Don’t tell my honeybees, but bumblebees are my favorite. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never been stung by one. Maybe it’s those adorable, fluffy bodies that move slowly enough to truly observe them in action. Bumbles are the cutest pollinators, and no one can make me believe otherwise. 

You might worry that with their declining numbers, it could be difficult to attract them to your garden. It’s alarming to hear that in the past twenty years, the numbers have tumbled nearly 90%. In some states, the numbers are even more grim. The American bumblebee is completely lost to Maine, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wyoming, and Vermont, though other species still exist in these places.

I have nothing but praise for this little perennial. My only wish is that it were perennial in my zone. However, it self-sows nicely, so I’m never without a plant or two. The flowers are nice for cutting, but I tend to leave this one intact as it’s always covered in pollinators. 

African Blue Basil

Blooms keep coming until frost finally shuts the show down.

African blue basil is an absolute pollinator magnet, and the bumblebees especially adore it. I love to watch them buzzing around this one, as they are single-minded, and I can get close without their noticing. 

Pinch your basil when it’s young to encourage branching. This is an edible basil, but once it flowers, the leaves don’t taste as good, and you definitely want it to flower. The leaves have a deep purple underside, and the stems are purple as well. The blue-violet flowers draw bees for miles. It blooms for most of the summer and until the first frost. 

Borage

Gardeners love its looks as much as its flavor.

Bees see a broader range of colors than humans, which includes ultraviolet light. As a result, the colors that attract them most are blue and purple. Borage produces a profusion of pretty blue blossoms that they flock to. 

Borage is edible for humans and has a flavor similar to cucumbers. It’s a pretty vine that works well in the vegetable garden. While it’s not a true invasive, it can spread quickly and be difficult to get rid of once it moves in. 

Bee Balm

A magnet for wings and whirls through midsummer heat.

The name says it all. Bee balm is a great pollinator attractor, and bumblebees will come back to visit this plant. It’s a member of the mint family, and within its range, it can be quick to spread. I prefer to grow this one in a container to keep it tidy.

Some hybrid species with varieties, like ‘Lamabada,’ are less reliable as perennials, which makes them easier to manage. You can grow these as an annual for the same effect. This plant is edible and has a lemony aroma and flavor. 

Goldenrod

It keeps the garden buzzing well into the crisp season.

I’ve seen few flowers attract bumblebees the way that goldenrod can. Mine is always teeming with them from the time the flowers bloom until they fade, which is usually several weeks to a month. They make spectacular additions to the cutting garden, but I hate to cut them and deprive the pollinators. Many are best for larger gardens with wild areas, as they tend to spread vigorously.

There are many species native to North America, and it’s always good to find one that is native to your region. These will grow the best with the least amount of care. They flower in autumn, which is great for bumbles, which tend to forage later in the season. They can regulate their body temperature and endure cold weather better than other pollinators.

False Indigo

Shrubby shape makes it a natural garden anchor.

False indigo, a type of baptisia, is attractive to bumblebees and other pollinators. Plants from this genus tend to be favorites. Baptisia is in the pea family and has sweet-smelling, attractive flowers that bloom in late spring and continue into early summer. 

These are attractive and make great ornamental additions to the garden, as well. They form a small shrub topped with spikes of delicate blue flowers, and as I mentioned, blue is a bee’s favorite color!

Purple Coneflower

It holds its color strong from July straight into fall.

Another purple flower that will bring the bumbles to the yard is purple coneflower. We also know this plant as echinacea, and it has a great deal of merit in the garden. It’s native to most of the eastern and central United States, and it’s always good to fill your space with natives as they are less work and use fewer resources. 

Purple coneflowers are amazing nectar producers, and they offer a substantial landing place for tired pollinators. Not only are they useful in attracting my favorite garden helpers, but they also add plenty of color to the garden for a long period in summer and fall. 

Red Clover

It pops up easily and quietly enriches the soil beneath.

Red clover is a member of the pea family, and like most types of clover, it’s popular with pollinators for its nectar-rich blooms. It also has a long list of health benefits for humans. It’s incredibly easy to grow and requires little to no effort to keep it coming back. 

Red clover is non-native and will spread, so if you want to avoid letting it become weedy, simply mow the flowers down before they go to seed. It’s a nitrogen fixer, so it makes an excellent cover crop as long as you prevent it from re-seeding.

Lacy Phacelia

This early spring seeder has pretty blooms and soil benefits.

Lacy phacelia has many virtues, not the least of which is its appeal to pollinators. It’s a frost-tolerant annual that you can seed early in the spring for spring and summer flowers. You can use it as a cover crop, but you’ll want to mow it before it goes to seed, and that means losing some flowering time. 

This one is good for enriching the soil and preventing erosion. It’s pretty, with fiddlehead flower spikes covered in small purple blossoms. It’s tolerant of poor soil and drought, and the bees adore it!

Salvia

Native varieties offer beautiful color while feeding garden helpers.

Salvia is an amazing bloomer that flowers in spring, summer, and fall, depending on the species. It provides valuable food for bumblebees for a long period of the year, and that will keep them coming back for more. 

Salvia is in the mint family. It has aromatic foliage and can get a bit aggressive if allowed. Most species are not invasive, though, and many are native to the United States. Check to see which ones are best for your region, and look for purple flowering varieties over red ones. Red flowering salvias are popular with butterflies and hummingbirds, but bees are not partial to red. 

Nettleleaf Giant Hyssop

Purple blooms and aromatic leaves make this plant a standout.

Nettleleaf giant hyssop is another species in the same genus as anise hyssop, and it’s every bit as popular with the bumblebees if not more! These large, long-lived perennials are a nectar powerhouse, and they have purple flowers.

This mint family member has strongly aromatic foliage. It grows in poor soil and doesn’t need much in the way of maintenance. This is a great plant for feeding wildlife, as birds will enjoy the ample seedheads in the fall. 

Beardtongue

They’re perfect for adding height and color while supporting pollinators.

Beardtongues are great for pollinators, and there are many species native to North America. Find the right one for your region, and you’ll find it easy to cultivate. Beardtongues have long stems of vibrant, tubular flowers that attract bumblebees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. 

Bumbles have learned to nectar-rob these plants by cutting a hole at the base of the bloom and sipping the nectar without bothering with the pollen. 

Aster

Late-season blooms provide a vital food source for pollinators.

Asters are a large genus of plants. There are close to 200 species, and most of them are great additions to the pollinator garden. New England aster, in particular, is native to a significant portion of North America, and the blooms come in shades of purple, pink, and white. 

One of the greatest benefits of planting asters is their autumn bloom time. In the fall, asters provide a valuable food source for bumblebees preparing for hibernation. Look for species either in the Aster or Symphyotrichum genera, as many asters were recently reclassified into Symphyotrichum.

Zinnia

A perfect addition to any garden, it blooms all season long.

I grow zinnias every year, and they never disappoint. More than just about any other plant, these attract a multitude of pollinators, including bumblebees. 

Zinnias come in a wide array of colors and provide a good landing pad, so they are easy to access. They’re not native, but they don’t become aggressive and only re-seed sparsely. They bloom from spring through frost and provide an excellent source of pollen and nectar. 

Yarrow

It’s a wonderful cut flower that blooms steadily through the seasons.

Yarrow is a long-blooming perennial that produces tons of tiny, nectar-rich flowers. It’s a reliable perennial in zones 3-9 and makes a beautiful cut flower, too. Its summer and fall blooming make it a great flower to bridge the in-between seasons. It doesn’t mind the heat, so it will help bees get through the summer dearth. 

Yarrow comes in a wide array of colors. I personally find the red to be the prettiest, but since bees are impartial to it, make sure to throw in some yellow or white to make them happy.