New Jersey native plants, sorted by sun and shade, so your pollinator garden thrives instead of struggles.
The single biggest mistake new pollinator gardeners make is fighting their yard. A sun-loving coneflower will sulk in the shade, and a woodland columbine will scorch in an open field. Native plants have spent thousands of years figuring out where they belong in New Jersey. Work with that, and the garden does most of the work for you.
Every plant on this page is native to New Jersey, which means it evolved alongside our local bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds and feeds them in ways that imported ornamentals simply cannot. Match the plant to your light, and you will spend less time watering and more time watching pollinators show up.
Six or more hours of direct sun a day. Think open lawns, south-facing beds, and roadsides. Most of our showiest pollinator plants live here.
Three to six hours of sun, often morning sun with afternoon shade, or dappled light under high trees. A surprising number of natives thrive in this in-between.
Less than three hours of direct sun, like the north side of a house or under dense trees. Fewer options, but the woodland natives here are quietly beautiful.
Full sun to part sun. These are the workhorses of a New Jersey pollinator garden: long bloom times, heavy nectar, and a magnet for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
| Plant | Blooms | Who It Feeds |
|---|---|---|
| Butterfly MilkweedAsclepias tuberosa | Jun to Aug | Monarch host plant, native bees, butterflies |
| Common & Swamp MilkweedAsclepias syriaca / incarnata | Jun to Aug | The only plants monarchs can lay eggs on |
| Purple ConeflowerEchinacea purpurea | Jun to Sep | Bees and butterflies, seeds feed goldfinches |
| Black-eyed SusanRudbeckia hirta | Jun to Oct | Native bees, small butterflies, hoverflies |
| Wild Bergamot (Bee Balm)Monarda fistulosa | Jul to Sep | Long-tongued bees, hummingbirds, moths |
| Mountain MintPycnanthemum muticum | Jul to Sep | One of the single best plants for total pollinator visits |
| New England AsterSymphyotrichum novae-angliae | Aug to Oct | Critical late fuel for migrating monarchs |
| GoldenrodSolidago species | Aug to Oct | Late-season pollen lifeline (it does not cause hay fever) |
| Blazing StarLiatris spicata | Jul to Aug | Butterflies and long-tongued bees |
| Lanceleaf CoreopsisCoreopsis lanceolata | May to Jul | Small native bees and butterflies |
| Wild LupineLupinus perennis | Apr to Jun | Specialist bees, host for rare frosted elfin butterfly |
Part shade to full shade. Woodland natives bloom earlier, often before the tree canopy fills in, which makes them a vital first food source for pollinators waking up in spring.
| Plant | Blooms | Who It Feeds |
|---|---|---|
| Wild ColumbineAquilegia canadensis | Apr to May | Ruby-throated hummingbirds, early bees |
| Virginia BluebellsMertensia virginica | Mar to May | Queen bumble bees and early spring bees |
| Cardinal FlowerLobelia cardinalis | Jul to Sep | Hummingbird favorite, loves moist shade |
| Great Blue LobeliaLobelia siphilitica | Aug to Sep | Bumble bees, late-season nectar |
| Woodland PhloxPhlox divaricata | Apr to May | Butterflies, moths, long-tongued bees |
| Wild GeraniumGeranium maculatum | Apr to Jun | Native bees and early butterflies |
| Golden RagwortPackera aurea | Apr to Jun | Early bees, spreads into a weed-smothering groundcover |
| FoamflowerTiarella cordifolia | Apr to Jun | Small native bees, gentle shade groundcover |
| White Wood AsterEurybia divaricata | Aug to Oct | Late nectar in dry shade where little else blooms |
| Zigzag GoldenrodSolidago flexicaulis | Aug to Oct | A goldenrod that actually thrives in the shade |
Flowers get the attention, but a single native shrub or tree can out-feed a whole flower bed and give pollinators a place to nest and overwinter. If you have room for just one woody plant, make it a native.
Cephalanthus occidentalis. Wet spots and rain gardens. Its pincushion blooms are swarmed by bees and butterflies in midsummer.
Ceanothus americanus. A tough, drought-proof shrub named for our state, alive with native bees and beetles in June.
Clethra alnifolia. Fragrant August flowers when little else blooms. Handles part shade and damp soil too.
Lindera benzoin. The host plant for the spectacular spicebush swallowtail, plus early nectar and fall berries for birds.
Amelanchier canadensis. Early white blooms feed spring bees, then berries feed birds and people alike.
Vaccinium corymbosum. A Jersey classic. Specialist bees pollinate it, and you get blueberries. Everybody wins.
Send us a photo of your space and how much sun it gets. We will tell you exactly what to plant and where, and we can often get you the plants at one of our events.
Ask Us What to Plant