Quick answer: 7 native Arkansas plants have a recorded bloom range that includes December.
7 species
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Ozark witch-hazel Hamamelis vernalis · 1 states
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · 19 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
December in an Arkansas native garden
December is a quieter month in Arkansas: 7 of the state's 278 native plants flower in December, compared with 178 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
7 finish in December, including Buffalograss, Carolina jessamine and Little bluestem, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
5 of them grow in full or partial sun and 2 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Buffalograss to trees such as Carolina jessamine and Longleaf pine. For wildlife, 4 support pollinators, 6 provide food or cover for birds and 2 are caterpillar host plants.
All 7 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · Sun · blooms Apr-Dec
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · Sun · blooms Aug-Dec