Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
One the bees find first — feeds native bees — for loam ground, blooming from May to Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
New York · Zones 3–7
Native Plants for Bees in New York
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. New York sits in a landscape of Adirondacks, Finger Lakes & Hudson Valley, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its humid continental character. The list below — led by Oakleaf Hydrangea and American Beautyberry — is filtered to species genuinely native to New York and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 3–7. 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
58 native species for New York
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–7 · see this collection in other states.
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees — 4–7 ft tall, blooming in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees; white flowers, it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; 1.5–2 ft wide, it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, spreading 12–18 in and flowering from Mar to May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies — spreading 12–18 in, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — spreading 10–20 ft, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; 5–8 ft tall, it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees — 1–2.5 ft tall, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees; cold-hardy to zone 3, it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Golden Alexanders
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.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, lavender-blue flowers and flowering in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; hardy in zones 3–8, it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — reaching 2.5–4 ft, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, reaching 2–4 ft and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
One the bees find first — 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
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
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; happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil, it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; cold-hardy to zone 3, it blooms Apr through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, cold-hardy to zone 3 and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and hummingbirds — reaching 25–50 ft, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies — hardy in zones 5–9, blooming in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, good through zone 9 and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies; spreading 12–18 in, it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, rose pink flowers and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
34 more also qualify: Pasque Flower, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Wild Geranium, Cup Plant, Arrowwood Viburnum, New England Aster, Foamflower, Eastern Redbud, Smooth Hydrangea, Dense Blazing Star, Common Yarrow, Buttonbush, Great Blue Lobelia, Obedient Plant, Wild Bergamot, Culver's Root, Prairie Smoke, Ninebark, Inkberry Holly, Fragrant Sumac, New Jersey Tea, Spicebush, Common Milkweed, Common Boneset, Purple Prairie Clover, Blue Vervain, Creeping Phlox, Red-Twig Dogwood, Compass Plant, Stiff Goldenrod, American Elderberry, Wild Lupine, Rattlesnake Master, Bearberry.
Sourcing
Where to find these in New York
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.