Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — good through zone 8, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
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- Rhode Island
- For bees
Rhode Island · Zones 6–7
Native Plants for Bees in Rhode Island
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. Rhode Island sits in a landscape of Narragansett coastal lowland, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cool, humid, maritime character. The list below — led by Wild Geranium and Golden Alexanders — is filtered to species genuinely native to Rhode Island and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 6–7. 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
45 native species for Rhode Island
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; 1.5–2.5 ft tall, it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and hummingbirds, 12–18 in tall and flowering from Apr to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — for sand, rocky, and loam ground, blooming from May to Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees — white flowers, blooming in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — for clay and loam ground, blooming in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies; reaching 3–4 ft, it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — 12–18 in wide, blooming in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, sky blue flowers and flowering from Mar to May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — for sand, clay, and loam ground, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees — 3–5 ft tall, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies — rosy purple flowers, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — white pincushions flowers, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, magenta flowers and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, reaching 15–25 ft and flowering in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees; happy in clay and loam soil, it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies — spreading 1.5–2 ft, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — spreading 2–3 ft, blooming in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies — 6–10 ft tall, blooming in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — cold-hardy to zone 3, blooming from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, happy in clay and loam soil and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; happy in clay and loam soil, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
One the bees find first — feeds native bees — reaching 6–12 in, blooming in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, spreading 15–25 ft and flowering in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
21 more also qualify: Butterfly Weed, Common Yarrow, Anise Hyssop, Obedient Plant, Wild Columbine, Short-Toothed Mountain Mint, Eastern Redbud, Showy Goldenrod, American Elderberry, Spicebush, Red-Twig Dogwood, Inkberry Holly, Common Boneset, New Jersey Tea, Wild Lupine, Fragrant Sumac, Common Milkweed, Creeping Phlox, Ninebark, Bearberry, Blue Vervain.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Rhode Island
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.