Quick answer: 14 native Oklahoma plants have a recorded bloom range that includes February.
14 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
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Mexican plum Prunus mexicana · 10 states
- Pink evening primrose Oenothera speciosa · 8 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Scarlet sage Salvia coccinea · 3 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
February in an Oklahoma native garden
February is a quieter month in Oklahoma: 14 of the state's 247 native plants flower in February, compared with 159 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
12 start blooming in February, including American elm, Black willow and Eastern cottonwood.
9 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 Eastern red columbine and Pink evening primrose to trees such as American elm and Black willow. For wildlife, 13 support pollinators, 12 provide food or cover for birds and 10 are caterpillar host plants.
13 of the 14 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