Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, for clay and loam ground and flowering in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Oklahoma · Zones 6–8
Native Plants for Bees in Oklahoma
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. Oklahoma sits in a landscape of Cross Timbers & mixedgrass prairie, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its continental, hot summers character. The list below — led by Serviceberry and Maximilian Sunflower — is filtered to species genuinely native to Oklahoma and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 6–8. 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
60 native species for Oklahoma
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; happy in sand, clay, and loam soil, it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, happy in loam soil and flowering in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it; spreading 1.5–2 ft, it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; 15–25 ft wide, it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — 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
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, 6–16 in tall and flowering in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, good through zone 9 and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 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 — happy in rocky and loam soil, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, spreading 1.5–2 ft and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; good through zone 8, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies, 1.5–2.5 ft tall and flowering from Sep to Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; spreading 1–2 ft, it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
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; silvery bracts flowers, it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — reaching 1.5–3 ft, blooming from May to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; for clay and loam ground, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; for clay and loam ground, it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; hardy in zones 4–9, it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies — reaching 5–8 ft, blooming from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; for clay and loam ground, it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; cold-hardy to zone 3, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, reaching 5–10 ft and flowering in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; spreading 15–25 ft, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — 8–12 in wide, blooming in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
36 more also qualify: Culver's Root, Black-Eyed Susan, Swamp Milkweed, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Smooth Hydrangea, Foxglove Beardtongue, Crossvine, New England Aster, Wild Bergamot, Scarlet Beebalm, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Anise Hyssop, Showy Goldenrod, Wild Bleeding Heart, American Beautyberry, Blanketflower, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Dense Blazing Star, Virginia Bluebells, Compass Plant, Inkberry Holly, Red-Twig Dogwood, Fragrant Sumac, Common Milkweed, Rattlesnake Master, New Jersey Tea, Showy Milkweed, Purple Prairie Clover, Creeping Phlox, Ninebark, Stiff Goldenrod, American Elderberry, Common Boneset, Spicebush, Wild Lupine, Blue Vervain.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Oklahoma
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.