Quick answer: 38 native Rhode Island plants have a recorded bloom range that includes September.
38 species
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canadian burnet Sanguisorba canadensis · 20 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dense blazing star Liatris spicata · 24 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Inkberry Ilex glabra · 14 states
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus · 26 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana · 17 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis · 18 states
- Northern bayberry Morella pensylvanica · 2 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
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa · 22 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
September in a Rhode Island native garden
September is a quieter month in Rhode Island: 38 of the state's 181 native plants flower in September, compared with 108 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
Witch-hazel starts blooming in September. 17 finish in September, including Blue vervain, Butterflyweed and Common yarrow, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
29 of them grow in full or partial sun and 16 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Butterflyweed to trees such as Northern bayberry and Trumpet vine. For wildlife, 31 support pollinators, 27 provide food or cover for birds and 13 are caterpillar host plants.
35 of the 38 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Crimson-eyed rose-mallow: 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