What should I plant?
Not sure what to plant? Don’t worry–TPI has you covered! We’ve created lists of easy-to-source, easy-to-grow native plants that pollinators love. After you plant these, your garden will be buzzing with pollinators–we guarantee.
Bunny problems? Check out our guide to making your garden bunny-proof.
Want even more lists? Plants for shade, plants for butterflies? Let us know what you want to see, or check out these other great lists compiled by regional experts.
- Pollinator friendly plant lists, Xerces Society
- What to plant in your butterfly garden, NABA
- Native plants that attract pollinators, GrowNative Mass
- Plants for at-risk bumble bees in Massachusetts, Gegear Lab, UMass Dartmouth
- Plants for native specialist bees, Danforth Lab, Cornell University
Where to source native plants
The native plants on our lists are easy to find in local native plant nurseries like Bluestem Natives and Garden in Woods. See Grow Native Mass’ comprehensive list for more locations.
You can also pick up hand-grown, hyper-local native plants from TPI at our summer plant sale! We have a Seeds & Cider seed giveaway every fall, too, where we offer free seeds harvested from our garden and teach you how to harvest your own seeds.
Bigger commercial nurseries like Mahoney’s often have small selection of native perennials, but you have to search a bit for them. One of the best ways to get your local nursery to start carrying more pollinator friendly plants is to show demand–ask them!
Please refrain from digging up wild plants. If you are interested in starting your own plants from seeds, be sure to source your seed ethically and sustainably. Instructions for propagating your own native plants from seeds can be found at Wild Seed Project (Maine) and Ecological Landscape Alliance, as well as below.