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
Ohio · Zones 5–7
Native Plants for Bees in Ohio
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. Every species here is genuinely native to Ohio and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7 — proven performers for Ohio's humid continental climate across Eastern Corn Belt & Allegheny Plateau, not a generic list. Local standouts include Prairie Blazing Star and Smooth Hydrangea. 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
55 native species for Ohio
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
One the bees find first — feeds native bees; white domes flowers, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, white (wild form) flowers and flowering from May to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, lavender-blue flowers and flowering in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — 2–3 ft tall, blooming in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees; 6–12 in tall, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies, good through zone 8 and flowering from Sep to Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — spreading 12–18 in, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it; lavender-purple flowers, it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and hummingbirds, good through zone 8 and flowering from Apr to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees — white flowers, blooming in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees — 1–2.5 ft tall, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, sky blue flowers and flowering from Mar to May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — royal purple flowers, blooming in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — 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
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — reaching 2–4 ft, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — spreading 1.5–2 ft, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; white pincushions flowers, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, yellow flowers and flowering from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees; white, red berries flowers, it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; hardy in zones 3–8, it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; 20–30 ft tall, it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; 2.5–4 ft tall, it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies; hardy in zones 3–9, it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
31 more also qualify: Purple Coneflower, Serviceberry, Short-Toothed Mountain Mint, Flowering Dogwood, Butterfly Weed, Swamp Milkweed, Black-Eyed Susan, Arrowwood Viburnum, Showy Goldenrod, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Obedient Plant, Culver's Root, Dense Blazing Star, Wild Bergamot, Red-Twig Dogwood, Compass Plant, Inkberry Holly, Rattlesnake Master, Stiff Goldenrod, Fragrant Sumac, Ninebark, New Jersey Tea, Purple Prairie Clover, American Elderberry, Common Milkweed, Creeping Phlox, Blue Vervain, Spicebush, Wild Lupine, Bearberry, Common Boneset.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Ohio
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.