Bee-Friendly Native Plants

Purple Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrata) is a native perennial ground cover with bright wine-purple, cup-shaped flowers. It thrives in full sun and dry, well-drained soil, making it a strong choice for rock gardens, borders, and water-wise plantings. The trailing stems form a low mat and bloom from summer into early fall. Its flowers provide forage for bees and other pollinators.

The Indiana Blanket Gaillardia produces beautiful petals that are pink in the center and transition to orange and yellow at the tips. This stunning variety grows to be 2' tall and act as great borders or adding color to a garden!

, historically found in dry prairies, limestone glades, and open rangelands where its deep roots helped it thrive in harsh, exposed conditions. It earns its name from its showy, bottlebrush-like flower spikes, packed with feathery purple blooms that open from the top downward and draw heavy attention from butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. The plant forms a tidy clump of narrow, grass-like leaves and produces upright stems that remain elegant even in lean, rocky soils.

American Lotus is a vigorous native aquatic perennial prized for immense round leaves and fragrant cream-to-yellow summer flowers. Stems rise above calm water before producing distinctive showerhead-shaped seed pods that add lasting ornamental interest. It thrives in full sun with roots anchored in pond soil beneath shallow water and may spread widely where conditions suit it. The flowers support native pollinators, while seeds and foliage provide food and shelter for wetland wildlife. The dried flower pods making a striking beautiful bouquet!

Creeping Jacob’s ladder pairs fernlike leaflets with loose clusters of sky-blue spring flowers. The compact clumps settle naturally into shaded borders, woodland gardens, and the edges of paths. Even moisture helps extend flowering and keeps the foliage fresh into summer.

Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus) is a distinctive North American native plant. Lavender tubular flowers and softly hairy stems give this adaptable beardtongue a delicate look in dry borders and open woods. It matures at approximately 18 inches tall and flowers from mid to late spring through late spring to early summer. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry through medium-wet conditions, with loamy soil, sandy soil or dry soil. Space plants 12–18 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Sundial Lupine (Lupinus perennis subsp. perennis) is a distinctive North American native plant. Purple-blue flower spikes rise above palmate foliage, and its deep taproot suits sandy, nutrient-poor sites. It matures at approximately 24 inches tall and flowers from mid to late spring through late spring to early summer. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry to dry-medium conditions, with sandy soil, dry soil or poor soil. Space plants 10–18 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

The Obedient Plant Physostegia is a sun-loving flowering plant that produces pink flowers that blooms late summer and into fall! This variety spreads very fast with a large underground root system.

The Phlox Annual Mix is a combination of red, purple, pink and white hued blooms, making it one of the most beautiful wildflowers around! This variety only grows to 1' tall and can grow anywhere.

Hirtella Asclepias, more commonly known as Hirtella Milkweed or sometimes grouped under Asclepias hirtella and Tall Green Milkweed, is a native prairie species historically found across the central United States in moist to moderately dry meadows, savannas, and open grasslands. It is recognized for its tall, slender stems topped with rounded clusters of pale green to yellow-green flowers that attract a wide variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and monarch caterpillars.

The Victoria Salvia is a large, beautiful violet-blue blooming flower on compact plants that will definitely be sure to catch your eye! The spiky blooms spread to 14" inches across. The Victoria is a favorite for being best for color intensity and duration of blooms.

The Sneezeweed Helenium produces a numerous amount of beautiful, large, daisy-like yellow flowers that bloom in the late summer and early autumn! Despite its common name, this variety presents no problems for most allergy sufferers.

The Indiangrass is a warm-season bunchgrass that is native to central and eastern North America and provides cover and food for wildlife. This grass can reach up to seven feet tall and is a common species of the Tallgrass Prairie. The beautiful, plume-like seed heads are very ornamental making them excellent for prairie and conservation mixtures.

The Butterfly Asclepias is sun-loving, easy to grow and blooms brilliant, vibrant orange colored blooms that will attract may pollinators to the garden. This stunning variety and can reach 2' feet tall. Sow in early January for first year blooms.

Sweet black-eyed Susan bears golden daisies with dark brown centers on tall, well-branched stems. Its long display runs from summer into early fall and adds height without looking heavy. Gently aromatic foliage and sturdy growth make it a memorable choice for meadows and back borders.

Closed Bottle gentian opens the late-summer season with clusters of deep blue, bottle-shaped flowers that remain mostly closed. Strong bumblebees push into the blossoms to reach their nectar, making the plant fascinating to watch. It prefers cool, humus-rich ground with dependable moisture and light afternoon shade.

Marsh marigold brightens the early garden with glossy foliage and cheerful golden flowers. It thrives in consistently moist soil beside ponds, streams, rain gardens, and other low areas. The clumping plants bring welcome color before many other perennials begin blooming.

Flat-topped Aster was formerly known as Aster umbellatus, a reminder of its changing botanical classification. Native to North American wet meadows and moist prairies, it flowers earlier than many asters with broad clusters of pale rays. Bees, wasps, flies, beetles, and butterflies visit the blooms; turkey and swamp sparrows also use the plant. Give it sun to partial shade and moist soil, with room for rhizomes.

Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides) is a distinctive North American native plant. Fine, heath-like foliage is covered with many small white flowers late in the season, supporting pollinators when fewer plants remain in bloom. It matures at approximately 24 inches tall and flowers from mid to late summer through early to mid fall. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry to medium conditions, with loamy soil, sandy soil or dry soil. Space plants 18–24 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Pale Beardtongue (Penstemon pallidus) is a distinctive North American native plant. Pale tubular blooms appear above a compact base, making this beardtongue especially useful in sandy or rocky native plantings. It matures at approximately 12 inches tall and flowers from mid to late spring through late spring to early summer. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry to dry-medium conditions, with sandy soil, dry soil or poor soil. Space plants 10–12 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) is a distinctive North American native plant. Heart-shaped leaves form a low woodland groundcover, concealing unusual red flowers beneath the foliage in spring. It matures at approximately 6 inches tall and flowers from early to mid spring through mid to late spring. Plant it in partial to full shade, in dry-medium through medium-wet conditions, with acidic soil, loamy soil or sandy soil. Space plants 6–12 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

PowWow Wild Berry brings rose flowers to sunny perennial beds and containers. This compact, branching coneflower can bloom in its first year and tolerates drought once established.

Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) is a native perennial with flat-topped clusters of bright yellow flowers in spring to early summer. It grows well in moist to mesic meadows, open woods, and woodland edges in full sun to partial light. The flowers provide early forage for bees and butterflies, while the upright foliage adds structure to native plantings. Plants typically reach about 18 to 24 inches tall once established.

The Upright Prairie Coneflower is a beautiful meadow wildflower that produces an abundance of beautiful, vibrant yellow petals. This breathtaking variety is known for growing wild in the plains states. The Prairie Coneflower gets its name for its yellow petals surrounding tall cones. This flowering plant produces light-green foliage that creates a beautiful backdrop for the textured blooms.

The Plains Coreopsis is an annual native that forms clusters of stunning bi-colored blooms of deep red that turn into a bright yellow. This variety makes for a great cut flower and can be grown anywhere in the United States. Plains is deer resistant and easy to grow.

Baby Blue Eyes Nemophila is a quick growing low carpet blooms that fade from dark blue to sky blue centers and is often seen in the blooming in spring. This variety is an annual that is a profuse bloomer of simple flowers. The Baby Blue Eyes is known to re-seed itself for a display the following spring.

The pretty blossoms of Yellow (Coneflower) consists of bright skirts of hard to find yellow daisy-like petals surrounding a brown bristly center. This variety's deep taproot allows the coneflower to survive in very dry conditions, but it is also happy in humus-rich garden soil and full sun. The Yellow Coneflower is visited by nectar seeking butterflies in June and small seed eating birds in the fall.

S. and Canadian prairies, historically thriving in moist meadows and open grasslands and long recognized for its exceptional value to monarch butterflies, which flock to its nectar-rich blooms during migration. It produces tall, airy stems topped with loose spikes of vibrant, feathery purple flowers, each with elongated styles that give the blossoms a delicate, wispy appearance. The plant’s narrow leaves form an attractive upright clump, and its blooms appear later in the season, providing important late-summer nectar.

The Big Bluestem is a warm season ornamental grass that actively grows during the summer when soil temperatures are warm but is beautiful all year round. This variety is a big plant, getting over six feet tall in most situations! In a landscape, the Big Bluestem can be used as an accent. This ornamental grass has a great fall color in the range of gold and pink.

American alum root creates a handsome mound of maple-shaped foliage for shaded beds and woodland edges. Slender stems carry airy sprays of tiny cream flowers above the leaves in late spring. Its adaptable habit works well as a textural groundcover in average, well-drained soil.

Pink turtlehead carries rosy hooded flowers above a dense clump of deep green foliage. Its late-season display is especially useful in rain gardens, wet borders, and areas with heavy soil. The upright stems remain tidy while supporting butterflies and other visiting pollinators.