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 New Hampshire and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 3–6 — proven performers for New Hampshire's cool, humid continental climate across White Mountains & northern hardwoods, not a generic list. Local standouts include Golden Alexanders and Great Blue Lobelia. 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.
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–6 · see this collection in other states.
Zizia aurea
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; for clay and loam ground, it blooms Apr through Jun.
Lobelia siphilitica
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; reaching 2–3 ft, it flowers in Aug and Sep.
Asclepias incarnata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies, for clay and loam ground and flowering in Jul and Aug.
Hydrangea arborescens
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees — spreading 3–5 ft, blooming from Jun to Aug.
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, 5–10 ft tall and flowering from Jun to Aug.
Monarda didyma
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; scarlet red flowers, it flowers in Jul and Aug.
Tiarella cordifolia
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees — spreading 1–2 ft, blooming in Apr and May.
Rudbeckia hirta
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, good through zone 9 and flowering from Jun to Sep.
Phlox divaricata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; lavender-blue flowers, it flowers in Apr and May.
Asclepias tuberosa
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies, good through zone 9 and flowering from Jun to Aug.
Dicentra eximia
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; hardy in zones 3–8, it blooms Apr through Aug.
Penstemon digitalis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees — good through zone 8, blooming in May and Jun.
Monarda fistulosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies; 2–4 ft tall, it blooms Jun through Aug.
Liatris spicata
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.
Amelanchier canadensis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — for clay and loam ground, blooming in Apr and May.
Echinacea purpurea
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies, rosy purple flowers and flowering from Jun to Sep.
Mertensia virginica
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees; sky blue flowers, it blooms Mar through May.
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; 2–3 ft wide, it flowers in Sep and Oct.
Veronicastrum virginicum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — white candelabra flowers, blooming from Jun to Aug.
Cercis canadensis
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, cold-hardy to zone 4 and flowering in Mar and Apr.
Physostegia virginiana
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — 2–4 ft wide, blooming in Aug and Sep.
Pycnanthemum muticum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; hardy in zones 4–8, it blooms Jul through Sep.
Solidago speciosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; for sand, rocky, and loam ground, it flowers in Sep and Oct.
Viburnum dentatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — creamy white flowers, blooming in May and Jun.
21 more also qualify: Common Yarrow, Winterberry, Anise Hyssop, Wild Geranium, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Wild Columbine, Flowering Dogwood, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Spicebush, Common Boneset, American Elderberry, Bearberry, Wild Lupine, Fragrant Sumac, New Jersey Tea, Ninebark, Inkberry Holly, Common Milkweed, Blue Vervain, Red-Twig Dogwood, Creeping Phlox.
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.