Bee-Friendly Plants

Early Figwort (Scrophularia lanceolata) is a native perennial valued for its nectar-rich red and green flowers. Upright plants reach about 5 feet tall and bloom from late spring through midsummer, attracting bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other beneficial insects. This adaptable wildflower grows in full sun through shade and tolerates loamy or sandy soils across a broad moisture range. Seed requires 60 days of cold, moist stratification and light for germination.

Early Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) is a short-lived native perennial with bright yellow, daisy-like flowers from early summer into early fall. Upright clumps reach about 5 feet tall and support bees, butterflies, and seed-eating birds. Plants perform best in full sun and tolerate loam, clay, or sandy soils with medium moisture. Seed requires 30 days of cold, moist stratification before germination.

Wild Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata) is a tall native perennial with bright yellow flowers that bloom from midsummer into fall. Plants reach about 7 feet and spread by rhizomes, making them well suited to moist naturalized gardens, woodland edges, and rain-garden plantings. The flowers support bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, while mature seed heads provide food for birds. Seed requires 30 days of cold, moist stratification and should be surface sown.

Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii) is a native perennial with golden-orange flowers and a compact, mounding habit. Plants reach about 3 feet and bloom from midsummer into early fall in full sun or partial shade. The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, and the mature seed heads provide food for birds. Seed requires 60 days of cold, moist stratification and should be surface sown.

Prairie Splendor Compact White offers white blooms on compact, well-branched plants. Grow this sun-loving perennial in containers or garden borders for spring and summer flowers.

Prairie Splendor Compact Rose offers rose blooms on compact, well-branched plants. Grow this sun-loving perennial in containers or garden borders for spring and summer flowers.

Prairie Splendor Compact Dark Rose offers dark rose blooms on compact, well-branched plants. Grow this sun-loving perennial in containers or garden borders for spring and summer flowers.

Prairie Blaze Orange Sunset adds orange blooms to sunny beds and containers. Its compact, upright plants bring perennial color to small spaces and attract pollinators.

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

Prairie Blaze Green adds green blooms to sunny beds and containers. Its compact, upright plants bring perennial color to small spaces and attract pollinators.

Prairie Blaze Golden Yellow adds golden yellow blooms to sunny beds and containers. Its compact, upright plants bring perennial color to small spaces and attract pollinators.

Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) is a native perennial with upright spikes of brilliant blue flowers from late summer into fall. It thrives in moist soil in full sun to partial light and is well suited to rain gardens, pond edges, and wet meadows. The long-blooming flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Mature plants commonly reach 2 to 3 feet tall.

Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) produces scarlet-red and orange flower clusters that attract butterflies and other pollinators. The upright plants grow vigorously in warm conditions and often bloom in their first year from seed. It performs best in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil and can be grown as a warm-season annual where winters freeze. Its colorful blooms make it a strong choice for containers and pollinator gardens.

Allegheny Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens) is a moisture-loving native perennial with violet-blue, snapdragon-like flowers. It thrives along pond margins, in wet meadows, and in rain gardens where soil stays consistently moist. The upright plants bloom through summer and provide nectar for bees and other pollinators. Mature flowering stems typically reach about 18 to 24 inches tall.

Don't let the name fool you! This is mainly an Eastern native plant. Known botanically as Helianthus occidentalis, the Western Sunflower has a distinctive growth habit that makes it easy to recognize. Most of its leaves cluster in a rosette at the plant’s base, while a slender stalk rises from the center and can reach about three feet tall. A brilliant yellow flower head appears at the top of the stem. Because the stalk bears very few leaves, the species is also commonly called the “naked-stemmed sunflower” or “few-leaved sunflower.”

Red Annual Phlox is a favored variety that produces vivid lipstick-red blooms and stands out among compact wildflowers. Plants grow about 1 foot tall, making them well suited to borders, containers, and mass plantings. The bright flowers provide dependable color while maintaining a manageable garden height.

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.

North American Wildflower Blend combines annual and perennial favorites selected to perform across many regions of the United States. The varied species create a broad tapestry of familiar colors, with annuals providing quick blooms and perennials adding longer-term persistence. Local climate and soil conditions determine which flowers become most prominent, giving each planting its own regional character.

Western Sand Milkweed (Asclepias arenaria), also known as Sandhill Milkweed or Dwarf Milkweed, is a hardy, drought-tolerant species native to the sandy plains and prairies of the central and southwestern United States, where it has long supported pollinators and played a role in Indigenous plant knowledge. This milkweed forms upright stems with soft, velvety, blue-green leaves and produces clusters of pale greenish-white flowers that are highly attractive to monarchs, bees, and other beneficial insects.

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.

Goldsturm Rudbeckia (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’) is an award-winning perennial introduced in the mid-20th century and celebrated for its long-lasting, golden-yellow daisy-like blooms with dark brown centers. Native to North America, this variety grows 24–36 inches tall and 18–24 inches wide, creating bold displays in borders, meadows, and pollinator gardens. Easy to grow from seed, it thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, tolerating heat, drought, and poor soils once established.

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!

The Divaricata Phlox is a beautiful blue to lavender colored variety that gives off a wonderful aroma, making it a home garden favorite! This fragrant variety is a showstopper in any garden, container or vase!

The Tall Coreopsis is a super high variety that lives up to its name by growing to be 7 feet high and has even been known to reach 9 feet! This variety blooms beautiful yellow flowers that darken to a purple-red. This flower's leaves are divided into three lobes. The Tall Coreopsis should be grown in larger areas as it can be aggressive in growth.

The Fireweed Epilobium is a beautiful, brightly colored flower that is a great landscape variety for planting on hills and borders. This amazing variety produces bright pink flower spikes along this large landscape plant.

Asclepias viridis, commonly known as Spider Milkweed or Green Milkweed, is a native North American species with a long ecological history tied to grasslands and prairies of the central and southern United States. Its distinctive greenish-white flowers arranged in rounded clusters give it a spider-like appearance, attracting a wide array of pollinators, especially butterflies, and serving as an essential host plant for monarch caterpillars.

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.