Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, happy in sand and rocky soil and flowering from Apr to Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
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- New Mexico
- For bees
New Mexico · Zones 4–8
Native Plants for Bees in New Mexico
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. Every species here is genuinely native to New Mexico and the wider flora of the desert Southwest and hardy through zones 4–8 — proven performers for New Mexico's arid, high-elevation sun climate across Chihuahuan desert & Southern Rockies, not a generic list. Local standouts include Apache Plume and Western Columbine. 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
52 native species for New Mexico
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–8 · see this collection in other states.
Western Columbine
Aquilegia formosa
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; 12–18 in wide, it blooms Apr through Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jul
Firecracker Penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and hummingbirds, hardy in zones 4–9 and flowering from Mar to May.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies — happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil, blooming from May to Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, happy in clay and loam soil and flowering from Apr to Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; for clay, rocky, and loam ground, it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
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 in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; for sand, rocky, and loam ground, it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies, 1.5–2 ft wide and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — dusky pink nodding bells flowers, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Desert Willow
Chilopsis linearis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; cold-hardy to zone 7, it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, 4–7 ft tall and flowering from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Gregg's Mistflower
Conoclinium greggii
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; spreading 1.5–3 ft, it blooms May through Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; 1.5–2 ft wide, it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, white pincushions flowers and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Desert Marigold
Baileya multiradiata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — 12–18 in wide, blooming from Mar to Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Mar–Oct
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, deep blue flowers and flowering in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; spreading 1.5–2 ft, it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
One the bees find first — 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
Autumn Sage
Salvia greggii
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — spreading 2–3 ft, blooming from Apr to Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Oct
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it; hardy in zones 3–7, it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — for clay and loam ground, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees; spreading 12–18 in, it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
28 more also qualify: Anise Hyssop, Cup Plant, Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Black-Eyed Susan, Swamp Milkweed, Maximilian Sunflower, Aromatic Aster, Prairie Blazing Star, Chocolate Flower, Culver's Root, Eastern Redbud, Obedient Plant, Serviceberry, Ninebark, Common Milkweed, American Elderberry, New Jersey Tea, Bearberry, Rattlesnake Master, Blue Vervain, Common Boneset, Stiff Goldenrod, Compass Plant, Fragrant Sumac, Red-Twig Dogwood, Oregon Grape, Purple Prairie Clover, Showy Milkweed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in New Mexico
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.