If you want a garden that hums with life, it starts with the right plants. Certain flowers and shrubs naturally attract bees, hummingbirds, and seed-loving songbirds—supporting pollinators while filling your yard with movement and sound.
These 11 picks are beautiful, easy to grow, and proven favorites for winged visitors of all kinds.
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
This vibrant perennial is a pollinator powerhouse. Its nectar-rich, spiky blooms attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds—and its minty leaves even repel deer.
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
These daisy-like blooms are bee favorites in summer, and when the petals fade, birds love the seed heads. They're drought-tolerant and great for low-maintenance beds.
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
With their wide faces and generous pollen, sunflowers are bee central. Once they bloom, the drying heads become a feast for finches, chickadees, and other seed lovers.
Salvia (Salvia nemorosa or S. guaranitica)
With its tubular blooms and long flowering period, salvia is a go-to for hummingbirds and native bees. Its fragrant foliage is also deer-resistant and great in borders.
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
These sunny yellow flowers are loved by pollinators while in bloom, then offer seeds for birds in fall. They're hardy, cheerful, and spread easily in wildflower-style gardens.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.)
This native shrub produces early blooms for bees, summer berries for birds, and colorful fall foliage. It’s a year-round standout and supports multiple parts of the food web.
Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
A native vine with red-orange tubular flowers, this plant is irresistible to hummingbirds and pollinators. It’s a fast grower and a great alternative to invasive honeysuckles.
Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
With towering stems and fluffy pink blooms, this wildflower is a bee favorite. Later in the season, birds perch on its stems and forage among the seed heads.
Zinnias (Zinnia elegans)
These easy-to-grow annuals attract pollinators all summer long with their open, colorful blooms. Let a few go to seed, and birds will come to snack on them late in the season.
Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)
Best known for supporting monarchs, milkweed also feeds native bees and offers fluffy seeds for birds to line their nests. It’s a must-have in pollinator gardens.
Conebush (Leucadendron spp.)
This striking evergreen shrub, native to South Africa, produces cone-like bracts full of nectar for bees. In warmer climates, its dense foliage offers shelter and nesting spots for small birds.
These 11 plants do more than just look good—they help bees and birds thrive while bringing movement, sound, and balance to your yard. Plant a few, and your garden will become a vibrant, living sanctuary.
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