Attracting hummingbirds to your yard is easy!
Nectar sources are your biggest advantage.
And while nectar feeders are a great addition to your yard, fresh nectar and native flowers are the best.
- 5 Key Tips for Using Plants to Attract Hummingbirds
- 17 Flowers & Plants Hummingbirds Can’t Resist
5 Key Tips for Using Plants to Attract Hummingbirds
1. Focus on Red/Orange
While they visit many colors, red and orange are the most attractive due to their eyes being more sensitive to those colors.
2. Choose Tubular Shapes
Tubular or funnel-shaped flowers are best for their long beaks.
3. Plant in Masses
Grouping similar plants in clumps makes them easier for hummingbirds to spot. Use companion planting to make sure your garden thrives!
4. Succession Planting
Choose a variety of plants that bloom at different times to provide a continuous nectar supply from early spring to late fall.
5. Avoid Pesticides
Pesticides can kill the insects that hummingbirds also feed on for protein.
19 Plants that Attract Hummingbirds
Perennials, annuals, flowers and shrubs alike. They all have a place in your hummingbird garden!
Many of these plants attract other pollinators like bees and butterflies, too.
1. Bee Balm (Monarda)
- Perennial
Names: Bergamot, Horesemint, Oswego Tea
An herbaceous plant in the mint family and native to North America.
Choose Scarlet or “Fireball” Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) for hummingbirds. The vibrant red is preferred by Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds and many butterflies.
Beebalm does best in full sun and needs good drainage. It’s spreading behavior varies so keep an eye on it making sure it doesn’t take over your garden.
2. Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
- Perennial
Names: Scarlet Lobelia, Indian Pink
The Cardinal Flower depends on hummingbirds since many insects find the flowers difficult to navigate.
Every hummingbird garden must have Cardinal Flower since it’s practically a beacon for hummingbirds!
The flowers bloom from late summer through early fall, which is when young hummingbirds are feeding and adults are fueling up for migration.
3. Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
- Perennial
Names: Coral honeysuckle, Scarlet honeysuckle
Named for its tubular, trumpet shaped flowers. These red flowers are ideal for hummingbirds in both shape and color.
Trumpet Honeysuckle is a great native plant for your garden especially in the eastern United States.
4. Hummingbird Mint (Agastache)
- Perennial
Names: Anise Hyssop
Hummingbird Mint has tubular, nectar rich flowers that are perfect for hummingbirds (hence its name).
They bloom from summer to frost which is perfect for attracting hummingbirds right up to migration.
There are varieties of reds, purples, pinks, yellows, and even blues.
5. Zinnias
- Annual
Zinnias are fast-growing, annual, heat-loving flowers that bloom from the spring to first frost.
They come in gorgeous deep reds and pinks of every shade, and other colors, too.
While not tube shaped they are pollinator friendly and loved by hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees.
Their summer long bloom keeps them producing nectar which the hummingbirds will love!
6. Foxglove (Digitalis)
- Perennial
Foxglove is known for its purple and pink spire-like flowers. They’re native to Europe but have adapted to the Americas.
Foxglove is great for partially shaded areas. It’s an ideal hummingbird flower for rural or suburban yards where deer may appear as it’s considered deer resistant.
Beware— Foxglove is toxic. All plant parts cause severe poisoning.
Avoid it if you have small children or pets.
7. Columbine (Aquilegia)
- Perennial
The red, yellow, and tube shape of Eastern Columbine make it a hummingbird favorite.
Western Columbine flowers are great for hummingbirds, too. Both Columbine flowers bloom in early spring when hummingbirds return from their wintering grounds.
The varieties differ a bit in appearance but have the same soft red and orange hues.
8. Cuphea
- Annual
Names: Red Cigar Flower, Firecracker Plant
Cupha is perfect for attracting hummingbirds to your yard. Its non-stop tube-shaped flowers bloom from spring to fall.
Choose varieties like Vermillionaire and Hummingbird's Lunch which are perfect for containers, hanging baskets, and mass plantings.
9. Lantana
- Annual
Names: shrub verbena, wild sage, red sage, or Spanish flag
The rich cluster of tubular flowers of the Lantana plant are a favorite for hummingbird gardens.
Go with varieties like Luscious Royale Red Zone or Bloomify Red that offer bright colors such as red, yellow, and orange.
Butterflies and bees love them, too, dubbing the plant a pollinator workhorse.
10. Fuchsia
- Annual
Fushia is known for its bell shaped upside down hanging flowers. They remind me of Bleeding Hearts
Try any of these four varieties for your hummingbirds: Gartenmeister Bonstedt (tubular orange), Jungle (red/orange), Christelchen (small red), or Garden News (magenta-rose).
Aim for partial shade and well draining soil.
11. Petunias
- Annual
Petunias are a popular and abundant flower. You can find them in every garden center this spring and probably in a number of grocery stores.
They can be an uncommon magnet for all pollinators.
Aim for bright pinks and magentas like Bubblegum or Vista Supertunia, Littletunia Red Fire, or — my favorite of them all— yellow Bee’s Knee’s petunias.
12. Beardtongue (Penstemon)
- Perennial
A drought tolerant delicate flowering plant. The nectar rich tubes attract hummingbirds and other pollinators.
Beardtongue comes in a number of pinks and purples sure to please your hummingbirds.
Choose varieties like Husker Red, Dark Towers, and Blackbeard.
- Related: 9 Ways to Attract Hummingbirds
13. Salvia
- Perennial
Names: California hummingbird sage, pitcher sage
The fruity rose, red, and purple hued flowers of hummingbird sage are a staple in any pollinator garden.
Surprisingly, Black & Blue Salvia is a popular choice by birders and gardeners alike.
Consider other varieties like Hot Lips, Amistad, or Summer Jewel.
14. Blazing Stars (Liatris)
- Annual
Names: Gayfeather
A tall cylindrical cluster of spikes for petals, Blazing Stars is one of the more fun flowers you can choose for hummingbirds.
It looks like a pink-purple bottlebrush.
Bonus: Clearwing Hummingbird Moths love Liatris
15. Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)
- Perennial
Names: Yellow trumpet, trumpet creeper,
Trumpet vine is a gorgeous orange and peach colored flower.
If you’re looking to channel a warm sunrise vine in your garden, this is the flower to use.
This plant is a crawling and climbing vine ideal for fences and trellis. Be careful in smaller spaces as it can easily overtake your garden.
- Related: 5 Steps to Clean Hummingbird Feeders
16. Hibiscus
- Perennial
Names: Rose of Sharon
Hibiscus are hardy, full sun flowers that offer great options for cooler climates.
Sometimes hummingbirds make nests in or near the dense foliage of hibiscus shrubs.
Turk’s Cap is often cited as the best choice for attracting hummingbirds due to its consistent, bright red flowers. You can also try Tropical Hibiscus.
17. Butterfly Bush (Buddleja)
- Perennial
Known for its fragrant purple and pink spikes Butterfly Bush is an excellent for large yards with space to fill.
Some grow to be up to 12 feet tall!
Make sure to prune in the winter to encourage new growth.
What flowers do your hummingbirds prefer?
Share them on the Sparkbird App! Where likeminded birders and nature enthusiasts go to share.
Available in the Apple App Store.
