Quick answer: 15 native Washington plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
15 species
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 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
- Douglas iris Iris douglasiana · 3 states
- Henderson's shooting star Dodecatheon hendersonii · 3 states
- Miniature lupine Lupinus bicolor · 4 states
- Pacific madrone Arbutus menziesii · 3 states
- Pacific trillium Trillium ovatum · 3 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red-flowering currant Ribes sanguineum · 4 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Tall Oregon grape Mahonia aquifolium · 3 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
March in a Washington native garden
March is a quieter month in Washington: 15 of the state's 78 native plants flower in March, compared with 58 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
10 start blooming in March, including Bearberry, Canada wild rye and Douglas iris.
9 of them grow in full or partial sun and 7 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Douglas iris and Seep monkeyflower to trees such as Bearberry and California bay laurel. For wildlife, 8 support pollinators, 6 provide food or cover for birds and 3 are caterpillar host plants.
9 of the 15 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.
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun