Quick answer: 23 native Maine plants have a recorded bloom range that includes September.
23 species
- Balsam fir Abies balsamea · 6 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus · 26 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
September in a Maine native garden
September is a quieter month in Maine: 23 of the state's 125 native plants flower in September, compared with 74 at the April peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
2 start blooming in September, including Balsam fir and Witch-hazel. 10 finish in September, including Butterflyweed, Common yarrow and Fall obedient plant, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
18 of them grow in full or partial sun and 12 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Butterflyweed to trees such as Balsam fir and Trumpet vine. For wildlife, 16 support pollinators, 16 provide food or cover for birds and 7 are caterpillar host plants.
22 of the 23 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Harebell: 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
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · Sun · blooms May-Sep