Zone 5 · winter lows -20°F to -10°F
Pollinator Plants for Zone 5
7k pollinators plants that are hardy through Zone 5, ranked by how many gardeners actually save and grow them.
Most-saved pollinators plants for Zone 5
#1 most savedButterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
#2 most savedCheyenne Spirit Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea 'Cheyenne Spirit'
#3 most savedPink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies Mix'
Butterfly Kisses Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea 'Butterfly Kisses'
Butterfly Weed Gay Butterflies Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies'
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Deluxe Butterfly Garden'
Hello Yellow Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow'
Garden Phlox
Phlox paniculata 'Mix'
Purple Coneflower Rainbow
Echinacea purpurea 'Rainbow'
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias x hybrida
Old Farmyard Hollyhock
Alcea rosea 'Old Farmyard'
May Night Sage
Salvia nemorosa 'May Night'
Walker's Low Catmint
Nepeta faassenii 'Walker's Low'
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta 'American Gold Rush'
Pugster Amethyst Butterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii 'Pugster Amethyst'
Garden Phlox 'Rene Duval'
Phlox paniculata 'Rene Duval'
Pugster Pink Butterfly Bush
Buddleia davidii 'Pugster Pinker'
Dwarf Wild Indigo
Baptisia minor
Blanket Flower
Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Mixed Border'
Incrediball Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball'
Zinnia Raggedy Ann
Zinnia elegans 'Raggedy Ann'
Cinderella Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella'
Prairie Phlox
Phlox pilosa
Showing the 24 most-saved of 7k. See all pollinator plants →
Pollinator Plants in Zone 5
What are the best pollinators plants for Zone 5?
The 24 above are the most-saved pollinators plants that are also rated hardy through Zone 5. Ranking by real gardeners — not by catalog marketing — surfaces the ones gardeners keep coming back to.
Will these survive Zone 5 winters?
Every plant listed here is rated for Zone 5, where winter lows reach -20°F to -10°F. Site conditions still matter: drainage, wind exposure, and a good layer of mulch make the difference between a rated-hardy plant and a happy one.
What makes a plant good for pollinators?
Single (not double) flowers with accessible nectar and pollen, long bloom windows, and planting in groups of three or more so foragers can work efficiently. Native species tend to support the widest range of local pollinators.
When should pollinator plants bloom?
Aim for a relay: early-spring bloomers feed emerging queens, summer plants carry the colony season, and late-fall asters and goldenrods fuel migration and overwintering. A good pollinator bed has something open from March to frost.
Keep exploring
Pollinator Plants in other zones
Design a Zone 5 bed with these
Snap a photo of your yard and Sow places these plants in it — correctly sized, matched to your zone, with care reminders that follow your real weather.
