Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, spreading 12–18 in and flowering from May to Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
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South Carolina · Zones 7–9
Native Plants for Bees in South Carolina
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. South Carolina sits in a landscape of Sandhills, Piedmont & Lowcountry, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its humid subtropical character. The list below — led by Lanceleaf Coreopsis and Wild Geranium — is filtered to species genuinely native to South Carolina and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 7–9. 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 South Carolina
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 7–9 · see this collection in other states.
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it; happy in loam soil, it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees — 4–7 ft wide, blooming in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — for clay and loam ground, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — reaching 1.5–2.5 ft, blooming from Sep to Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
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 and flowering from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; spreading 12–18 in, it blooms Apr through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–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; royal purple flowers, it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — for clay and loam ground, blooming from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
A bee plant first and foremost — 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
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
One the bees find first — feeds native bees; cold-hardy to zone 5, it blooms May through Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies, for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–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; 20–30 ft tall, it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, red & yellow flowers and flowering from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees — 2–4 ft tall, blooming 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 — spreading 1–2 ft, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and hummingbirds, orange-red flowers and flowering in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — 5–10 ft tall, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — 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
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; spreading 1.5–2 ft, it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies, spreading 15–25 ft and flowering in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- 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, reaching 1–2 ft and flowering from Mar to May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
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 — spreading 2–4 ft, blooming from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground, it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
26 more also qualify: Black-Eyed Susan, Dense Blazing Star, Wild Bergamot, Culver's Root, Obedient Plant, Winterberry, Foamflower, Golden Alexanders, Swamp Milkweed, Great Blue Lobelia, Smooth Hydrangea, Woodland Phlox, Arrowwood Viburnum, Ninebark, Common Milkweed, Fragrant Sumac, Blue Vervain, New Jersey Tea, Creeping Phlox, American Elderberry, Inkberry Holly, Common Boneset, Wild Lupine, Spicebush, Stiff Goldenrod, Rattlesnake Master.
Sourcing
Where to find these in South Carolina
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.