Quick answer: 70 native Arizona plants have a recorded bloom range that includes April.
70 species
- Alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus · 15 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- Anderson wolfberry Lycium andersonii · 1 states
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 states
- Antelope-horns milkweed Asclepias asperula · 2 states
- Arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata · 12 states
- Arroyo lupine Lupinus succulentus · 2 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Beavertail prickly pear Opuntia basilaris · 1 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Blue palo verde Parkinsonia florida · 3 states
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · 4 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- California flannelbush Fremontodendron californicum · 3 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Chaparral yucca Hesperoyucca whipplei · 2 states
- Chocolate flower Berlandiera lyrata · 6 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Chuparosa Justicia californica · 1 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Desert bluebells Phacelia campanularia · 2 states
- Desert globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua · 2 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Desert sand verbena Abronia villosa · 4 states
- Desert willow Chilopsis linearis · 5 states
- Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii · 12 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Engelmann's hedgehog cactus Echinocereus engelmannii · 1 states
- Fairy duster Calliandra eriophylla · 1 states
- Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii · 7 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Globe gilia Gilia capitata · 5 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis · 2 states
- Joshua tree Yucca brevifolia · 3 states
- Lacy phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia · 3 states
- Miniature lupine Lupinus bicolor · 4 states
- New Mexico locust Robinia neomexicana · 2 states
- Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens · 3 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 9 states
- Parry's penstemon Penstemon parryi · 1 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red barberry Mahonia haematocarpa · 1 states
- Rush milkweed Asclepias subulata · 3 states
- Scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea · 12 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Tidy tips Layia platyglossa · 3 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis · 5 states
- Utah sweetvetch Hedysarum boreale · 3 states
- Velvet mesquite Prosopis velutina · 3 states
- Western redbud Cercis occidentalis · 4 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
- Yellow bells (esperanza) Tecoma stans · 3 states
April in an Arizona native garden
April is a quieter month in Arizona: 70 of the state's 127 native plants flower in April, compared with 98 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
34 start blooming in April, including Alderleaf mountain mahogany, American plum and Antelope bitterbrush. 3 finish in April, including Fremont cottonwood, Parry's penstemon and Western redbud, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
62 of them grow in full or partial sun and 15 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Antelope-horns milkweed and Arrowleaf balsamroot to trees such as Alderleaf mountain mahogany and American plum. For wildlife, 54 support pollinators, 30 provide food or cover for birds and 11 are caterpillar host plants.
42 of the 70 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Common yarrow: common listings for it 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.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- American plum Prunus americana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun