Quick answer: 37 native Alabama plants have a recorded bloom range that includes October.
37 species
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba · 21 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green-and-gold Chrysogonum virginianum · 13 states
- Groundsel tree Baccharis halimifolia · 12 states
- Gulf muhly Muhlenbergia capillaris · 16 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus · 26 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Loblolly bay Gordonia lasianthus · 7 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana · 17 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- Orange coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida · 23 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pink-scale blazing star Liatris elegans · 9 states
- Seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens · 13 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Virginia saltmarsh mallow Kosteletzkya pentacarpos · 11 states
- White doll's daisy Boltonia asteroides · 16 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 26 states
- White snakeroot Ageratina altissima · 23 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
October in an Alabama native garden
October is a quieter month in Alabama: 37 of the state's 293 native plants flower in October, compared with 191 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
22 finish in October, including Black-eyed Susan, Brown-eyed Susan and Cardinal flower, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
30 of them grow in full or partial sun and 11 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Flowering spurge to trees such as Carolina jessamine and Loblolly bay. For wildlife, 28 support pollinators, 22 provide food or cover for birds and 11 are caterpillar host plants.
32 of the 37 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Green-and-gold, Gulf muhly: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov