Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and hummingbirds — for rocky and loam ground, blooming from Apr to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
Louisiana · Zones 8–9
Native Plants for Bees in Louisiana
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. For Louisiana, the right natives are shaped by Mississippi Delta & Gulf Coast Prairie and a hot, humid subtropical climate. Every species below, from Wild Bleeding Heart and Butterfly Weed to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Louisiana and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 8–9. 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 Louisiana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 8–9 · see this collection in other states.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, 1.5–2.5 ft tall and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, happy in clay and loam soil and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies; for sand, clay, and loam ground, it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees; hardy in zones 6–10, it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees — spreading 3–5 ft, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, golden plumes flowers and flowering in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; reaching 4–7 ft, it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; 25–50 ft tall, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, hardy in zones 3–8 and flowering from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, rosy purple flowers and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, 2–4 ft wide and flowering in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — happy in clay and loam soil, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies, 15–25 ft tall and flowering in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; white (wild form) flowers, it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
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, it blooms Mar through May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — spreading 2–3 ft, blooming in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees — foamy white flowers, blooming in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, good through zone 10 and flowering from May to Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
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
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — cold-hardy to zone 3, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; cold-hardy to zone 3, it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–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; cold-hardy to zone 3, it blooms Jun through 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, for clay and loam ground and flowering from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
29 more also qualify: Wild Bergamot, Great Blue Lobelia, Flowering Dogwood, Winterberry, Foxglove Beardtongue, Prairie Blazing Star, Swamp Milkweed, Buttonbush, Eastern Redbud, Wild Columbine, Woodland Phlox, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Maximilian Sunflower, Aromatic Aster, Common Boneset, Compass Plant, Rattlesnake Master, Spicebush, Common Milkweed, Fragrant Sumac, Stiff Goldenrod, Purple Prairie Clover, Inkberry Holly, Wild Lupine, Blue Vervain, Creeping Phlox, New Jersey Tea, American Elderberry.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Louisiana
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.