Alaska gets hummingbirds. This surprises people, and honestly it should. It's a ping pong ball sized bird traveling from Mexico to Anchorage, or the equivalent of doing an Ironman on a granola bar.
The bird is the Rufous Hummingbird, and if you want one in your yard, the best hummingbird plants in Alaska look nothing like our Florida list. Think cold-hardy natives such as Fireweed, Western Columbine, Red Elderberry and Great Red Paintbrush, adapted to a short growing season and blooming when Rufous Hummingbirds are actually here.
Why Alaska's Hummingbird Garden Is Different
The Rufous is not the Ruby-throated Hummingbird that stars in every other state guide on this blog. Its personality can be diplomatically described as assertive: highly territorial, and happy to chase much bigger birds off a feeder. It also flies a round trip of about 3,900 miles, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. When one shows up at your Fireweed in May, it's earned the right to be territorial.
The season is short, too. Rufous reach Southeast Alaska in April and Southcentral in May, and most head south by late July. For arrival dates by region, the Anna's Hummingbirds that winter in Southeast, and feeder timing, see Hummingbirds in Alaska: Species, Arrival Dates and When to Put Out Feeders. Here, we're sticking to what to plant.
1. Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium)
If you plant one thing for hummingbirds in Alaska, Fireweed is it. It's Alaska's most iconic wildflower and one of the most productive nectar plants in the boreal and subarctic, and the U.S. Forest Service lists it among the state's hummingbird plants.
It blooms through the heart of summer, timed almost exactly with the Rufous season. It spreads freely, which in a large garden is a feature and in a small yard requires some management. Worth it either way.
2. Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Western Columbine produces red-and-yellow nodding flowers with long nectar spurs, structurally designed for long-billed pollinators. It blooms in late spring and early summer, one of the first important nectar sources after Rufous Hummingbirds arrive.
It's also, wordplay aside, a column-ar plant that stands up well in Alaskan wind. (One pun per post. That one was unavoidable.)
3. Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)
Red Elderberry blooms in late spring with clusters of small white flowers, then produces red berries in summer. Hummingbirds visit the flowers. Thrushes and waxwings work the berries.
A multi-season wildlife shrub that earns its space. It can grow to 15 feet, so plant it where it has room.
4. Golden Currant (Ribes aureum)
Golden Currant has small yellow tubular flowers in spring and edible berries in summer, and it's very cold-hardy. One correction from our earlier version: it isn't an Alaska native. It's native to Canada and the western and central United States, per the USDA plant guide.
If you'd rather go native, the Forest Service's list includes two Alaska currants, Stink Currant (Ribes bracteosum) and Trailing Black Currant (Ribes laxiflorum). Either way, an early-blooming currant helps cover the gap between the birds' arrival and peak bloom, when they'd otherwise depend on feeders.
5. Common Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
Bearberry is a low-growing evergreen groundcover native throughout Alaska, blooming in late spring with small pink urn-shaped flowers. Excellent for rockeries and slopes, and it tolerates poor, rocky soil.
The red berries that follow feed bears (who earned the naming rights), ptarmigan and other wildlife. Think of it as a supporting player: the flowers are small, so pair it with bigger nectar plants.
6. Great Red Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata)
Also called Scarlet Paintbrush, this is one of the most recognizable wildflowers in Alaska and a consistent draw for Rufous Hummingbirds.
There's a practical challenge. Paintbrush is a hemiparasite: it partially parasitizes neighboring plant roots, which makes it hard to grow in isolation. Plant it with native grasses or perennials it can associate with, in a naturalistic meadow planting rather than a formal border.
7. Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)
Harebell produces small blue-purple nodding bells through summer into fall. It's not a classic hummingbird flower (blue and bell-shaped rather than red and tubular), so treat it as a filler rather than a headliner.
What it does well: it's extremely cold-hardy, grows in poor soil, and keeps blooming late, which extends your garden's season in a climate where that matters.
8. Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
Anise Hyssop produces tall lavender-blue flower spikes from midsummer on. Like Golden Currant, it's not native to Alaska. Its native range is north-central and northern North America, per the University of Washington's propagation protocol.
It's drought-tolerant and reseeds to gradually fill a planting area. In a short-season garden, a plant that keeps producing through August earns its place.
More Native Hummingbird Plants in Alaska
The Forest Service's Alaska hummingbird and pollinator guide lists more natives worth a look, especially if you have space for shrubs:
- Early bloomers: Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), Early Blueberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium), willows and alders
- Shrubs: Rusty Menziesia (Menziesia ferruginea), Oregon Crabapple (Malus fusca), and Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus), if you enjoy gardening in armor
- Perennials: Nootka Lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis), Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus), Angelica, and two more paintbrushes (Castilleja parviflora and Castilleja unalaschcensis)
Those early bloomers matter more than they look. A Kenai National Wildlife Refuge biologist suggests early-flowering salmonberry and blueberry may help explain where on the Kenai Peninsula Rufous choose to live.
Planting Tips for Hummingbird Plants in Alaska
- Be blooming on arrival. Your early plants should be established before mid-April in Southeast and before May in Southcentral. This is Alaska, so "late frost" is not a hypothetical.
- Plant in succession. Combine early bloomers (currants, salmonberry, columbine) with midsummer Fireweed and late Harebell so there's nectar from April to August.
- Try containers. Potted plants for hummingbirds work well in a short season. Western Columbine, Anise Hyssop and Harebell all handle pots.
- Skip the pesticides. Hummingbirds eat small insects for protein, and these alternative pesticides won't wipe out their food supply.
- Back it up with a feeder. Flowers are the main course, but a clean feeder with fresh homemade hummingbird food covers cold snaps. The Fish and Wildlife Service adds one Alaska-specific warning: feeders can attract bears.
Where to Find Alaska Native Plants
A cultivar bred for a Georgia garden won't perform in Anchorage, regardless of what the label says. Alaska's native plants evolved for exactly your conditions: late frosts, cool summers, long days and early falls. Fireweed thrives in disturbed boreal soils, and Bearberry grows on rocky slopes where little else will. No lower-48 cultivar matches those adaptations.
The Alaska Native Plant Society's resource page is the place to start. It runs an annual native seed distribution program and links a guide to growing Alaska natives in your garden, plus native plant sources from the Plant Materials Center in Palmer. For the rest of the habitat picture, see our guide on how to attract hummingbirds.
Hummingbird Plants in Alaska FAQ
What is the best plant for hummingbirds in Alaska?
Fireweed. It's Alaska's signature wildflower, blooms right through the Rufous season, and spreads on its own. Western Columbine and Great Red Paintbrush are close runners-up.
What flowers bloom first for hummingbirds in Alaska?
Early-flowering shrubs like Salmonberry, Early Blueberry and native currants open when the first Rufous arrive in April and May. Western Columbine follows in late spring.
Are these plants all native to Alaska?
Six of our eight are. Golden Currant and Anise Hyssop are cold-hardy but not Alaska natives, so swap in Stink Currant or Trailing Black Currant if you want an all-native garden.
Can I grow hummingbird plants in containers in Alaska?
Yes. Western Columbine, Anise Hyssop and Harebell all do well in pots, which also lets you move them somewhere sheltered during a late cold snap.
Do I still need a feeder if I plant flowers?
It helps. The Fish and Wildlife Service recommends keeping a clean feeder if you live near the coast in southern Alaska, especially early in the season before much is blooming. Hang it where bears can't reach it.
When in Doubt, Just Plant Something Red
Take a moment when the first Rufous shows up in your yard to consider what it just accomplished to get there. It flew from Mexico. It weighs less than a nickel. It gets to have opinions about your feeder placement.
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