American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, spreading 4–7 ft and flowering in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
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- For bees
Mississippi · Zones 7–9
Native Plants for Bees in Mississippi
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. Every species here is genuinely native to Mississippi and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 7–9 — proven performers for Mississippi's hot, humid subtropical climate across Gulf Coastal Plain & Black Belt prairie, not a generic list. Local standouts include American Beautyberry and Flowering Dogwood. Most of our native bees are solitary and unfussy, but they depend on a steady supply of pollen-rich, single (not double) flowers. Open daisy and umbel shapes are easiest for short-tongued bees, while tubular flowers reward the long-tongued bumblebees. Skip pesticides entirely and leave some bare, undisturbed ground and pithy stems where ground- and stem-nesting bees raise their young.
The plants
50 native species for Mississippi
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 7–9 · see this collection in other states.
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies; happy in loam soil, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, sky blue flowers and flowering from Sep to Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees — cold-hardy to zone 3, blooming from Mar to May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, hardy in zones 3–9 and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, reaching 2–4 ft and flowering in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — for clay and loam ground, blooming from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; spreading 1.5–2 ft, it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — spreading 1.5–2 ft, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
One the bees find first — feeds native bees; happy in loam soil, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — spreading 6–10 ft, blooming in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — white candelabra flowers, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — 12–18 in wide, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, 1.5–2 ft wide and flowering from May to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, pink flowers and flowering in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; cold-hardy to zone 3, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and hummingbirds — cold-hardy to zone 6, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — happy in clay and loam soil, blooming in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, white, red berries flowers and flowering in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; spreading 2–3 ft, it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; for clay, rocky, and loam ground, it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies, bright gold flowers and flowering from May to Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees; 1–2 ft wide, it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; cold-hardy to zone 3, it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
26 more also qualify: Woodland Phlox, Black-Eyed Susan, Wild Bergamot, Smooth Hydrangea, Scarlet Beebalm, New England Aster, Wild Bleeding Heart, Cup Plant, Short-Toothed Mountain Mint, Golden Alexanders, Buttonbush, Wild Columbine, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Ninebark, Fragrant Sumac, Wild Lupine, Stiff Goldenrod, Creeping Phlox, New Jersey Tea, Inkberry Holly, Spicebush, Blue Vervain, American Elderberry, Common Milkweed, Common Boneset, Rattlesnake Master.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Mississippi
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.