Quick answer: 53 native New Mexico plants have a recorded bloom range that includes April.
53 species
- Alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus · 15 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 states
- Autumn sage Salvia greggii · 2 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Chocolate flower Berlandiera lyrata · 6 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Desert willow Chilopsis linearis · 5 states
- Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii · 12 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii · 7 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Golden currant Ribes aureum · 3 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Mexican buckeye Ungnadia speciosa · 2 states
- New Mexico locust Robinia neomexicana · 2 states
- Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens · 3 states
- Pink evening primrose Oenothera speciosa · 8 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red yucca Hesperaloe parviflora · 2 states
- Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia · 14 states
- Scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea · 12 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis · 5 states
- Velvet mesquite Prosopis velutina · 3 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
- Yellow bells (esperanza) Tecoma stans · 3 states
April in a New Mexico native garden
April is a quieter month in New Mexico: 53 of the state's 107 native plants flower in April, compared with 84 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
31 start blooming in April, including Alderleaf mountain mahogany, American plum and Antelope bitterbrush. 2 finish in April, including Eastern cottonwood and Fremont cottonwood, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
45 of them grow in full or partial sun and 16 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Buffalograss and Chocolate flower to trees such as Alderleaf mountain mahogany and American plum. For wildlife, 41 support pollinators, 31 provide food or cover for birds and 14 are caterpillar host plants.
36 of the 53 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Autumn sage, Common yarrow: 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