One of the things we’ve heard over the last two years is that once native plant projects are installed, that it can be hard to continue to identify the plants present. In April, we starting creating lists of flowers that could be blooming in your native plant project. This list can also be used to help you plan your next native plant project. We have the ability to have plants blooming in our gardens from April to October, so why not make it happen?
Here are the plants that you may see start blooming during the month of May – and by no means is this a complete list. A lot of time these May flowering plants are called spring ephemerals.
Sun definitions
Full sun: gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight
Partial sun: gets three to six hours of sun exposure
Shade: less than three hours of sun exposure
Soil definitions
Wet: Saturated year round
Wet-mesic: Seasonally saturated, tends to dry in summer
Mesic: Medium moisture, well-balanced
Dry-mesic: well-drained
Dry: excessively drained
Doll’s Eyes aka White Baneberry Actaea pachypoda
This species has white flowers than end up turning into white berries on a red stem. The white berries have a black dot in the middle – leading to the name Doll’s eyes. This plant does well in locations with mesic soil and shade. Doll’s eyes attract birds and bees, is known to be deer and rabbit resistant, and grows to be about two feet tall.
Canada (or meadow) Anemone Anemone canadensis
Canada anemone grows to be about 1-foot-tall and loves mesic to wet-mesic soils. It grows best in full to partial sun and attracts butterflies and bees. This pretty little plant with a white flower is a great early season bloomer for any shoreline project.
Wild White Indigo (Baptisia leucantha), Blue Wild Indigo (B. australis), and Cream Wild Indigo (B. leucophaea)
The indigos while needing slightly different habitats, all bloom in May and June, and sometimes into July. All three species need full to partial sun. Wild white indigo prefers all soil types except wet and can grow three to five feet tall. Blue wild indigo likes mesic to wet-mesic soils, grows to about four feet tall, attracts birds, and deters rabbits. Cream wild indigo (pictured) grows to be about two feet tall and thrives in soils that range from dry to mesic.
Downy Painted Cup Castilleja sessiliflora
This cute little plant has cream flowers and grows about a foot tall. Downy painted cup may be a good ground cover plant that loves dry to dry-mesic soil and full sun.
Sand Coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolate
Sand coreopsis grows anywhere from one to three feet tall and has beautiful yellow flowers. It will attract birds, bees, and butterflies and has been known to be deer resistant. Sand coreopsis enjoys dry to dry-mesic soils and full sun. This beautiful plant blooms May through July.
Common Rock Rose Helianthemum canadense
Common rock rose enjoys dry to dry-mesic soil and full to partial sun. This yellow flowering plant grows up to two feet tall and attract butterflies. This spring time bloomer can be found from May to July.
Prairie Alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
Prairie alumroot is a great addition to almost any project! It enjoys all soil types but wet and full to partial sun. Prairie alumroot has small flowers that are brownish green and attract birds, especially humming birds. This plants grows to be about two feet in height.
Virginia Waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
Virginia waterleaf is generally seen blooming in May and June. This spring time plant enjoys partial sun to shade and mesic to wet-mesic soils. Like the name says, the leaves of this plant will sometimes look like they were hit by water droplets. Virginia waterleaf can grow to be about two feet tall and attracts bees.
Pale Spike Lobelia Lobelia spicata
Pale spike lobelia blooms from May to August which adds a nice present throughout the summer. It enjoys full to partial sun and dry-mesic, mesic, and wet-mesic soils. Pale spike lobelia has a light blue flower that attracts hummingbirds and grows to be about two feet tall.
Lupine Lupinus perennis
Lupine is a legume that produces beautiful blue flowers. Lupines grow one to three feet tall and prefer dry to dry-mesic soils. They thrive in full to partial sun. Lupines are deer resistant and attract bird, hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
Sweet Cicily Osmorhiza claytonia
This shade loving plant has tiny white flowers. Sweet cicily overs great ground cover and attracts bees. Sweet cicily grows well in dry-mesic, mesic, and wet-mesic soils and grows to be about two feet tall.
Switch Grass Panicum virgatum
This blue-green grass flowers from May to September, making an excellent addition to any project. While grasses are not generally seen as having flowers, this one has green flowers that end up having orange to brown seeds. Switch grass is a taller plant – growing from four to six feet. It attachts birds, is resistant to deer, and does really well in rain gardens.
Wild Quinine Parthenium integrifolium
Wild quinine is used in a lot of shoreline restoration projects. This plant has white flowers that bloom from May to July. It enjoys dry-mesic to mesic soil and likes full sun. Wild quinine can grow anywhere from one to three feet, attracts birds and bees, and makes a beautiful cut flower.
Large-flowered Beardtongue Penstemon grandifloras
This fun purple flowering plant flowers in May and June. Large-flowered beardtongue does best in dry to dry-mesic soils and in full to partial sunlight. It grows to be about two feet fall, attracts birds, and makes an excellent cut flower to any arrangement.
Prairie Phlox Phlox pilosa
Prairie phlox can add a nice touch of pink to almost any native planting. They grow best in all soil types but wet and need full to partial sun. Prairie phlox grow to be about two feet tall, deter deer, and attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Be aware that there are invasive phlox species, so make sure to pick up the native species.
Solomon’s Seal Polygonatum biflorum
Solomon’s seal grows well in all sunlight types – full sun, partial sun, and shade. This spring time bloomer has white flowers that turn into green fruits. Solomon’s seal can grow up to four feet tall and prefers mesic to dry-mesic soils.
Early Figwort Scrophularia lanceolate
This plant has small flowers that are reddish pink. Early figwort can grow up to five feet tall and attracts butterflies. It thrives in all soil types but wet and needs full to partial sun.
Common Blue-eyed Grass Sisyrinchium albidum
Common blue-eyed grass grows to less than one-foot-tall with bright blue flowers. It grows best in dry to dry-mesic soils and full to partial sun.
Yellow Pimpernel Taenidia integerrima
This yellow flowering plant can be found flowering from May to July and attracts butterflies. It does well in all sunlight types – full sun, partial sun, and shade. Yellow Pimpernel grows to three feet and grows best in mesic to dry-mesic soils.
Spiderwort Tradescantia ohiensis
Spiderwort is a wonderful addition to any native planting project. It thrives in all soil types but wet and needs full to partial sun. Spiderwort has blue to purple flowers, grows up to three feet tall, attracts butterflies, and is deer resistant.
