Quick answer: 21 native Massachusetts plants have a recorded bloom range that includes October.
21 species
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Canadian burnet Sanguisorba canadensis · 20 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus · 26 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana · 17 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
- Seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens · 13 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
October in a Massachusetts native garden
October is a quieter month in Massachusetts: 21 of the state's 190 native plants flower in October, compared with 114 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
15 finish in October, including Black-eyed Susan, Canadian burnet and Cardinal flower, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
15 of them grow in full or partial sun and 8 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Maryland goldenaster to trees such as Witch-hazel. For wildlife, 16 support pollinators, 12 provide food or cover for birds and 6 are caterpillar host plants.
19 of the 21 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Switchgrass: 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