Plants for Pollinator Gardens

NOTE: Bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, and hummingbirds all pollinate plants in Maine. To support diverse pollinators, try to:

Buy locally grown, pesticide-free native and non-invasive plants.
Provide at least 3-5 species of flowers in each season, that display a variety of size, color, height and flower shape (tubular, flat, etc.).
Plant in clumps, which attract more pollinators than single plants.
Plant tubular-flowered plants in the Mint Family (oregano, catmint, sage, lavender, etc) and flat-flowered plants in the Aster Family (sunflower and other “daisies”) offer good resources to pollinators.

T=tree; S=Shrub; P=Herbaceous Perennial; A=Annual; N=Native

Spring (April, May):
Amelanchier species ^{some N}	Serviceberry ^T
Caltha palustris ^N	Marsh Marigold ^P
Crocus sativus	Crocus ^P
Malus hybrids	Crabapple ^T
Photinia (Aronia) melanocarpa ^N	Black Chokeberry^S
Prunus tomentosa	Nanking Cherry^S
Pulmonaria species	Lungwort ^P
Salix species	Willow ^T
Vaccinium species ^{some N}	Blueberry, Cranberry^S
Viola species^{some N}	Viola, Pansy
Early Summer (June):
Allium species	Flowering Onion
Antirrhinum majus	Snapdragon ^A
Aquilegia species ^{some N}	Columbine ^P
Cornus alternifolia ^N	Pagoda Dogwood ^T
Cornus racemosa ^N	Gray Dogwood^S
Cornus sericea ^N	Red Osier^S
Crataegus crus-galli ^N	Cockspur Hawthorn ^T
Dianthus species	Pinks^P
Dicentra spectabilis	Japanese Bleedingheart ^P
Digitalis purpurea	Foxglove ^P
Fuchsia x hybrida	Fuchsia ^A
Heuchera sanguinea	Coralbells ^P
Ilex verticillata ^N	Winterberry^S
Prunus species ^some^N	Cherry ^T
Sambucus nigra ^N	Elderberry^S
Midsummer (July):
Asclepias species ^{some N}	Milkweed, Butterflyweed ^P
Chelone glabra ^N	White Turtlehead ^P
Cleome hasslerana	Spiderflower ^A
Clethra alnifolia ^N	Summersweet ^S
Dasiphora (Potentilla) fruticosa ^N	Shrubby Cinquefoil ^S
Echinacea purpurea	Purple Coneflower ^P
Eutrochium Eupatorium maculatum ^N	Joe Pye Weed ^P
Gladiolus x hortulanus	Gladiolus ^A
Ipomoea purpurea	Morning Glory ^A
Liatris species ^{some N}	Gayfeather ^P
Lobelia cardinalis ^N	Cardinal Flower ^P
Monarda species ^{some N}	Beebalm and Bergamot ^P
Nicotiana alata	Flowering Tobacco ^A
Penstemon digitalis ^N	Beardtongue ^P
Petunia x hybrida	Petunia ^A
Phaseolus coccineus	Scarlet Runner Bean ^A
Rhus typhina ^N	Staghorn Sumac ^T
Rosa species ^{some N}	Rose ^S
Rudbeckia species ^{some N}	Yellow Coneflower ^P
Spiraea species ^{some N}	Spirea, Meadowsweet ^S
Cosmos bipinnatus	Pink Cosmos ^A
Helianthus annuus	Sunflower ^A
Salvia species	Salvia, Sage ^{A and P}
Tagetes patula	French Marigold ^A
Tropaeolum majus	Nasturtium ^A
Zinnia elegans	Zinnia ^A
Late Summer (August-September):
Aster, Eurybia, Doellingeria ^{some N}	Aster ^P
Delphinium elatum	Delphinium ^P
Eupatorium perfoliatum	Boneset Thoroughwort ^P
Gentiana clausa ^N	Bottle Gentian
Lobelia siphilitica ^N	Blue Lobelia
Monarda fistulosa ^N	Wild Bergamot ^P
Physostegia virginiana ^N	Obedient Plant ^P
Solidago species ^{some N}	Goldenrod ^P

From the GardenPro Answer Book; revised and updated by Lois Berg Stack, Ornamental Horticulture Specialist, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.