Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Maryland · Zones 6–8
Native Pollinator Plants in Maryland
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. Every species here is genuinely native to Maryland and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 6–8 — proven performers for Maryland's humid, four-season climate across Piedmont & Chesapeake Coastal Plain, not a generic list. Local standouts include Flowering Dogwood and Foxglove Beardtongue. A garden that feeds pollinators all season needs something in bloom from the first warm days of spring through the last of fall. Aim for at least three species flowering at any given time, plant in generous drifts of one kind rather than singletons so foragers can work efficiently, and leave seed heads and hollow stems standing over winter to shelter the next generation.
The plants
55 native species for Maryland
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and songbirds as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators and native bees as it blooms May through Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms May through Oct.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
31 more also qualify: Great Blue Lobelia, Cup Plant, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Wild Bergamot, Butterfly Weed, Short-Toothed Mountain Mint, Arrowwood Viburnum, Buttonbush, Eastern Redbud, Winterberry, Common Yarrow, Showy Goldenrod, Wild Bleeding Heart, Wild Geranium, Cardinal Flower, Virginia Bluebells, Blue Vervain, American Elderberry, Common Boneset, Ninebark, Wild Ginger, Red-Twig Dogwood, Creeping Phlox, Fragrant Sumac, Spicebush, New Jersey Tea, Common Milkweed, Inkberry Holly, Wild Lupine, Rattlesnake Master, Stiff Goldenrod.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Maryland
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.