Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and hummingbirds, rose pink flowers and flowering from Apr to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
Kentucky · Zones 6–7
Native Plants for Bees in Kentucky
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. For Kentucky, the right natives are shaped by Bluegrass, Cumberland Plateau & Pennyroyal and a humid, four-season climate. Every species below, from Wild Bleeding Heart and Butterfly Weed to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Kentucky and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–7. 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
58 native species for Kentucky
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; golden yellow flowers, it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A bee plant first and foremost — 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
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil, blooming from May to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, for clay and loam ground and flowering in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, cold-hardy to zone 3 and flowering in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, hardy in zones 3–8 and flowering from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, spreading 1–2 ft and flowering from Apr to Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — good through zone 8, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; cold-hardy to zone 3, it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
One the bees find first — 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
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; 6–10 ft wide, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
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 from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies — rose pink flowers, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; lavender-blue flowers, it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
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 — 2–4 ft tall, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, for loam ground and flowering in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies; sky blue flowers, it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies, spreading 1.5–2 ft and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — rose-magenta flowers, blooming in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — good through zone 9, blooming in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies, happy in sand, clay, and loam soil and flowering from Aug to Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it; spreading 12–18 in, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
34 more also qualify: Great Blue Lobelia, Prairie Blazing Star, Buttonbush, Serviceberry, Woodland Phlox, New England Aster, American Beautyberry, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Winterberry, Foamflower, Scarlet Beebalm, Wild Geranium, Pasque Flower, Smooth Hydrangea, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Showy Goldenrod, Virginia Bluebells, Stiff Goldenrod, Blue Vervain, Rattlesnake Master, Bearberry, Fragrant Sumac, Common Boneset, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Wild Lupine, Ninebark, Common Milkweed, Inkberry Holly, New Jersey Tea, Compass Plant, Creeping Phlox, Spicebush.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Kentucky
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.