Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Tennessee · Zones 6–8
Native Pollinator Plants in Tennessee
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. For Tennessee, the right natives are shaped by Cumberland Plateau, Ridge & Valley, cedar glades and a humid, four-season climate. Every species below, from Culver's Root and Trumpet Honeysuckle to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Tennessee and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–8. A garden that feeds pollinators all season needs something in bloom from the first warm days of spring through the last of fall. Aim for at least three species flowering at any given time, plant in generous drifts of one kind rather than singletons so foragers can work efficiently, and leave seed heads and hollow stems standing over winter to shelter the next generation.
The plants
62 native species for Tennessee
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators and native bees as it blooms May through Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it blooms Apr through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms May through Oct.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators and native bees as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees right through when it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
38 more also qualify: Common Yarrow, Purple Coneflower, Scarlet Beebalm, Virginia Bluebells, Serviceberry, Foamflower, Showy Goldenrod, Great Blue Lobelia, Prairie Smoke, Arrowwood Viburnum, Black-Eyed Susan, Aromatic Aster, Butterfly Weed, Flowering Dogwood, Anise Hyssop, Cup Plant, Winterberry, American Beautyberry, Golden Alexanders, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Wild Ginger, Spicebush, Red-Twig Dogwood, Compass Plant, Inkberry Holly, Stiff Goldenrod, Bearberry, Fragrant Sumac, Common Milkweed, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Blue Vervain, Wild Lupine, Common Boneset, New Jersey Tea, Creeping Phlox, Rattlesnake Master, Ninebark.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Tennessee
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.