Quick answer: 145 native Florida plants have a recorded bloom range that includes May.
145 species
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa · 21 states
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beautyberry Callicarpa americana · 13 states
- American beech Fagus grandifolia · 31 states
- American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia · 28 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American olive Osmanthus americanus · 8 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- American strawberry bush Euonymus americanus · 23 states
- American wisteria Wisteria frutescens · 14 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 tupelo Nyssa sylvatica · 31 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Carolina allspice Calycanthus floridus · 17 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 25 states
- Cocoplum Chrysobalanus icaco · 1 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common leopardbane Arnica acaulis · 10 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 26 states
- Common selfheal Prunella vulgaris · 25 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Coral bean Erythrina herbacea · 10 states
- Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens · 16 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Crossvine Bignonia capreolata · 16 states
- Cucumbertree Magnolia acuminata · 19 states
- Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum · 22 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Dwarf fothergilla Fothergilla gardenii · 5 states
- Dwarf palmetto Sabal minor · 6 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris · 25 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Eastern smooth beardtongue Penstemon laevigatus · 15 states
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Fevertree Pinckneya bracteata · 3 states
- Fire pink Silene virginica · 26 states
- Florida anisetree Illicium floridanum · 3 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Fringed bluestar Amsonia ciliata · 2 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Green-and-gold Chrysogonum virginianum · 13 states
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 30 states
- Highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum · 25 states
- Honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos · 13 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora · 25 states
- Leavenworth's tickseed Coreopsis leavenworthii · 1 states
- Lobed tickseed Coreopsis auriculata · 8 states
- Loblolly bay Gordonia lasianthus · 7 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 31 states
- Lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata · 22 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium · 21 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia · 30 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Possumhaw Ilex decidua · 17 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium · 20 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- Red chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia · 22 states
- Redbay Persea borbonia · 5 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum Viburnum rufidulum · 18 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Saw palmetto Serenoa repens · 4 states
- Scarlet sage Salvia coccinea · 3 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Silky camellia Stewartia malacodendron · 8 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens · 23 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum · 17 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Southern catalpa Catalpa bignonioides · 2 states
- Southern crabapple Malus angustifolia · 14 states
- Southern live oak Quercus virginiana · 10 states
- Southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora · 10 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Standing cypress Ipomopsis rubra · 6 states
- Stiff dogwood Cornus foemina · 12 states
- Stokes aster Stokesia laevis · 7 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum · 15 states
- Swamp rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana · 17 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Titi cyrilla Cyrilla racemiflora · 8 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera · 27 states
- Two-wing silverbell Halesia diptera · 8 states
- Umbrella tree magnolia Magnolia tripetala · 17 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica · 19 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White fringetree Chionanthus virginicus · 21 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 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
- Woolly pipevine Aristolochia tomentosa · 7 states
- Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria · 11 states
May in a Florida native garden
May is Florida's peak bloom month: 145 of the state's 228 native plants in this directory flower in May, more than in any other month.
38 start blooming in May, including American beautyberry, American strawberry bush and American wisteria. 44 finish in May, including American beech, American hornbeam and American olive, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
91 of them grow in full or partial sun and 95 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Butterflyweed and Common yarrow to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and American basswood. For wildlife, 115 support pollinators, 89 provide food or cover for birds and 60 are caterpillar host plants.
113 of the 145 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American wisteria, Beach sunflower, Common yarrow: 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.
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct