Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, rose pink flowers and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Montana · Zones 3–5
Native Plants for Bees in Montana
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. Montana sits in a landscape of Northern Rockies & Great Plains steppe, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cold, semi-arid character. The list below — led by Swamp Milkweed and Wild Bergamot — is filtered to species genuinely native to Montana and the wider flora of the Mountain West 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
50 native species for Montana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies; good through zone 9, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies, reaching 15–25 ft and flowering in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — spreading 1.5–2 ft, blooming in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; reaching 1.5–2.5 ft, it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Penstemon strictus
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees; deep blue-purple flowers, it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, for clay, rocky, and loam ground and flowering in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees; spreading 3–6 ft, it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — 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
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, 2–4 ft wide and flowering from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, 1.5–2 ft wide and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, hardy in zones 3–9 and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — good through zone 10, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, for clay, rocky, and loam ground and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Red-Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and hummingbirds, 4–8 ft wide and flowering in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — deep blue flowers, blooming in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees; hardy in zones 3–8, it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies; rosy purple flowers, it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, good through zone 7 and flowering in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — hardy in zones 5–9, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Western Columbine
Aquilegia formosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and hummingbirds — 12–18 in wide, blooming from Apr to Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jul
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — 2–4 ft wide, blooming from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Firecracker Penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; 12–18 in wide, it blooms Mar through May.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
26 more also qualify: Douglas Aster, Common Yarrow, Butterfly Weed, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Dense Blazing Star, Chocolate Flower, Eastern Redbud, Aromatic Aster, New England Aster, Obedient Plant, Maximilian Sunflower, Stiff Goldenrod, Common Boneset, Ninebark, Red-Twig Dogwood, Oregon Grape, Showy Milkweed, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Rattlesnake Master, Common Milkweed, Blue Vervain, Compass Plant, Bearberry, Fragrant Sumac, New Jersey Tea.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Montana
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.