Quick answer: 18 native South Dakota plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
18 species
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Pussy willow Salix discolor · 18 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
March in a South Dakota native garden
March is a quieter month in South Dakota: 18 of the state's 146 native plants flower in March, compared with 91 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
15 start blooming in March, including Bearberry, Bloodroot and Bur oak. 1 finishes in March, including Pussy willow, so this is the last chance to see it in flower.
12 of them grow in full or partial sun and 14 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Bloodroot and Eastern red columbine to trees such as Bearberry and Bur oak. For wildlife, 13 support pollinators, 13 provide food or cover for birds and 7 are caterpillar host plants.
16 of the 18 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Wild blue phlox: 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.
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Mar-Jun