Quick answer: 21 native New Mexico plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
21 species
- Autumn sage Salvia greggii · 2 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 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
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Mexican buckeye Ungnadia speciosa · 2 states
- Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens · 3 states
- Pink evening primrose Oenothera speciosa · 8 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red yucca Hesperaloe parviflora · 2 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
March in a New Mexico native garden
March is a quieter month in New Mexico: 21 of the state's 107 native plants flower in March, compared with 84 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
16 start blooming in March, including Autumn sage, Bearberry and Blackfoot daisy.
16 of them grow in full or partial sun and 9 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Desert marigold and Pink evening primrose to trees such as Bearberry and Eastern cottonwood. For wildlife, 18 support pollinators, 13 provide food or cover for birds and 8 are caterpillar host plants.
16 of the 21 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Autumn sage: common listings for it 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.
- 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