Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
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Massachusetts · Zones 5–7
Native Pollinator Plants in Massachusetts
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. For Massachusetts, the right natives are shaped by Northeastern Coastal Forest & Cape and a cool, humid continental climate. Every species below, from Anise Hyssop and Foxglove Beardtongue to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Massachusetts and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 5–7. 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
48 native species for Massachusetts
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Keeps pollinators fed — 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
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators and native bees as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Keeps pollinators fed — 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
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees while it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it blooms Apr through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Works hard for pollinators — 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
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators and native bees as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
24 more also qualify: Serviceberry, Obedient Plant, Showy Goldenrod, Wild Columbine, Butterfly Weed, Virginia Bluebells, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Winterberry, Swamp Milkweed, Scarlet Beebalm, Common Boneset, Bearberry, Ninebark, Creeping Phlox, Blue Vervain, Wild Ginger, New Jersey Tea, Wild Lupine, Red-Twig Dogwood, Common Milkweed, Spicebush, Fragrant Sumac, Inkberry Holly, American Elderberry.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Massachusetts
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.