Quick answer: 75 native Nebraska plants have a recorded bloom range that includes April.
75 species
- Alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus · 15 states
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia · 28 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 34 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis · 28 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue wild indigo Baptisia australis · 23 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada anemone Anemone canadensis · 29 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 26 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis · 12 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Feathery false Solomon's seal Maianthemum racemosum · 45 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Marsh marigold Caltha palustris · 28 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii · 11 states
- Roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii · 11 states
- Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia · 14 states
- Scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea · 12 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
April in a Nebraska native garden
April is a quieter month in Nebraska: 75 of the state's 162 native plants flower in April, compared with 100 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
42 start blooming in April, including Alderleaf mountain mahogany, American basswood and American bladdernut. 4 finish in April, including American sycamore, Bloodroot and Eastern cottonwood, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
57 of them grow in full or partial sun and 45 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Bloodroot to trees such as Alderleaf mountain mahogany and American basswood. For wildlife, 52 support pollinators, 47 provide food or cover for birds and 26 are caterpillar host plants.
63 of the 75 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Common yarrow, Eastern hop-hornbeam, 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.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr