Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and hummingbirds, for rocky and loam ground and flowering from Apr to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
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- For bees
Pennsylvania · Zones 5–7
Native Plants for Bees in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 5–7 — proven performers for Pennsylvania's humid continental climate across Appalachian ridge-and-valley & Piedmont, not a generic list. Local standouts include Wild Bleeding Heart and Wild Geranium. 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 Pennsylvania
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — for loam ground, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A bee plant first and foremost — 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
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — white spring lace flowers, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — happy in clay and loam soil, blooming from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — 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
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
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 in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies; reaching 6–10 ft, it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — hardy in zones 4–9, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; good through zone 9, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, lavender-blue flowers and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, reaching 6–12 in and flowering in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
One the bees find first — 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
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, reaching 5–10 ft and flowering in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — reaching 5–8 ft, blooming from Aug to Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies, bright gold flowers and flowering from May to Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies; 1.5–2.5 ft tall, it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
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, hardy in zones 3–8 and flowering in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 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, 12–18 in wide and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — golden plumes flowers, blooming in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
One the bees find first — 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
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — reaching 20–30 ft, blooming in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — lavender-blue flowers, blooming in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
34 more also qualify: Flowering Dogwood, Butterfly Weed, Culver's Root, Obedient Plant, Cup Plant, Pasque Flower, Foxglove Beardtongue, Golden Alexanders, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Wild Columbine, Black-Eyed Susan, Smooth Hydrangea, Prairie Smoke, Great Blue Lobelia, American Beautyberry, Common Yarrow, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Ninebark, Stiff Goldenrod, Creeping Phlox, New Jersey Tea, American Elderberry, Blue Vervain, Purple Prairie Clover, Compass Plant, Inkberry Holly, Wild Lupine, Red-Twig Dogwood, Bearberry, Spicebush, Common Boneset, Fragrant Sumac, Rattlesnake Master, Common Milkweed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Pennsylvania
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.