Plants that thrive in Chicago, IL
Chicago landscapes need plants hardy to USDA zone 6a that also tolerate heavy clay, road salt, and winter wind off the lake. Tallgrass prairie natives are the natural fit: little bluestem, prairie dropseed, purple coneflower, butterfly weed, aromatic aster, along with gray dogwood, ninebark, and serviceberry for structure. The failure most specific to this market is salt damage on parkway strips and driveway edges, which needs a separate, salt-tolerant plant list rather than the same one used for the back yard.
Chicago growing conditions at a glance
- USDA hardiness zone
- 6a
- Region
- the Chicago region and the northern Illinois tallgrass prairie
- Rainfall
- about 37 inches a year, plus significant winter snow
- Soil
- heavy clay in much of the region, often alkaline near the lake and compacted on city lots
- Hardest condition to design around
- road salt and winter wind on top of a genuine zone 6a freeze. Parkway and driveway-edge plantings in Chicago fail from salt long before they fail from cold
Shrubs and small trees
Structure that comes through a zone 6a winter, heavy clay, and lake wind without wrapping.
Serviceberry
Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance'
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Moderate
- Mature size
- 15 to 25 ft
Caveat: Four-season interest and one of the best small native trees for this climate. Birds take the fruit within days, and it is susceptible to rust disease if it is planted near junipers, which are the alternate host.
Gray Dogwood
Cornus racemosa
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Low to moderate, tolerates wet
- Mature size
- 6 to 10 ft, spreading
Caveat: Genuinely tough, salt tolerant, and useful along a driveway or parkway, and it suckers into a thicket. Use it as a mass or a hedgerow rather than a specimen.
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Low to moderate
- Mature size
- 5 to 8 ft, dwarf forms 3 to 4 ft
Caveat: Native, adaptable, and the dark-leaved cultivars get powdery mildew in humid summers, especially in part shade. Give it full sun and airflow, and pick a mildew-resistant selection.
Fragrant Sumac 'Gro-Low'
Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low'
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Low
- Mature size
- 2 to 3 ft tall, 6 to 8 ft wide
Caveat: One of the best salt-tolerant groundcover shrubs for a Chicago parkway or slope, and it spreads much wider than most plans allow. Give it 6 ft of room.
Prairie grasses
Native to this exact soil and climate, and they carry the garden through a Chicago winter as standing structure.
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Low
- Mature size
- 2 to 3 ft
Caveat: Superb copper winter color and it flops in rich, irrigated, or partly shaded beds. Use an upright cultivar such as 'Standing Ovation' and keep it out of sprinkler range.
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Low
- Mature size
- 2 to 3 ft with flower stems
Caveat: The most refined native grass for a front-yard planting, with a fine fountain form and a scent often described as coriander. It is slow, taking three years to look established, and it is expensive as a result.
Northwind Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum 'Northwind'
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Low to moderate
- Mature size
- 4 to 5 ft
Caveat: Stays upright all winter where most switchgrass falls over, which is the reason to buy the named cultivar. It emerges late in spring, so do not give up on it in April.
Prairie perennials
Long-lived native perennials that handle clay and do not need dividing every other year.
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Low to moderate
- Mature size
- 2 to 3 ft
Caveat: The straight species is long lived in Chicago clay; many of the bright novelty cultivars do not survive their second winter. Leave the seed heads standing for goldfinches.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Very low
- Mature size
- 18 to 24 in
Caveat: A monarch host plant with a deep taproot, which means it hates being moved and needs sharp drainage. It also emerges very late, often not until late May, and is frequently weeded out by mistake.
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Very low
- Mature size
- 18 to 30 in
Caveat: Blooms into October when the rest of the garden is finished, and it flops without a shear in early summer. It spreads slowly by rhizome.
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Low
- Mature size
- 6 to 12 in, seed heads to 18 in
Caveat: Early spring flowers followed by smoky pink seed heads, and it is small enough to be lost in a big border. Plant it at a path edge in a well-drained spot, since it rots in wet clay.
What should you not plant in Chicago?
Skip common buckthorn, Japanese barberry, burning bush (Euonymus alatus), and callery/Bradford pear. All are invasive in northern Illinois and buckthorn already dominates most local woodland edges. Also avoid boxwood as a primary evergreen: boxwood blight is now present in the region and winter burn is common on exposed sites.
What are the watering rules in Chicago?
Chicago has no routine day-of-week watering restrictions, but the city's landscape ordinance sets parkway and parking-lot planting requirements, and many suburbs regulate parkway trees and require permits to plant in the right-of-way. Check before planting anything between the sidewalk and the street.
Water rules and rebate programs change. Confirm the current stage and schedule with your local water provider before relying on it.
Questions
What plants survive Chicago winters?
Plants rated to USDA zone 6a or colder, which in the Chicago region means tallgrass prairie natives perform best: little bluestem, prairie dropseed, Northwind switchgrass, purple coneflower, butterfly weed, aromatic aster, and prairie smoke, with serviceberry, gray dogwood, ninebark, and fragrant sumac for structure. All are listed here with sun, water, mature size, and one honest caveat.
What plants tolerate road salt in Chicago?
Gray dogwood, fragrant sumac 'Gro-Low', little bluestem, and prairie dropseed are among the more salt-tolerant choices for a parkway strip or driveway edge. Salt spray and salty snowmelt are the leading cause of death for street-side plantings here, so treat the parkway as a separate plant list from the rest of the yard.
What grows in heavy clay soil in Chicago?
Prairie natives evolved in this clay and handle it without amendment: little bluestem, prairie dropseed, purple coneflower, aromatic aster, gray dogwood, and ninebark. The plants to keep out of wet clay are the sharp-drainage species on this list, butterfly weed and prairie smoke, which do better on a slope or in a raised, gritty bed.
When do prairie plants come up in spring in Chicago?
Later than most people expect. Butterfly weed often does not emerge until late May, and switchgrass, little bluestem, and prairie dropseed green up well after the first warm spell. A great deal of healthy prairie planting gets dug up or replaced in April by owners who assume it died over winter.
Want a plant list matched to your specific yard rather than Chicago in general? See how Dream Landscaper designs against your actual conditions, or skip ahead and get your free concept.
Other city plant guides
11 plants covered. Mature sizes and water needs are typical ranges for the Chicago, Illinois area and vary with microclimate, soil depth, and care. Nothing here is a substitute for a soil test or local extension advice.