Quick answer: 38 native Washington plants have a recorded bloom range that includes April.
38 species
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 states
- Arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata · 12 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum · 3 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- California bay laurel Umbellularia californica · 3 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Checker lily Fritillaria affinis · 3 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Common camas Camassia quamash · 3 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii · 12 states
- Douglas iris Iris douglasiana · 3 states
- Feathery false Solomon's seal Maianthemum racemosum · 45 states
- Globe gilia Gilia capitata · 5 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Henderson's shooting star Dodecatheon hendersonii · 3 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Marsh marigold Caltha palustris · 28 states
- Miniature lupine Lupinus bicolor · 4 states
- Oregon white oak Quercus garryana · 3 states
- Pacific madrone Arbutus menziesii · 3 states
- Pacific trillium Trillium ovatum · 3 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red-flowering currant Ribes sanguineum · 4 states
- Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia · 14 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Tall Oregon grape Mahonia aquifolium · 3 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Vine maple Acer circinatum · 3 states
- Western azalea Rhododendron occidentale · 3 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
April in a Washington native garden
April is a quieter month in Washington: 38 of the state's 78 native plants flower in April, compared with 58 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
20 start blooming in April, including Antelope bitterbrush, Arrowleaf balsamroot and Bigleaf maple.
27 of them grow in full or partial sun and 13 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Arrowleaf balsamroot and Common camas to trees such as Bearberry and Bigleaf maple. For wildlife, 21 support pollinators, 20 provide food or cover for birds and 5 are caterpillar host plants.
22 of the 38 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.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Mar-Jun