Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; deep blue flowers, it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wisconsin · Zones 3–5
Native Plants for Bees in Wisconsin
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. For Wisconsin, the right natives are shaped by Northern forest, driftless prairie & oak savanna and a cold continental climate. Every species below, from Great Blue Lobelia and Golden Alexanders to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Wisconsin and the wider flora of the Midwest 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
53 native species for Wisconsin
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — reaching 1.5–2.5 ft, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, for loam ground and flowering from Mar to May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, good through zone 8 and flowering in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, for clay and loam ground and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, hardy in zones 3–9 and flowering from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; scarlet red flowers, it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies — reaching 5–8 ft, blooming from Aug to Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
One the bees find first — 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
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; spreading 2–3 ft, it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, 2–4 ft tall and flowering in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — 6–16 in tall, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, good through zone 9 and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — 1.5–2 ft tall, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — white candelabra flowers, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
One the bees find first — 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
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — pink flowers, blooming in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies; 1.5–2 ft wide, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; reaching 15–25 ft, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies; happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil, 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; 1.5–3 ft tall, it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — 1.5–2 ft wide, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, rose-magenta flowers and flowering in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, good through zone 8 and flowering in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
29 more also qualify: Black-Eyed Susan, Winterberry, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Swamp Milkweed, Short-Toothed Mountain Mint, Buttonbush, Foamflower, Pasque Flower, Prairie Blazing Star, Wild Columbine, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Serviceberry, Purple Coneflower, Bearberry, Spicebush, Blue Vervain, Creeping Phlox, Purple Prairie Clover, Wild Lupine, Compass Plant, Common Milkweed, New Jersey Tea, Common Boneset, Rattlesnake Master, American Elderberry, Stiff Goldenrod, Fragrant Sumac, Red-Twig Dogwood, Ninebark.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Wisconsin
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.