Quick answer: 70 native Florida plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
70 species
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American olive Osmanthus americanus · 8 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides · 17 states
- Beach sunflower Helianthus debilis · 1 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black oak Quercus velutina · 30 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Boxelder Acer negundo · 16 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Cocoplum Chrysobalanus icaco · 1 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Coral bean Erythrina herbacea · 10 states
- Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens · 16 states
- Crossvine Bignonia capreolata · 16 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris · 25 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Fringed bluestar Amsonia ciliata · 2 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Leavenworth's tickseed Coreopsis leavenworthii · 1 states
- Lobed tickseed Coreopsis auriculata · 8 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mayhaw Crataegus opaca · 6 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- Narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium · 21 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Orange azalea Rhododendron austrinum · 5 states
- Possumhaw Ilex decidua · 17 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Saw palmetto Serenoa repens · 4 states
- Scarlet sage Salvia coccinea · 3 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth alder Alnus serrulata · 23 states
- Southern crabapple Malus angustifolia · 14 states
- Southern live oak Quercus virginiana · 10 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Two-wing silverbell Halesia diptera · 8 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
March in a Florida native garden
March is a quieter month in Florida: 70 of the state's 228 native plants flower in March, compared with 145 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
52 start blooming in March, including Allegheny chinquapin, American holly and American hornbeam. 4 finish in March, including Loblolly pine, Mayhaw and River birch, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
39 of them grow in full or partial sun and 46 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Bloodroot and Eastern bluestar to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and American elm. For wildlife, 56 support pollinators, 51 provide food or cover for birds and 34 are caterpillar host plants.
54 of the 70 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Beach sunflower, Crossvine, Eastern bluestar: 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.
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-May
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · Part Shade, Shade (avoid continuous full sun) · blooms Feb-Jul