Quick answer: 33 native Maine plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
33 species
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides · 17 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
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada yew Taxus canadensis · 18 states
- Carolina springbeauty Claytonia caroliniana · 20 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Creeping phlox Phlox subulata · 23 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mountain maple Acer spicatum · 18 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Purple clematis Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis · 15 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- Scarlet oak Quercus coccinea · 28 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
March in a Maine native garden
March is a quieter month in Maine: 33 of the state's 125 native plants flower in March, compared with 74 at the April peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
27 start blooming in March, including American hornbeam, Atlantic white cedar and Bearberry.
23 of them grow in full or partial sun and 23 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Carolina springbeauty to trees such as American elm and American hornbeam. For wildlife, 23 support pollinators, 24 provide food or cover for birds and 18 are caterpillar host plants.
27 of the 33 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying 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
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-May