Native Plants for Roadways: Tough, Resilient, and Built for the Midwest

By Mandy Komes-Leifheit

Roadway landscapes present some of the most difficult growing conditions for plants. Winter salt spray, drought, reflected heat from pavement, compacted soils, and limited maintenance create a challenging environment where many ornamental plants struggle to survive.

Fortunately, many Midwestern native plants evolved under similar conditions. Prairie and roadside species are naturally adapted to full sun, dry soils, and exposure to wind and heat. These characteristics make them well suited for roadway plantings including highway medians, parkways, municipal corridors, and transportation right of ways.

By selecting durable native species, landscape professionals can create plantings that are both resilient and visually appealing while also supporting pollinators and improving ecological function.

Understanding Roadway Site Conditions

Plants along roadways must tolerate a unique combination of environmental stresses. Winter de-icing salts can accumulate in soils and splash onto foliage. Pavement and concrete reflect heat, increasing soil temperatures and accelerating moisture loss. Soil in these areas is often compacted and low in organic matter due to construction activity.

Successful roadway plantings rely on selecting species that can tolerate:

• Salt exposure
• Drought and heat
• Lean or compacted soils
• Wind and full sun
• Minimal irrigation and maintenance

Native prairie plants, with their deep root systems and natural resilience, are often ideal candidates for these environments.

Municipalities Adopting Native Roadway Plantings

As increasingly infrequent rain events create drier growing conditions, many municipalities are rethinking traditional roadside plantings. Turfgrass and conventional landscape beds often struggle in these areas, requiring frequent irrigation, replanting, or chemical inputs to maintain appearance.

As a result, some municipalities are transitioning to native planting matrices, composed of durable native grasses and forbs. These plantings are designed to tolerate salt exposure, heat, and drought while providing long term ecological benefits and reduced maintenance over time.

Jon Yeater, Supervisor of Forestry and Grounds for the Village of Westmont, has implemented this approach in several locations throughout the community.

“A resident approached me about improving a degraded landscaped median,” Yeater said. “The site had three barberry, a couple yuccas, some gravel, and a streetlight. In my opinion the site was an ugly eyesore and required regular herbicide applications to keep weeds at bay.”

Yeater emphasized that preparation is critical for success.

“Initial site preparation is the most important part of the process,” he said. “Eliminate everything from the site to start with a clean, blank slate, or you will battle common lawn weeds such as prostrate knotweed, prickly lettuce, chickweed, and dandelion, to name a few. Starting with a clean slate allows your plants to establish quickly and require much less maintenance.”

The planting has continued to evolve over time.

“Now several years later we have expanded this planting approach to multiple locations throughout the village,” Yeater said. “Most of the plants are thriving in these tough conditions. There is still some yearly editing and additional planting that takes place, but overall, the plantings have proven to be durable and successful.”

Projects like this demonstrate how native plants can transform difficult infrastructure spaces into resilient landscapes that support pollinators while improving visual interest in neighborhoods.

Highly Durable Roadway Species

Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower
Highly adaptable and tolerant of drought, heat, and lean soils. A durable prairie species that provides strong summer color and pollinator value.

Rudbeckia hirta Black Eyed Susan
A classic roadside species that establishes quickly in disturbed soils and provides bright early color.

Solidago speciosa Showy Goldenrod
An upright goldenrod that tolerates drought and tough soils while providing strong late season color.

Schizachyrium scoparium Little Bluestem
One of the most adaptable prairie grasses. Extremely tolerant of drought, heat, and poor soils.

Sporobolus heterolepis Prairie Dropseed
Fine textured native grass that tolerates drought and lean soils while forming tidy mounds.

Carex brevior Plains Oval Sedge
A durable sedge that tolerates dry soils and open sun conditions.

Carex bicknellii Bicknell Sedge
Handles dry to mesic prairie soils and works well in naturalized roadway plantings.

Excellent for Dry, Lean Roadway Soils

Tradescantia ohiensis Ohio Spiderwort
Adaptable and tolerant of drought once established while providing early season blooms.

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium Aromatic Aster
Extremely durable in dry soils and full sun. Excellent for tough roadside sites.

Bouteloua curtipendula Side Oats Grama
A drought tolerant prairie grass that thrives in lean soils and exposed sites.

Panicum virgatum Switchgrass
A durable native grass that tolerates a wide range of soil conditions.

Carex vulpinoidea Fox Sedge
Adaptable and tolerant of a range of soils, often used in restoration and roadside stabilization.

Liatris aspera Rough Blazing Star
Highly tolerant of dry prairie soils and exposed conditions while providing late season color and pollinator support.

Shorter Species for Medians and Visibility Areas

Dalea purpurea Purple Prairie Clover
A nitrogen fixing legume that tolerates drought and lean soils. Excellent for prairie mixes and highway medians.

Dalea candida White Prairie Clover
Similar durability to Dalea purpurea but with white blooms.

Baptisia leucophaea Cream Wild Indigo
Strong structure and excellent drought tolerance make it suitable for prairie plantings and exposed sites.

Ruellia humilis Wild Petunia
Compact growth and excellent drought tolerance make it suitable for exposed sites.

Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Weed
Extremely drought tolerant once established and well suited for dry roadside soils. Its bright orange flowers provide strong seasonal color and valuable habitat for monarch butterflies.

Roadway Workhorses for Restoration Mixes

Monarda fistulosa Wild Bergamot
Highly adaptable and tolerant of dry soils while supporting pollinators.

Heliopsis helianthoides False Sunflower
Durable and long blooming with strong visual impact.

Coreopsis tripteris Tall Coreopsis
A late season bloomer that adds height and structure to prairie plantings.

Symphyotrichum laeve Smooth Blue Aster
Excellent drought tolerance with valuable late season pollinator support.

Symphyotrichum oolentangiense Sky Blue Aster
Performs well in dry prairie conditions and provides fall color.

Panicum virgatum Switchgrass
A durable native grass that tolerates a wide range of soil conditions.

Designing for Successful Roadway Plantings

Successful roadway plantings begin with thoughtful plant selection and realistic expectations for these challenging environments. Unlike traditional landscape beds, roadway plantings must tolerate salt exposure, reflected heat, compacted soils, and periods of drought while remaining visually appealing with minimal maintenance.

Using a matrix of durable native grasses, sedges, and flowering perennials creates a resilient planting structure. Grasses such as Schizachyrium scoparium, Sporobolus heterolepis, and Panicum virgatum provide the backbone of the planting, offering year round structure and deep root systems that stabilize soils and improve water infiltration. Interplanting with hardy forbs adds seasonal color and pollinator value while filling in spaces within the planting matrix.

Initial site preparation is also critical. Removing existing turf and reducing weed pressure before planting allows native species to establish more successfully. In many cases, plugs or small container plants establish faster and compete more effectively than seed in difficult roadside environments.

While native plantings are often promoted as low maintenance, they are not no maintenance. Successful installations require periodic editing, especially in the first few years as plant communities establish. This may include removing aggressive weeds, adjusting plant density, or adding additional species to strengthen the planting over time.

When properly designed and managed, native roadway plantings can provide long term durability while reducing irrigation, mowing, and chemical inputs. These landscapes also offer seasonal beauty and important habitat value, transforming difficult infrastructure spaces into resilient green corridors throughout our communities.