Quick answer: 23 native Texas plants have a recorded bloom range that includes February.
23 species
- Agarita Mahonia trifoliolata · 1 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii · 7 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Huisache Vachellia farnesiana · 1 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Mayhaw Crataegus opaca · 6 states
- Mexican olive Cordia boissieri · 1 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
- Southern crabapple Malus angustifolia · 14 states
- Texas mountain laurel Dermatophyllum secundiflorum · 1 states
- Texas persimmon Diospyros texana · 1 states
February in a Texas native garden
February is a quieter month in Texas: 23 of the state's 249 native plants flower in February, compared with 164 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
18 start blooming in February, including Agarita, American elm and Black willow.
17 of them grow in full or partial sun and 10 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, 19 support pollinators, 20 provide food or cover for birds and 11 are caterpillar host plants.
17 of the 23 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