Flowers throughout the year

The best habitats for bees have flowering plants rich in nectar and pollen throughout the growing season. Survey your yard and garden to see when flowers are abundant and when they are scarce.

Sedum flower.
Blooming sedum. Photo by Diane Brown, MSU Extension.

The best habitats for bees have flowering plants rich in nectar and pollen throughout the growing season. Survey your yard and garden to see when flowers are abundant and when they are scarce. You can then add pollinator-attractive perennials, shrubs and trees to your garden that bloom at times to fill in the gaps and create a continuous flow of nectar and pollen from early spring through late fall. 

In the following table, the flower's bloom time is indicated with an X . The type of plant (annual, perennial, bulb or shrub) is indicated following the scientific name. Plant names appearing in bold print are super-attractive to bees.

Planting for a succession of flowers. Bloom time indicated with an “X”.

Plant

Plant type

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Eranthus cilicica

Bulb

X

X

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helleborus spp.

Perennial

X

X

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

Centaurea cyanus

Perennial

 

 

X

X

X

X

 

 

 

Calendula spp.

Annual

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

 

 

Coreopsis spp.

Perennial

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

 

 

Rosa rugosa

Shrubs

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

 

 

Lavandula spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

X

X

 

 

 

 

Campanula carpatica

Perennial

 

 

 

X

X

X

 

 

 

Centaurea montana

Perennial

 

 

 

X

X

X

 

 

 

Achillea spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

 

 

Echinacea spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

 

 

Eryngium spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

 

 

Oreganum vulgare

Perennial

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

 

 

Salvia spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

 

 

Borago officinalus

Annual

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

 

Thymus spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

 

Agastache “Black Adder”

Perennial

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Astilbe spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

 

X

X

 

 

 

Echinops ritro

Perennial

 

 

 

 

X

X

 

 

 

Melissa officinalis

Perennial

 

 

 

 

X

X

 

 

 

Penstemon spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

 

 

Solidago spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

 

 

Helenium spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

 

Perovskia atriplicifolia

Perennial

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

 

Dahlia spp. cv.

Perennial

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

 

Sedum spectabile

Perennial

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

 

Cosmos spp.

Annual

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

Asters spp.

Perennial

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Chrysanthemum sp.

Annual/Perennial

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Read the next article in this publication series: Biological control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for protecting pollinators

Or return to the beginning of this publication: How to protect and increase pollinators in your landscape

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