Quick answer: 26 native Louisiana plants have a recorded bloom range that includes October.
26 species
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dotted blazing star Liatris punctata · 17 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Gulf muhly Muhlenbergia capillaris · 16 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Loblolly bay Gordonia lasianthus · 7 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Pink-scale blazing star Liatris elegans · 9 states
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · 19 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Virginia saltmarsh mallow Kosteletzkya pentacarpos · 11 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
October in a Louisiana native garden
October is a quieter month in Louisiana: 26 of the state's 179 native plants flower in October, 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 finish in October, including Black-eyed Susan, Cardinal flower and Cutleaf coneflower, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
24 of them grow in full or partial sun and 6 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Buffalograss to trees such as Carolina jessamine and Loblolly bay. For wildlife, 22 support pollinators, 20 provide food or cover for birds and 10 are caterpillar host plants.
24 of the 26 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Gulf muhly, Indiangrass: 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.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov