every two or three years and divide it if it becomes too large for your liking. Low-maintenance foxglove beardtongue is also mostly disease- and pest-resistant.
Dense Blazing Star
Dazzling purple flowers attract wildlife and brighten gardens.
Dense blazing star is a tidy easy-to-grow native plant. It is a showstopper in the back of a border or in the center of a garden. This clumping perennial has dazzling bottlebrush-like purple flowers that reach heights of six feet. The blooms appear in summer and make great cut flowers that last for a couple of weeks.
This low-maintenance option has a medium growth rate. Though it can spread through its seeds, it’s not known to be too vigorous. Goldfinches, moths, and other wildlife often eat the seeds anyway. Dense blazing star requires minimal care, and you can grow it in poor-quality soil.
Fringed Bluestar
Light-blue star-shaped flowers brighten gardens and attract attention.
Like most other bluestar species, fringed bluestar forms a mound that maxes out at about three feet tall and wide, and it barely spreads. Dainty, light-blue star-shaped flowers bloom in spring. Plant fringed bluestar in partial sun with afternoon shade, and the flowers will last even longer.
This Amsonia perennial is native in the southeast, but you can grow it in zones as cool as zone 5. It also offers eye-catching autumnal foliage, with leaves that fade to bright gold when other plants are dropping their leaves. Fringed bluestar is also drought- and deer-tolerant.
Purple Coneflower
Classic summer blooms thrive with light purple or pink hues.
Sometimes you just can’t go wrong with a classic. Purple coneflower is a tidy, easy-to-grow perennial plant that is native to the central and eastern United States. It has signature light purple or pink flowers that bloom each summer, usually until frost. They typically reach about three or four feet tall.
These flowers can spread through seeds, but they mostly just clump. Deadheading encourages coneflowers to send out more blooms anyway. Stay on top of deadheading, and you’ll keep your coneflowers in check.
Looking for coneflowers in a different color? Try ‘White Swan’ or the lime-green ‘Alan’s Pride’ cultivar for something a little bit different than usual.
Blue False Indigo
Tall indigo blooms attract butterflies and enrich the soil.
Blue false indigo is actually a legume, forming tall clumps that are perfect for border gardens. These tidy native perennials can be planted in full sun or partial shade, but those planted in the shade tend to droop a bit. Their indigo flowers are the host for many butterflies.
This native reaches about four feet, but if you’re looking for a smaller version, check out B. australis var. minor, a dwarf variety that is more compact.
As a legume, blue false indigo also performs nitrogen fixation, adding some nitrogen to your soil. This process makes it an excellent companion plant for the other tidy species in your garden.
Scarlet Sage
Upright red flowers attract hummingbirds and thrive in heat.
Scarlet sage is a perennial in warmer areas but is often grown as an annual as well. It’s a member of the mint family, though it doesn’t spread aggressively. Scarlet sage does grow extremely easily, though, with minimal care, even in intense heat.
It reaches about three feet in height and width, which is the perfect size for a well-organized garden. Its upright red flower stems really pop among green foliage, and hummingbirds absolutely love them. You can also find other cultivars of this species with fun flower colors, including pink and even bicolor (pink and white).
Century Plant
This low-maintenance plant thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.
When it comes to plants that are easy to manage, you can’t get more chill than the century plant, which is an Agave. Plant this species in an area of full sunlight and in well-draining soil, and that’s about all that’s needed from you.
Also known as American aloe, these perennials grow very slowly, occasionally producing offshoots at the base that also grow at a glacial pace. You can easily pop them right off to keep things organized.
Granted, they’ll eventually get quite large, reaching up to 10 feet or more in height. Start with a small plant, and that won’t happen any time soon. Note that the common name “century plant” developed when gardeners thought it took this species 100 years to flower. Fortunately, its blooming timeline is usually eight to 30 years.
New England Aster
Large purple flowers brighten gardens and attract butterflies.
New England aster is an herbaceous perennial that can reach up to seven feet tall in ideal conditions. This species produces prolific, large purple flowers with yellow centers. Cultivars with pink and red flowers are available as well.
These asters grow fairly well in clay soil and do not spread very quickly. Planting New England aster is an easygoing native plant to add a burst of color to a tidy garden, as the blooms emerge in summer and remain through fall. This native species also supports various specialized bees and migrating Monarch butterflies.
Virginia Bluebell
Compact bluebells brighten shaded spots with stunning spring blooms.
Virginia bluebells have stunning blue flowers that start as pink buds. The pendulous flowers are bell-shaped, hence the common name. These delicate blooms are brief but signify the changing seasons. They emerge between March and May and only stick around for a few weeks.
These perennials reach about two feet in height and 1.5 feet in width, so they couldn’t be more compact. They’re perfect for border edges and other small spots in your garden. You don’t have to worry about other plants shading out Virginia bluebells, which can grow in deep shade.
Christmas Fern
Compact ferns add texture and prevent soil erosion.
Speaking of shade, consider planting a Christmas fern. These compact ferns reach about three feet in height and width and will flourish in partial sun, dappled sunlight, or full shade. Plant them near your taller flowers for textural interest.
Christmas ferns produce silvery fiddleheads each spring. They’re excellent choices for slopes, preventing soil erosion.
These clumping ferns have a medium growth rate and won’t spread in your garden. Their overall clumps will slowly increase in size over time, but you can easily divide them every few years if you wish.
Bleeding Heart
Heart-shaped blooms and fern-like foliage brighten shaded garden spots.
Bleeding heart naturally grows on the forest floor, but you can cultivate this beautiful perennial in your garden, too. This native’s foliage appears fern-like, but bleeding heart is indeed a flowering plant. Heart-shaped, clustering flowers bloom in spring and remain through summer.
As an understory plant, bleeding heart will grow just fine in partial shade. It has a medium growth rate and won’t reach two feet tall, barely extending to two feet wide. It won’t take up much space in your garden. While bleeding heart attracts pollinators, deer and rabbits ignore it.
Mealy Sage
Dark-blue blooms thrive in sunlight and withstand extreme temperatures.
Mealy sage is a standard in hot climates, like most other Salvia species, thriving despite extreme temps. This perennial has a clumping growth habit, so even though it’s in the mint family, it won’t spread through underground rhizomes. Instead, mealy sage expands to be about two feet wide.
This species prefers lots of sunlight and will produce dark-blue, nearly purple flowers when happy. It’s perennial in zones 8 through 10, where you can expect it to return each year with minimal care, though it’s commonly grown as an annual in cooler zones.
Licorice Mint
Salmon-colored blooms attract hummingbirds and deter deer naturally.
Licorice mint is indeed licorice-scented, which is a great feature for two reasons. One, it creates a fresh scent in the breeze, and two, it deters deer from wreaking havoc in your organized garden. This native grows to be about three feet tall and barely two feet wide.
It’s perennial in mild areas, zones 5 through 8, where it produces unusual, salmon-colored blooms. The flowers are tubular, so hummingbirds can’t get enough of them. Licorice mint thrives in sandy soils as well as shallow, rocky soil.
Cardinal Flower
Tall red flowers attract hummingbirds and stay neatly in place.
Cardinal flower is a low-maintenance perennial that produces tall stems with rich, red flowers. This native plant is tidy and easy to grow in most regions. This species has an erect growth habit and is not known as an aggressive spreader. Though it reaches five feet in height, it’s only about two feet wide and stays in place.
Multiple cultivars are available, including those with pink blooms and ‘Queen Victoria,’ which has red blooms but bronze foliage. Whichever you choose, hummingbirds will be pleased. This perennial is hardy in a wide range of zones and is an excellent choice for a border.
Carolina Lupine
Tall yellow blooms attract pollinators and thrive in gardens.
If yellow flowers are what you’re after, consider growing Carolina lupine, which is native to North Carolina and Georgia. It’s a clumping perennial that stays wherever you plant it, reaching five feet in height and about three feet in width.
Carolina lupine blooms in spring and into summer, with pea-shaped flowers along tall stems. As a native, pollinators love it, and it’s a host plant for various butterfly larvae.
Once this plant is done flowering, you can cut off the seed pods not only to prevent spreading but also to encourage it to bloom again in fall.
Winterberry
Red berries stand out in winter and attract wildlife.
Winterberry, which is also sometimes called winterberry holly, has a distinct festive appearance. Its red berries stand out among green leaves, and in winter, the berries pop even more against a blanket of white snow, benefiting birds and small mammals.
This slow-growing shrub or small tree is ideal if you’re searching for a larger specimen that will stay in place. You can even use it to form a low-maintenance border or hedge. There are many winterberry cultivars available, including smaller cultivars like ‘Sunset’ that only reach eight feet.
Aloe Yucca
Tall stems with creamy white flowers add tropical flair to gardens.
Aloe yucca is an unusual shrub or succulent that naturally grows in sand dunes. If you have particularly sandy or rocky soil and are looking for a statement plant that won’t sprawl in the garden, aloe yucca could be the right choice.
These perennials are hardy all the way down to zone 6, adding some tropical flavor to cooler zones. They reach about 15 feet tall but are usually only about five feet wide. In summer, aloe yucca sends up eye-catching stems of pendulous flowers that mature into dark purple fruits.
Southern Maidenhair Fern
Delicate fronds add lush greenery to shaded garden spots.
A fern makes a lovely addition to a tidy garden, particularly one as delicate and compact as the Southern maidenhair fern. Perennial in zones 6 through 9, this temperate fern has beautiful sectioned fronds that are bright green.
As a fern, this species doesn’t need much light, and it’s barely two feet in height and width. This makes it ideal for understory spots in your garden where taller flowers and shrubs create shade. Southern maidenhair ferns will clump over time, but gardeners can easily divide them.
Heuchera
Colorful foliage and white blooms make a vibrant ground cover.
Sometimes, you’re just looking for a really solid foliage plant, and that’s Heuchera. This genus includes 50 different perennial species that gardeners appreciate for their colorful leaves. You can find Heuchera with foliage in shades of green, yellow, red, and purple.
Heuchera blooms, too, with showy bell-shaped flowers that are typically coral in color and emerge in the spring, hence the common name “coral bells.” This ground cover plant is an erect, mounding option that won’t aggressively spread or outgrow its welcome.
Between its foliage and flowers, it’s the best of both worlds. Choose a North American native species for the best results!
Spotted Bee Balm
Light pink flowers attract wildlife and stay neatly clumped.
While regular bee balm is a bit of a spreader, spotted bee balm is not. It does technically spread through underground runners, but it won’t be taking over your garden anytime soon. Instead, this native perennial forms clumps that stay in place.
Spotted bee balm reaches up to four feet tall and produces unique, light pink flowers. It’s ideal in areas that receive full sun and have sandy soil. Spotted bee balm is critical for wildlife, including ruby-throated hummingbirds and various specialized bees.
Carolina Phlox
Clusters of purple flowers thrive in full sun and resist mildew.
Native to the southeastern U.S., Carolina phlox is a tidy clumping perennial plant with clusters of purple flowers. For white flowers, look into the ‘Kim’ cultivar. This species barely reseeds and usually just slowly spreads in place over the years.
Carolina phlox can grow in partial shade but blooms best in full sun during the longest days of the year. It may rebloom off and on until the first frost. This native is also remarkably resistant to powdery mildew, so it’s a good choice in humid climates.
