23 Native Plants for Clay Soils

Clay soil presents a real challenge to gardeners. Many popular plants struggle in these soils, which often drain poorly, have minimal aeration for roots, and become compacted over time. This can lead to root rot and nutrient deficiency.

However, some species, especially those that have evolved in wet, compacted soils along streams and riverbanks, actually thrive in clay soil. If you’ve discovered that the soil around your home is not so well-draining, don’t fret.

There are many native U.S. plants that will flourish in clay soil, and unlike non-native species, they won’t disturb the natural ecosystem. You just need to know which plants to start with. We’ve assembled more than 20 plants to guide your selection.

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Coneflower

You can’t go wrong with classic purple coneflower. This native perennial thrives in most conditions, and there are tons of cultivars available. Beyond the classic purple, you can find coneflowers that bloom red, pink, yellow, orange, brown, and white. The newer cultivar ‘Alan’s Pride’ even has lime-green flowers.

Coneflowers start blooming in summer and provide color all through fall. Once established, they don’t really need to be watered, fertilized, or maintained in any way. You may want to prune in spring to keep a desired shape, but it’s not necessary.

Smooth Hydrangea

Smooth hydrangea grows naturally in a variety of locations, including moist streambanks, so it’s well-suited for clay soil. These deciduous shrubs have spherical blooms available in shades of white and pink.

Maxing out at about five feet tall and wide, smooth hydrangeas form excellent borders, attracting butterflies and other pollinators. They’re also fairly resistant to multiple challenges beyond clay, including salt and erosion. Deer and other mammals tend to leave these perennials alone, too.

Creeping Phlox

Creeping phlox is the perfect native ground cover plant to grow in clay soil. Native to Appalachia, this perennial does prefer well-draining soil but can tolerate some consistent moisture, especially when planted on slopes.

You can find creeping phlox with blue, pink, purple, and white flowers, so you’re sure to find an option that compliments the other colors in your garden. Deadhead these regularly throughout spring and summer to get the most blooms and help prevent powdery mildew.

Trumpet Vine

If you’re looking for a native plant that will grow pretty much anywhere with sun—including heavy clay soil—then you’ve found it with trumpet vine. This aggressive spreader has gorgeous clusters of orange, trumpet-shaped flowers that hummingbirds flock to.

Just be careful where you plant it. Though it’s native, trumpet vine spreads vigorously through underground runners, through its climbing stems, and through seeds. It’s a beautiful vine when well-maintained but can become a nuisance if you let it.

Flowering Dogwood

Flowering dogwood is a deciduous, flowering tree that’s native to eastern North America. Reaching about 25 feet in maturity, it fits perfectly in residential areas and even as a focal piece in gardens. Early each spring, dogwoods bloom with pink or white flowers that catch the eye before most greenery returns to the landscape.

Though they will grow in clay, flowering dogwoods will benefit from some compost, providing organic matter and some aeration to improve drainage.

Swamp Milkweed

There are more than 100 species of milkweed. If you have clay soil, then give native swamp milkweed plants a try. As the name suggests, its roots are used to a bit more water. This plant naturally grows alongside streams and bogs.

Swamp milkweed is native to nearly all of the United States except for the West Coast. Planting local species of milkweed is critical for the success of monarch butterflies, so make sure you’re in A. incarnata’s native range.

Southern Lady Fern

Why not plant a fern in your challenging soil? Southern lady ferns naturally grow in moist woods and sometimes even in swamps, tolerating both sand and clay. Their bountiful fronds are a bright shade of green, and you can grow them in the shade.

Spreading via underground rhizomes as well as spores, you’ll find this fern clumps and gets more dense over time. You can easily divide this species or just let it grow naturally, forming lush thickets of fern.

American Beautyberry

American beautyberry is a deciduous shrub in the mint family that’s native to the southeastern U.S. Only hardy in slightly warmer zones, this shrub grows in any type of soil that has decent drainage in zones 6 through 10.

The defining feature of American beautyberry has got to be its berries. Following flowers, the berries emerge in clumps in a shade of bright, bold purple in the fall. These berries really stand out, and they attract songbirds.

Bushy St. John’s Wort

Bushy St. John’s wort is native to much of the eastern United States, while common St. John’s wort is actually not a U.S. native. The bushier version also has clusters of yellow flowers, while this perennial has more of a bushy growth rate.

This species naturally grows in wet, acidic soils near streams and ponds. It’ll grow well in your clay soil, too, especially if it leans toward the acidic side. This adaptable perennial forms a great border and also compliments pollinator gardens.

Winterberry

Winterberry, also known as winterberry holly, has beautiful, dark red berries that mature in the fall. The berries pop in the winter landscape. It’s not uncommon to see these red berries among a blanket of snow.

This deciduous shrub or small tree grows up to 15 feet tall, but there are dwarf varieties available. Extremely versatile, winterberry not only grows in nearly any type of soil but also tolerates nearly any sun exposure, from full sun to deep shade.

Arrowwood Viburnum

Another popular shrub, arrowwood viburnum produces white clusters of flowers that mature into dark blue drupes. This species is commonly grown in rows to form hedges or a privacy fence. This native plant thrives despite most challenges, including compacted clay soil.

Butterflies, bees, and birds all love arrowwood viburnum, whose showy flowers emerge in spring. The blue fruits are visible on these shrubs in summer and fall, so arrowwood viburnum provides visual interest for most of the year.

Bee Balm

Bee balm is a native member of the plant family Lamiaceae (the mint family), and it actually grows in almost any kind of soil, including clay. There are many types of bee balm and many cultivars, available with pink, red, and purple flowers.

Of course, bee balm is known for attracting bees, but hummingbirds and butterflies love it, too. This low-maintenance perennial thrives as long as it gets a few hours of sun, reaching up to about four feet in height.

Black-Eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susans have to be one of the most iconic house-border plants, emerging in summer and offering their cheery yellow flowers until frost. There’s a reason these plants are so common; they’ll grow pretty much anywhere that gets sun in zones 3 through 8.

Though Black-eyed Susan plants are actually biennials, they self-seed pretty aggressively. If yours appear to be thriving, then they won’t be disappearing any time soon.

These flowers are available in shades of red, too. Check out the new ‘Cherry Brandy’ cultivar, which has maroon petals around a brown center.

Fragrant Sumac

Fragrant sumac is another excellent groundcover or low shrub in clay soils. It sprawls to about ten feet wide, especially in bright, sunny areas. The leaves of this species are fragrant when crushed, producing a citrus scent.

In early spring, small flower clusters form on the branches of fragrant sumac, an indicator of seasonal change before the foliage emerges. In fall, the leaves deepen to shades of red and purple, bringing beautiful autumnal color to the landscape.

American Raspberry

If you’re looking to grow some sort of edible native species in clay soil, consider planting American raspberries. These perennial shrubs are native to most of the United States. You’ll find them growing in a range of places, from bogs to wooded slopes.

Note that you won’t be the only one looking forward to delicious raspberries. This species provides a crucial food source for a variety of wildlife. Consider planting these further from your essential garden if you don’t want too many critters.

Dwarf Palmetto

Dwarf palmetto or swamp palmetto can actually be grown in regions as cool as zone 7, adding a tropical vibe to the landscape. As its common names indicate, this evergreen shrub only reaches about ten feet in height and isn’t bothered by soggy soil.

In summer, these palmettos produce panicle flower clusters that are quite fragrant. The flowers mature into dark purple drupes. Dwarf palmettos attract both pollinators and small mammals that enjoy these fruits. 

Because they grow so slowly, dwarf palmettos are versatile. You can grow them as a shrub, and with time, they become small trees.

American Wisteria

American wisteria is found vining its way throughout swampy woods and stream borders throughout the southeastern half of the United States, and it’ll happily flourish in your clay soil, too. These woody vines produce delicate, purple racemes of flowers.

To get the best blooms possible, you’ll want to plant this in full sun, though it’ll grow in partial shade, too. These woody vines will find their way to the light they need. You may even want to prune your American wisteria each year after it finishes flowering.

Adam’s Needle

Yucca filamentosa, commonly called Adam’s needle, is a unique evergreen clumping shrub with long, rigid leaves that come to a point. This perennial grows in a rosette shape, and when it flowers, it sends up bold, central panicles of white flowers.

Adam’s needle will grow in clay but does prefer some drainage. Fertilizer is not needed for this shrub, which survives just fine in poor-quality soil. Hummingbirds, mammals, and all kinds of critters enjoy this species.

Specialized yucca moths actually have a symbiotic relationship with this southeastern U.S. native. The moths pollinate, and then the moth larvae enjoy the fruit.

Cardinal Flower

Cardinal flower prefers soils that never dry out, which is what makes them perfect in troubling clay soil. This Lobelia is even unbothered by flooding.

These herbaceous perennials grow up to five feet tall and produce bold, red flowers that are absolute magnets for butterflies and hummingbirds.

This species should be placed in a spot where it gets partial sun, protecting it from the harshest rays of midday. However, it grows fairly well in full sun in its cooler perennial zones, such as zones 3 and 4.

Multiple cultivars exist for cardinal flower, including a couple with pink flowers instead of red. The ‘Queen Victoria’ hybrid cultivar has red flowers accompanied by unique, bronze foliage.

Coral Honeysuckle

There are a lot of reasons to grow coral honeysuckle, beyond just its ability to grow in most soils. This vine has unique, coral-colored flowers that truly stand out, unusual pollinators absolutely adore it, and it looks lovely on a trellis.

Unlike Japanese honeysuckle, which is invasive and hard to control, coral honeysuckle is native to the southeastern United States. Traditionally, coral honeysuckle has pinkish flowers that set it apart from Japanese honeysuckle’s yellow flowers.

However, multiple cultivars of coral honeysuckle exist, with yellow, white, and redder flowers. Regardless of color, expect this perennial to flower in spring and summer, followed by bright red berries in the fall.

Eastern Bluestar

Eastern bluestar is native to much of the eastern United States, where it’s frequently found growing along streams. These small, clumping perennials grow to be about three feet tall and three feet wide, so they’re perfect to pop into borders.

This species has lance-like leaves with delicate, star-shaped flowers that are light blue. Eastern bluestar blooms for about a month, and then the flowers mature into elongated bods. This species offers fall-colored foliage, too. The leaves transition to a golden shade in autumn.

Over time, you may want to prune eastern bluestar to form a compact, bushy shape. Note that this native does have a milky sap when cut, so wear gloves and use sharp pruners. 

Tall Coreopsis

Tall coreopsis, also called tickseed, is an herbaceous perennial in the aster family, native to the central and southeastern United States. They’re called “tall” for a reason, sometimes reaching up to nine feet in height when planting in ideal conditions.

These flowers can tolerate a variety of soils, and they grow prolifically. They have flowers similar to black-eyed Susans, though tall coreopsis plants are a bit more spindly while black-eyed Susans are more condensed.

This perennial is excellent to add to pollinator gardens, and birds love this plant. Its growth habit adds an airy feel to the garden. Note that you’ll need to divide tall coreopsis with time, or otherwise it may take up all your garden real estate.

Big Bluestem

Lastly, why not grow a type of grass in clay soil? Big bluestem is a perennial grass native to America’s prairies. It’s known for its deep roots that prevent erosion and can be planted along streams and near ponds.

This species is frequently used for land restoration, because it does so much for the ecosystem. Big bluestem provides wildlife habitat in addition to benefiting soil structure.

One plant gets up to eight feet tall and three feet wide, so you can also use big bluestem as a privacy fence. Overtime, it will spread via rhizomes underground.