Quick answer: 39 native North Carolina plants have a recorded bloom range that includes October.
39 species
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba · 21 states
- Canadian burnet Sanguisorba canadensis · 20 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Fewleaf sunflower Helianthus occidentalis · 16 states
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green-and-gold Chrysogonum virginianum · 13 states
- Groundsel tree Baccharis halimifolia · 12 states
- Gulf muhly Muhlenbergia capillaris · 16 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus · 26 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Loblolly bay Gordonia lasianthus · 7 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana · 17 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- Orange coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida · 23 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens · 13 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Virginia saltmarsh mallow Kosteletzkya pentacarpos · 11 states
- White doll's daisy Boltonia asteroides · 16 states
- White snakeroot Ageratina altissima · 23 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
October in a North Carolina native garden
October is a quieter month in North Carolina: 39 of the state's 315 native plants flower in October, compared with 205 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
24 finish in October, including Black-eyed Susan, Brown-eyed Susan and Canadian burnet, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
31 of them grow in full or partial sun and 11 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Flowering spurge to trees such as Carolina jessamine and Loblolly bay. For wildlife, 30 support pollinators, 24 provide food or cover for birds and 11 are caterpillar host plants.
33 of the 39 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Green-and-gold, Gulf muhly: 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.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov