Quick answer: 6 native Rhode Island plants have a recorded bloom range that includes November.
6 species
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
November in a Rhode Island native garden
November is a quieter month in Rhode Island: 6 of the state's 181 native plants flower in November, compared with 108 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
4 finish in November, including Big bluestem, Blue mistflower and Sensitive fern, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
4 of them grow in full or partial sun and 2 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Sensitive fern to trees such as Witch-hazel. For wildlife, 4 support pollinators, 5 provide food or cover for birds and 3 are caterpillar host plants.
All 6 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Switchgrass: 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.
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jul-Nov