Quick answer: 10 native New York plants have a recorded bloom range that includes February.
10 species
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Pussy willow Salix discolor · 18 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
February in a New York native garden
February is a quieter month in New York: 10 of the state's 276 native plants flower in February, compared with 167 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
8 start blooming in February, including American elm, Black willow and Eastern cottonwood.
6 of them grow in full or partial sun and 7 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Eastern red columbine to trees such as American elm and Black willow. For wildlife, 9 support pollinators, 9 provide food or cover for birds and 8 are caterpillar host plants.
All 10 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
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · Part Shade, Shade (avoid continuous full sun) · blooms Feb-Jul
- American elm Ulmus americana · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Feb-Apr