Quick answer: 102 native Virginia plants have a recorded bloom range that includes August.
102 species
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa · 21 states
- American alumroot Heuchera americana · 20 states
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 34 states
- Arctic brome (Kalm's brome) Bromus kalmii · 15 states
- 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
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba · 21 states
- Bunchberry Cornus canadensis · 18 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
- Coastal sweetpepperbush Clethra alnifolia · 13 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common selfheal Prunella vulgaris · 25 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 states
- Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum · 32 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dense blazing star Liatris spicata · 24 states
- Devil's walking stick Aralia spinosa · 21 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Eastern teaberry Gaultheria procumbens · 23 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Fewleaf sunflower Helianthus occidentalis · 16 states
- Fire pink Silene virginica · 26 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Great laurel Rhododendron maximum · 20 states
- Green-and-gold Chrysogonum virginianum · 13 states
- Groundnut Apios americana · 21 states
- Groundsel tree Baccharis halimifolia · 12 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Inkberry Ilex glabra · 14 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus · 26 states
- King of the meadow Thalictrum pubescens · 21 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana · 17 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis · 18 states
- Northern blue flag Iris versicolor · 10 states
- Northern bush honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera · 18 states
- Orange coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida · 23 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis · 19 states
- Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium · 20 states
- Roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata · 30 states
- Scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa · 22 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens · 13 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Shrubby five-fingers Sibbaldiopsis tridentata · 15 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Smooth hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens · 23 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 30 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum · 17 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa · 22 states
- Swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum · 15 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Swamp rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet-fern Comptonia peregrina · 21 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tall blazing star Liatris aspera · 26 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- Virginia saltmarsh mallow Kosteletzkya pentacarpos · 11 states
- Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana · 24 states
- White doll's daisy Boltonia asteroides · 16 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
- White snakeroot Ageratina altissima · 23 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 22 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum · 30 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 28 states
- Yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea · 21 states
August in a Virginia native garden
August is a quieter month in Virginia: 102 of the state's 334 native plants flower in August, compared with 212 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
15 start blooming in August, including Big bluestem, Closed bottle gentian and Groundsel tree. 29 finish in August, including Adam's needle, American alumroot and American bellflower, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
74 of them grow in full or partial sun and 46 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like American alumroot and Black-eyed Susan to trees such as Devil's walking stick and Great laurel. For wildlife, 89 support pollinators, 61 provide food or cover for birds and 31 are caterpillar host plants.
84 of the 102 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American alumroot, Black-eyed Susan, Coastal sweetpepperbush: 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
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug