Quick answer: 41 native Iowa plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
41 species
- 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 cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 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
- 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
- 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
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor · 23 states
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 23 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
March in an Iowa native garden
March is a quieter month in Iowa: 41 of the state's 196 native plants flower in March, compared with 116 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
37 start blooming in March, including American hornbeam, American sycamore and Bearberry. 2 finish in March, including Pussy willow and River birch, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
27 of them grow in full or partial sun and 31 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Bloodroot to trees such as American hornbeam and American sycamore. For wildlife, 29 support pollinators, 29 provide food or cover for birds and 21 are caterpillar host plants.
37 of the 41 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Wild blue phlox: common listings for it 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