Quick answer: 69 native Indiana plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
69 species
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- Allegheny serviceberry Amelanchier laevis · 17 states
- American alumroot Heuchera americana · 20 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Black ash Fraxinus nigra · 19 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
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Canada yew Taxus canadensis · 18 states
- Carolina springbeauty Claytonia caroliniana · 20 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Creeping phlox Phlox subulata · 23 states
- Dwarf crested iris Iris cristata · 17 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
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 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 red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Pussy willow Salix discolor · 18 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Scarlet oak Quercus coccinea · 28 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Shingle oak Quercus imbricaria · 18 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 red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor · 23 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Three-flower melic grass Melica nitens · 17 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla · 15 states
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 23 states
- Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana · 24 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Wild hyacinth (Atlantic camas) Camassia scilloides · 20 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
March in an Indiana native garden
March is a quieter month in Indiana: 69 of the state's 267 native plants flower in March, compared with 159 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
60 start blooming in March, including Allegheny chinquapin, Allegheny serviceberry and American alumroot. 2 finish in March, including Pussy willow and River birch, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
42 of them grow in full or partial sun and 51 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like American alumroot and Birdfoot violet to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and Allegheny serviceberry. For wildlife, 46 support pollinators, 46 provide food or cover for birds and 32 are caterpillar host plants.
55 of the 69 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American alumroot, Creeping phlox, Wild blue phlox: 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
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Mar-Jun