Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — spreading 1.5–2 ft, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Vermont · Zones 3–5
Native Plants for Bees in Vermont
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. For Vermont, the right natives are shaped by Green Mountains & Champlain Valley and a cold, humid continental climate. Every species below, from Purple Coneflower and Arrowwood Viburnum to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Vermont and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 3–5. 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 Vermont
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — reaching 6–10 ft, blooming in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies; good through zone 9, it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — for clay, rocky, and loam ground, blooming in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; 12–18 in wide, it blooms Apr through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–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 — good through zone 9, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies; 15–25 ft tall, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
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 — 3–5 ft tall, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees — spreading 3–5 ft, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees — 5–10 ft tall, blooming in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; 12–18 in wide, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, good through zone 8 and flowering in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, hardy in zones 4–9 and flowering in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; 2–3 ft wide, it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees; for clay, rocky, and loam ground, it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; 12–18 in wide, it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — white spring lace flowers, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, for sand, clay, and loam ground and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — for sand, rocky, and loam ground, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies — cold-hardy to zone 3, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, happy in loam soil and flowering from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees; good through zone 8, it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
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 and flowering from Apr to Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees — for loam ground, blooming in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
21 more also qualify: Scarlet Beebalm, Common Yarrow, Buttonbush, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Showy Goldenrod, Obedient Plant, New England Aster, Virginia Bluebells, Bearberry, Creeping Phlox, Wild Lupine, Ninebark, American Elderberry, New Jersey Tea, Common Milkweed, Red-Twig Dogwood, Common Boneset, Blue Vervain, Fragrant Sumac, Spicebush, Inkberry Holly.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Vermont
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.