Quick answer: 8 native Colorado plants have a recorded bloom range that includes November.
8 species
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda · 23 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
November in a Colorado native garden
November is a quieter month in Colorado: 8 of the state's 100 native plants flower in November, compared with 75 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
5 finish in November, including Big bluestem, Blackfoot daisy and Shrubby cinquefoil, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
7 of them grow in full or partial sun and 1 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. 2 stay under about 3 feet, including Buffalograss and Sideoats grama, which suits borders and small yards. For wildlife, 8 support pollinators, 5 provide food or cover for birds and 5 are caterpillar host plants.
6 of the 8 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Shrubby cinquefoil, Switchgrass: 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.
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Nov