Quick answer: 94 native Arizona plants have a recorded bloom range that includes May.
94 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
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Arizona rosewood Vauquelinia californica · 1 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
- Bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata · 16 states
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · 4 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum · 2 states
- California flannelbush Fremontodendron californicum · 3 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta · 4 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 elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common sotol Dasylirion wheeleri · 3 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Deerbrush Ceanothus integerrimus · 5 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
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon eatonii · 3 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
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 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
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Miniature lupine Lupinus bicolor · 4 states
- New Mexico locust Robinia neomexicana · 2 states
- Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor · 9 states
- Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens · 3 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 9 states
- Palmer's penstemon Penstemon palmeri · 3 states
- Pineleaf penstemon Penstemon pinifolius · 2 states
- Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa · 16 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Purple sage (desert sage) Salvia dorrii · 7 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red barberry Mahonia haematocarpa · 1 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · 11 states
- Rocky Mountain penstemon Penstemon strictus · 5 states
- Rush milkweed Asclepias subulata · 3 states
- Saguaro Carnegiea gigantea · 1 states
- Scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea · 12 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 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 yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
- Wyoming Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia · 9 states
- Yellow bells (esperanza) Tecoma stans · 3 states
May in an Arizona native garden
May is one of Arizona's busiest bloom months, with 94 of the state's 127 native plants flowering (the peak is June).
28 start blooming in May, including Apache plume, Arizona rosewood and Bluebunch wheatgrass. 13 finish in May, including Alderleaf mountain mahogany, Anderson wolfberry and Arroyo lupine, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
79 of them grow in full or partial sun and 24 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, 75 support pollinators, 43 provide food or cover for birds and 15 are caterpillar host plants.
56 of the 94 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Common yarrow, Indian blanket: 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.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct