Quick answer: 6 native Montana plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
6 species
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
March in a Montana native garden
March is a quieter month in Montana: 6 of the state's 78 native plants flower in March, compared with 56 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
5 start blooming in March, including Bearberry, Canada wild rye and Gray alder.
6 of them grow in full or partial sun and 4 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Seep monkeyflower to trees such as Bearberry and Eastern cottonwood. For wildlife, 5 support pollinators, 6 provide food or cover for birds and 4 are caterpillar host plants.
5 of the 6 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
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Mar-Jun