Quick answer: 87 native North Carolina plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
87 species
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- Allegheny serviceberry Amelanchier laevis · 17 states
- American alumroot Heuchera americana · 20 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American olive Osmanthus americanus · 8 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides · 17 states
- Bear oak Quercus ilicifolia · 13 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black oak Quercus velutina · 30 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Boxelder Acer negundo · 16 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Carolina springbeauty Claytonia caroliniana · 20 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Coral bean Erythrina herbacea · 10 states
- Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens · 16 states
- Creeping phlox Phlox subulata · 23 states
- Crossvine Bignonia capreolata · 16 states
- Dwarf crested iris Iris cristata · 17 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris · 25 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Heartleaf foamflower Tiarella cordifolia · 18 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lobed tickseed Coreopsis auriculata · 8 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- Mountain maple Acer spicatum · 18 states
- Narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium · 21 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Pitch pine Pinus rigida · 12 states
- Possumhaw Ilex decidua · 17 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Purple clematis Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis · 15 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Scarlet oak Quercus coccinea · 28 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Shingle oak Quercus imbricaria · 18 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth alder Alnus serrulata · 23 states
- Southern crabapple Malus angustifolia · 14 states
- Southern live oak Quercus virginiana · 10 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Southern wax myrtle Morella cerifera · 8 states
- Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor · 23 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Three-flower melic grass Melica nitens · 17 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla · 15 states
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 23 states
- Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana · 24 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Wild hyacinth (Atlantic camas) Camassia scilloides · 20 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
March in a North Carolina native garden
March is a quieter month in North Carolina: 87 of the state's 315 native plants flower in March, compared with 205 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
73 start blooming in March, including Allegheny chinquapin, Allegheny serviceberry and American alumroot. 3 finish in March, including Loblolly pine, River birch and Shortleaf pine, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
47 of them grow in full or partial sun and 59 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like American alumroot and Birdfoot violet to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and Allegheny serviceberry. For wildlife, 65 support pollinators, 60 provide food or cover for birds and 39 are caterpillar host plants.
67 of the 87 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American alumroot, Creeping phlox, Crossvine: 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.
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-May