Quick answer: 15 native Louisiana plants have a recorded bloom range that includes February.
15 species
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American olive Osmanthus americanus · 8 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Mayhaw Crataegus opaca · 6 states
- Mexican plum Prunus mexicana · 10 states
- Pink evening primrose Oenothera speciosa · 8 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Southern crabapple Malus angustifolia · 14 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
February in a Louisiana native garden
February is a quieter month in Louisiana: 15 of the state's 179 native plants flower in February, compared with 121 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
12 start blooming in February, including American elm, American olive and Black willow.
7 of them grow in full or partial sun and 10 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Pink evening primrose to trees such as American elm and American olive. For wildlife, 13 support pollinators, 13 provide food or cover for birds and 7 are caterpillar host plants.
12 of the 15 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild 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
- American elm Ulmus americana · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Black willow Salix nigra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Jul