Did you know plants that attract hummingbirds43 are readily available where you are?
Hummingbirds40 are ecological and cultural treasures that have adapted significantly to the changing climatic conditions, especially in areas with plants that attract them. Over 365 hummingbird species are distributed in different environmental conditions, including the desert scrublands and the chilly, bushy areas.
According to the American Bird Conservancy, more than 15 hummingbird species27 have created a habitat in the U.S. alone. Therefore, no matter the climatic region you live in, you can easily have a few species visit your garden in search of food.
Hummingbirds like a wide variety of flowers. However, your dream of creating an inviting hummingbird habitat may remain elusive if you don’t pick the right ones.
This guide gives you a comprehensive breakdown of 78 plants that attract hummingbirds to help you choose those that match your preferences.
Plants and Flowers To Attract Hummingbirds: What Type of Flowers Do Hummingbirds Like?
Although they are quite selective, hummingbirds will love your garden if you plant their favorite flowers. So, what type of flowers do hummingbirds like?
Hummingbirds consider these two factors when choosing the flowers they like.
- The color of the flower: Generally, hummingbirds like brightly-colored flowers, and red is their favorite color.
- Amount of nectar in the flower: Long tubular flowers have a good amount of nectar, so hummingbirds go for such flowers.
The best flowers to attract hummingbirds are brightly-colored and full of nectar.44
Annual Plants That Attract Hummingbirds
With the comprehensive list below, you can discover the best annual plants that attract hummingbirds to your garden.45
| Plant Name | Description |
| 1. Cleomes | Cleomes or Spider flowers are natively found in South America as they thrive in well-drained soils and full sunlight. You can easily recognize them by their unique flower clusters resembling spiders. They have distinctive pink, purple, and white flowers that hummingbirds love. The flowers are a great nectar source, so hummingbirds return for more every season. Adding Cleomes in your garden is a perfect choice. Once the plants are established, you need to water them sparingly as they don’t need too much water. Additionally, you can let them reseed and grow out the following year without putting much effort into it.4 |
| 2. Petunias | Petunias are a great option if you are looking for vibrant flowering plants that bloom for an extended period.29 They are commonly used in gardens, landscapes, hanging baskets, and containers to add bursts of color and beauty to your garden. Hummingbirds love Petunias and discover them easily because of their wide range of colors, including pink, white, purple, and red. Flowers may have a solid color, striped, or variegated with multiple color combinations to give them a radiant look. |
| 3. Zinnia | Hummingbirds love Zinnias because they come nectar-filled and burst forth in every bright color you can imagine. Planting Zinnias in your garden increases the chance for hummingbirds to visit. If you are a first-time flower grower, Zinnias are a good choice because they are low-maintenance plants and bring the explosion of color that you are looking for in your flower garden.42 |
| 4. Morning Glory | The annual Morning Glory is tender and blooms into beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers. Their heart-shaped leaves and brightly-colored flowers give deep romantic vibes that are not only attractive to your eyes but also to hummingbirds.41 Since Morning Glories thrive best in warm temperatures, it’s important to wait until there are no signs of frost to sow their seeds. They grow quickly and bloom within no time. Once the stems are established, and they get their first bloom, morning glories continue to bring forth beautiful pink, purple, magenta, or white flowers until the first frost in fall. |
| 5. Calibrachoa | Calibrachoas checks all the boxes for plants that attract hummingbirds to your garden. They are prolific bloomers that blossom into a rainbow of colorful flowers. Some come in solid color tones of yellow, orange, lavender, cream, pink, red, burgundy, and purple, while others come in two color tones, double blooms, or color patterns.22 Although the blooms are like tiny petunias, their tubes are nectar-filled, which is suitable for hummingbirds. This means that once hummingbirds find them in your garden, they keep coming. |
| 6. Impatiens | Do you have a shaded spot in your garden where no other flowers thrive, and you want to make a change? Well, Impatiens are your best bet. They are known for their ability to grow and blossom in a shade, unlike other flowers that require sun exposure. To get started, buy tray-grown plants in nurseries and plant them in your garden. At this point, they are already near maturity and begin flowering after a short while. Their flowers can be white, red, pink, orange, yellow, and purple. |
| Plant Name | Description |
| 7. Flowering Tobacco | While Flowering Tobacco is toxic to humans and pets if ingested, the advantages of planting this ornamental flower in your garden outweigh its side effects. Not only does it add color to your garden, but it also introduces a strong, sweet aroma to your home.14 Its long tubular flowers are nectar-filled, making them a favorite food source for hummingbirds. At night, the potent fragrance invites other pollinators like moths to the flowers. |
| 8. Mandevilla | Mandevilla is a fast-growing vine that blooms into pink, red, white, and yellow trumpet-shaped and fragrant flowers. It’s a classic tropical vine that blooms all through the summer and fall in colder places and all year round in warm areas. Hummingbirds love Mandevillas because their big, showy, five-petal flowers allow them enough space to dig into the nectar. Once you plant some Mandevillas, hummingbirds find their way to your garden and regularly visit your flowers. |
| 9. Canary Creeper | Flowering vines like the Canary Creeper give your garden a lively look because they climb up and wrap around any structure near it. This trailing plant is known for its distinctive yellow flowers that resemble a canary’s feathered wings.2 These flowers are edible to humans, and hummingbirds love them for their nectar. With this towering vine in your garden or porch, you’re sure that hummingbirds will discover it and come to visit. |
| 10. Annual Cuphea | Whether you are getting into ornamental horticulture for the first time or already have a thriving garden, adding the Annual Cuphea to your flower selection is the right decision. It brings a bursting array of flower colors that hummingbirds cannot resist. The colors range from spicy red and orange to cool purple and pink to bring radiance into your garden.5 Although the flowers are small, their tubular shapes are filled with sweet nectar that visiting pollinators like. |
| 11. Hyacinth Bean | The purple Hyacinth Bean is primarily grown as an ornamental plant because of the beautiful purple color that decorates the stems, leaves, and flowers. The plant is generally edible, especially the young shoots, pods, leaves, and flowers. However, when planted in a flower garden, the showy seed pods and the purple flowers make the plant undeniably eye-catching. You may see an influx of hummingbirds in your home once you have this plant in your garden. |
| 12. Fuchsia | Unlike other flowering plants that do well in open and sunny areas, the Fuchsia thrives in the shade where it’s cool. However, the Fuchsia is sensitive to extreme cold conditions and dies off during winter.24 Fuchsias grown outdoors are annual and grow fast to produce teardrop-shaped and brightly-colored flowers from their trailing stems. Common flower colors include white, pink, red, violet, and purple, which are great at attracting hummingbirds to your home. |
| 13. Cypress Vine | Cypress Vine is a fast-growing flowering vine that presents as a graceful, delicate, and feathery-leafed plant suitable for your garden.17 It blossoms into beautiful bright red flowers that have a papery feel and are star-shaped. These characteristics make it an excellent attraction for hummingbirds. The Cypress Vine is quite invasive. It may trail its way to other plants in the garden and disrupt their growth. This necessitates a maintenance routine of looking out for such straying vines and redirecting them to their trail or pruning them out. |
Perennial Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds
Perennial plants thrive for more than one year. Here’s a list of perennial flowers that attract hummingbirds.
| Plant Name | Description |
| 14. Columbine | Columbines are native perennials that bloom into multi-colored flowers from mid-spring until early summer. The flowers are usually yellow, red, blue, white, orange, pink, purple, and violet, making them highly effective plants that attract hummingbirds.51 Columbines are short-lived and may die off if you deadhead them. However, if you allow the seeds to form, they could easily self-sow and allow a colony of Columbines to grow together the following season. |
| 15. Bee Balm | Ornamental gardeners love Bee Balm because of its ability to grow to flower maturity within the first season after planting. Although it grows with much foliage, the Bee Balm is known for its vibrant, hairy clusters of purple, red, lavender, pink, or white flowers with tubular petals.10 Hummingbirds love the Bee Balm and often come to it for the nectar stored in the long tubular petals. Additionally, it blooms for a long season, right from spring to the end of the summer season. |
| 16. Lantana | Lantana grows into an evergreen shrub decorated with multi-colored tubular flower clusters during its blooming season. Lantana is grown as an annual plant in some areas that experience freezing seasons.9 However, it thrives in dry and hot regions where it can bloom nearly all year round without stopping. If you want to include Lantana in your garden, it’s best to plant it at the garden border, where it can spread freely without damaging other plants. |
| 17. Butterfly Bush | The Weeping Butterfly Bush is a vibrant plant that thrives in all seasons, especially in warmer climates. If planted in areas that experience winter, the Butterfly Bush may die in the extreme cold but spring back to life during warmer temperatures. The bush blooms into elongated flower clusters, presenting a stunning display of pink, white, blue, purple, and yellow colors. The nectar-filled flowers are irresistible to hummingbirds and butterflies, drawing them to your garden in their numbers. |
| 18. Salvia | The perennial ornamental Salvia is a darling to hummingbirds and butterflies because of its colorful, spiky flowers that present as dense clusters. Their nectar-filled tubular flowers appear in shades of blue, purple, violet, white, pink, and red.33 Since the Salvias flourish in hot weather, why not spice up your garden with this drought-tolerant plant? The plant’s beauty is a sure attraction for hummingbirds. |
| 19. Coral Honeysuckle | The Coral Honeysuckle is a climbing perennial vine that likes to trail and wind its path. It can creep on the ground, forming a nice ground cover or holding on to thin structures near it while climbing up. Due to its invasive nature, you may need to guide it on a preferable path and prune it if it ventures too far in its path. In the summer, the Coral Honeysuckle Vine blooms into red, orange, coral, or yellow trumpet-shaped flowers that invite hummingbirds and butterflies. The flowers mature into red berries that songbirds love and enjoy eating. |
| Plant Name | Description |
| 20. Coral Bells | Coral Bells, also called Heucheras, are now the new kid on the block, and gardeners love them for their gardens. They are low-maintenance perennial flowering plants that bloom into stunning gold, silver, burgundy, chocolate brown, purple, and pink flowers.36 The flowers are clustered and open to form inflorescences along the stalks. These blooms attract hummingbirds and butterflies all year round, even in the extremely cold winter temperatures. |
| 21. Daylily | Daylilies get their name from their unique ability to produce individual blooms that dry up in a single day.15 This ability allows them to have fresh blooms daily and continue blooming profusely in one season. These flowers easily attract hummingbirds due to their bright yellow and orange colors. The best part about planting Daylilies is that they are virtually free from pests and diseases, so you don’t need to invest so much while caring for them. Additionally, you don’t need to re-plant them after the winter because they remain dormant and sprout again after the cold season. |
| 22. Lupine | Lupines stand conspicuously tall in the garden, and you can easily identify them through their colorful purple blooms. They are perennial flowers that many people mistake for wildflowers but belong to a class of fast-growing legumes.30 The Lupine flower begins to bloom and spring and continues into summer, showing off a spire of its clustered purple flowers. Some species have white, yellow, or blue flowers that are also dominant among Lupines. |
| 23. Trumpet Vine | The Trumpet Vine is commonly referred to as the Hummingbird Vine because of its prowess in attracting these beautiful birds. They bloom into trumpet-shaped tubular flowers that fill with nectar for the hummingbirds. Trumpet Vines grow best when planted in spring or early fall and begin to bloom in summer. After their blooming season, the leaves turn yellow and fall off as the vine hibernates during winter. |
| 24. Delphinium | Delphiniums are delightful, and hummingbirds love them. They grow as perennials and bloom during the summer to produce gorgeous blue flowers that appear in clusters above the plant’s stem.23 Other varieties of the Delphinium may bloom into pink, purple, white, or red flowers, but the most common one is blue. Delphiniums require that you take care of them and cut the stocks so they can bloom for a long time. Although short-lived perennials thrive for two or three years, they do well if you cut them regularly. |
| 25. Phlox | The most common Phlox species in gardening is the Creeping Phlox which grows in clusters to form a blanket-like cover on the ground. The flowers begin to bloom as early as mid-spring and continue until late summer. The clustered flowers are great at attracting hummingbirds. They showcase their beautiful colors in shades of white, blue, pink, and purple and carry a lot of nectar that hummingbirds and butterflies like. |
Potted Plants That Attract Hummingbirds
A cottage garden is not complete without some potted plants. But, you can make it a more attractive garden if you add potted plants that attract hummingbirds.
| Plant Name | Description |
| 26. Cigar Plant | The perennial Cigar Plant is an evergreen shrub that blooms into flowers that mimic a lit cigar. The small red flowers are long and tubular with black and white lips at the tip.3 When planted in a pot, it grows into a densely branched shrub that blooms into many orange and red flowers all year round. This makes it a favorite destination for hummingbirds and butterflies. |
| 27. Lobelia | The Lobelia flowers are tender annuals that love the cool weather. They blossom in full splendor during spring and fall, showing off their true cobalt blue color.35 The Lobelia is a must-have plant for your potted hummingbird garden, especially if you want to add a burst of blue to your flower collection. Hummingbirds love the bright blue color and could visit your garden every looming season. |
| 28. Canna Lilies | Canna Lilies have a striking beauty that stands out, even from a distance. They grow in dense, lush foliage, forming banana-like leaves and massive blooms of vibrant orange and red.11 You can plant Canna Lilies on the ground and allow them to grow in large clusters. However, growing them in a pot is better because you can control the many sprouts and have the correct dose of their showy floral beauty in your garden. |
| 29. Dianthus | Blooming in almost every color, a great magnet for hummingbirds, and excellent for growing in pots and containers are all reasons the Dianthus should be part of your potted hummingbird garden. It’s a low-maintenance plant that grows in abundant blue-green foliage and blooms into many star-like flowers. When planted in a pot, the Dianthus resembles a beautiful mini bouquet. Hummingbirds love it when many bright colors are clustered, so they visit your cottage garden and feed from your flowers. |
| 30. Geraniums | The perennial Geraniums are cheerful flowers that bloom in clusters. They perform best when grown in pots and exposed to full sun during the summer season for blooming.12 The Geraniums bloom into purple, red, pink, and white flowers that are powerful magnets for hummingbirds and butterflies. Their fragrant leaves could fill your cottage with a sweet aroma that’d always mesmerize you. |
| 31. Snapdragons | Snapdragons are short-lived perennial flowers that do well in cool temperatures. They bloom profusely in spring and fall, producing beautiful yellow, orange, pink, white, and purple flowers. Planting Snapdragons in a pot could help you keep them in cool spots during summer so they don’t die off in the heat. Also, ensure that you water them regularly so that they can cool off. Keeping these plants alive throughout the summer could ensure you receive hummingbirds in your garden every season. |
| Plant Name | Description |
| 32. Begonia | Begonias1 are typical houseplants known for their ability to thrive in shaded areas. Therefore, if you have a potted garden in a shaded cottage area, including Begonias in your flower selection could help to brighten the area when they bloom. Some Begonias bloom all year round if you water them regularly and keep them in the shade. Their yellow, orange, pink, white, and red flowers are perfect for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies to your cottage. |
| 33. Rhododendron | If you live in a cool climate area where it’s always dumped and can’t find a suitable flower for your garden, the Rhododendron is an excellent option to try. It grows into a shrub and blooms into colorful flower clusters, perfect for attracting pollinators to your garden. The Rhododendron flower performs well when grown in a pot and requires little care to maintain them. You only need to ensure they are well-watered, especially in hot seasons where they could quickly die off. |
| 34. Weigela | The ornamental character of the Weigela flower is unmatched. It grows into a dense shrub that blooms profusely into colorful tubular flowers. These tubular flowers are full of nectar and attract and keep hummingbirds in your garden every season.7 This old-fashioned perennial shrub can do well when planted in the ground. However, planting it in a pot could make it easier for you to take care of it, especially when watering and pruning. |
| 35. Giant Hyssops | The Giant Hyssop doesn’t like competition when growing. Therefore, planting it as a single plant in a big pot allows it to grow up to six feet. Once it matures, the plant blooms into pale purple or pink flowers that attract hummingbirds. When planting the Giant Hyssop in a container, choose a well-draining soil type that could accommodate its extensive root system. |
| 36. Foxglove | The biennial Foxglove plant is popular for its towering blooms in lavender, purple, pink, red, or yellow. When grown from seeds, the plant grows for a whole year and blooms in the second year.38 The towering flowers are long and tubular, making the plant a preferred allure for hummingbirds and other pollinators. The plant’s good height and colorful flowers help to attract the birds, even from a distance. |
| 37. Verbena | Verbenas are the perfect choice for a potted hummingbird garden, thanks to their good weaving characteristic that makes them spill out of the pot. They are usually grown as annuals in well-drained soils and kept sheltered. Once mature, the plant blooms into numerous nectar-rich flowers that attract hummingbirds. Additionally, the flowers appear in common bright color shades, including pink, violet, blue, red, or purple. |
| 38. Penstemon | The Penstemon is a long-blooming perennial flowering plant that bursts into a rainbow of colors every blooming season. The flowers bloom right after spring to form long tubular flowers that resemble the Foxglove. The Penstemon’s versatile nature allows it to flourish in a pot as long as you expose it to enough sunlight and water it whenever needed. |
Bushes That Attract Hummingbirds
Ornamental bushes bloom profusely when in season, allowing hummingbirds to enjoy a good dose of nectar. The following list comprises bushes that attract hummingbirds.
| Plant Name | Description |
| 39. Abelia | Abelia is an ornamental shrub that has recently found its way into the gardening scene because of its glossy foliage, attractive tubular flowers, and exceptionally long blooming time. Its leaves come in different colors: gold, orange, glossy green, or yellow.26 You could love having this shrub in your garden because it’s one of the best plants that attract hummingbirds and keeps them around for months. It’s also a low-maintenance shrub that requires little to no attention from you once established. |
| 40. Azalea | Whether you want to create a hedge around your garden or are simply trying to increase the flower variety in your garden, the Azalea shrub is an excellent choice. It blooms profusely in spring and retains its evergreen nature all year round.37 This shrub produces flat funnel-shaped flowers in different colors and patterns. Therefore, planting in your garden guarantees a visit from pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies. |
| 41. Summersweet | Summersweet is a versatile shrub known for tolerating shade, thriving in soggy soils, and adapting quickly to its immediate environment.6 It blooms in summer to produce long bottlebrush-like flowers that exude a sweet fragrance into the air. While hummingbirds are not attracted to the fragrance, other pollinators like butterflies and bees always find their way to it. On the other hand, the radiant pink or white blooms invite hummingbirds into the fold of pollinators visiting your garden. |
| 42. Viburnum | Viburnums are showy ornamental shrubs you don’t want to miss in your garden. Their deciduous nature allows their leaves to display various colors, including red and yellow, during the fall season. The Viburnum shrub blooms into rounded snowball-like flowers, usually tubular-shaped and filled with nectar. It checks all the right boxes for attracting hummingbirds to your garden. |
| 43. Bottlebrush Buckeye | The Bottlebrush Buckeye grows into a big shrub that can take up most of your garden space if you plant it on a small scale.39 Therefore, it fits best when planted as a garden border or in a woodland garden that is a large-scale planting. Despite its speedy growth, the Bottlebrush Buckeye is a common shrub adored for its dark green compound leaves and bottlebrush-like blooms. The flowers are usually in shades of white and cream that attract hummingbirds. |
| 44. Blue Beard | The Blue Beard is a delight to any garden, especially with limited space. It’s a drought-tolerant shrub that blooms in summer until the first frost falls. The feathery blue flowers have the base petals elongated to look like tine beards at the tips. These flowers attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. |
| Plant Name | Description |
| 45. Rose of Sharon | The Rose of Sharon is a vigorously growing shrub that displays its sheer beauty with an impressive display of its colorful five-petal flowers.32 It blooms during summer to produce pink, red, white, or purple flowers that attract hummingbirds. This versatile plant does well when planted singly to grow as a shrub, along the garden hedge, or any other landscaping options you have in your garden. |
| 46. Chaste Tree | The Chaste Tree is an aromatic deciduous shrub that can grow up to the size of a tree if you don’t trim it often to maintain it at your preferred size. During summer, it blooms clusters of purple flowers that attract pollinators. The plant has medicinal characteristics, making it a great addition to your garden. When planting the chaste tree, ensure that you plant it during spring so that it can establish a robust root system that keeps it alive through the extreme cold in winter. |
| 47. Desert Willow | Although the Desert Willow is an unpopular shrub among gardeners, its uniqueness triggers a deep sense of interest to all those who come across it. This vivaciously growing shrub thrives in desert-like conditions and dies off during the winter season. Once established, the Desert Willow blooms into yellow, pink, or white trumpet-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. The flowers are filled with nectar, providing enough food for the visiting pollinators. |
| 48. Camellia | The Camellia is stunning and makes the perfect ornamental shrub for your garden. It has glossy leaves that shine in the sun and blooms into lush, brightly-colored flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Although the Camellia may require intense care before they are established, they need little to no maintenance. They are excellent for hedging or garden borders. |
| 49. Hollyhocks | Hollyhocks are impressive biennial shrubs usually potted and placed in a cottage hummingbird garden.28 They are popular among gardeners because their rosette foliage and big blossoms open simultaneously to show off their radiant colors. The flower colors include red, orange, purple, pink, white, blue, and yellow. Since the shrub is placed in the cottage, you can see the hummingbirds up close and enjoy their humming sounds. |
| 50. Hawthorn | The Hawthorn plant is a conventional ornamental plant used in homes and commercial spaces for landscaping.13 It has a sturdy nature and grows as a deciduous shrub that blooms into fragrant pink or white flowers that attract hummingbirds. After the flowering season, the hawthorn shrub produces orange, black, red, and yellow fruits that remain throughout winter. |
| 51. Tulip Tree | The Tulip Tree is fast-growing, with smooth green leaves and yellow flowers. The flowers appear like tulips, thus the name Tulip Tree. Due to its height, the tree is mostly planted in a yard with enough space for its growth. With the Tulip Tree in your yard, you can expect many visitors, like hummingbirds that come for the nectar or rabbits that prefer the seeds in the flower. |
Red Flowers for Hummingbirds
While hummingbirds like all brightly-colored and nectar-filled flowers,52 red is their favorite color. Here are some red flowers for hummingbirds.
| Plant Name | Description |
| 52. Red Hot Sallies | The Red Hot Sally or Red Salvia is a darling for hummingbirds and other pollinators like different types of butterflies. You can plant it in a row or make a groundcover bedding by massing the flowers together. If you have a cottage hummingbird garden, plant the Red Salvia in a container and add it to your flower selection. The Red Salvia starts to bloom in summer and continues until fall. Therefore, you need to plant them in mid-spring so that they can mature by summer. |
| 53. Cardinal Flower | Landscaping a damp area with moist soil is difficult because most ornamental plants grow in well-drained soils. Thankfully, the Cardinal Flower thrives in such areas and blooms into unique and beautiful scarlet red tubular flowers clustered on their tall stalks16 that brighten up your garden and attract hummingbirds. The herbaceous perennial cardinal flower grows easily when transplanted from a nursery. However, you can plant it from seeds or stem cuttings.46 Whichever planting method you choose, make sure to water them adequately to meet their watering needs. |
| 54. Red Shrimp Plant | The Red Shrimp Plant is a variety of shrimp plants that originate in Mexico. It’s an easy-to-grow plant that begins to bloom at 3 ft.20 The red shrimp plant blooms in summer to produce bright red flower bracts that look like shrimps. You can grow this plant in a pot or the garden. For it to thrive, ensure that the soil is well-drained and that you water it several times a week with enough water. |
| 55. Red Hot Pokers | The Red Hot Pokers are unmistakable, thanks to their showy flower spikes that appear like torches. Most of these flowers are red, but there are hybrids of the Red Hot Poker that produce yellow and orange flowers. Red Hot Pokers are aggressive growers with clumping foliage and tall flower stalks. These flowers are excellent for attracting butterflies and different types of birds, including hummingbirds. |
| 56. Hibiscus | Hibiscus flowers are the perfect choice for a splash of the red color in your garden because of their large trumpet-like blooms. They grow well in warm climates but also flourish as houseplants or potted plants for cottage gardens. This herbaceous plant blooms in any season and continues to bloom all year round. While most Hibiscus flower varieties bloom into red flowers, others produce white, pink, orange, and yellow flowers. |
| 57. Crape Myrtle | The Crape Myrtle is an invasive ornamental bush that can spread aggressively if not controlled. It grows into a full-size tree with colorful foliage and blooms into deep red summer flowers. If you have no space for a tree, you can choose the dwarf plant varieties that grow up to 2 ft. Hummingbirds love this tree, not only for the red flowers but also for the abundant nectar found in the flowers. |
| Plant Name | Description |
| 58. Flowering Currant | The Red-Flowering Currant is hummingbirds’ favorite flower because it blooms early in the spring, providing enough food for them before the summer bloomers come around.19 Its foliage also turns red during fall, keeping your garden radiant in bright colors. Once the flowering season is over, it’s important to prune the plant and allow it to shoot out more foliage while controlling its vertical growth. |
| 59. Peony | Peony plants are perfect for any garden as they produce a beautiful fragrance and bloom into beautiful red flowers that hummingbirds cannot resist.31 While most Peony blooms are red, other peony plant varieties bloom into pink, maroon, and yellow flowers. Therefore, whether you are planting them for cutting purposes or just to add some bliss to your garden, the peony plant lives up to its excellent reputation. |
| 60. Oriental Poppy | The Oriental Poppy is a favorite flower choice among many gardeners because of its clumpy red flowers that stand irresistibly in the garden.25 The flowers are large, with soft paper-like petals clumped together around a dark spot at the base. These radiant flowers attract pollinators to your garden, including hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. |
| 61. Coneflower | Coneflowers are big bloomers that produce dazzling single or double blossoms on every flowering stalk. The big flowers may be in different colors, including purple, orange, yellow, and pink, but the most common one for gardens is red. They do well in almost any landscape and require minimum maintenance and care. Therefore, this hummingbird-loved flower is a good one for your garden. |
| 62. Coreopsis | The Red Coreopsis flower is among the types of flowers that hummingbirds like and is perfect for planting in a flower bed or along the garden borderline because of its ability to clump together and grow upright. The plant is present in many species and has varieties that bloom in yellow, orange, pink, and white flowers. Other than attracting hummingbirds to your garden, the Coreopsis is a drought-tolerant and low-maintenance plant that blooms for a long time. |
| 63. Yarrow | Yarrow is an aromatic perennial herb with ferny foliage and tiny, tightly packed flowers. These characteristics make it a great option for ground cover or garden borders where they can knit properly. Yarrow flowers appear in many colors, including yellow, white, and red. The red color variety is a great hummingbird magnet and adds a beautiful red streak to your garden. |
| 64. Red Valerian | If you are looking for a red flower variety that blooms long and keeps hummingbirds around your garden all through, the Red Valerian is your best bet.8 It’s a fast-growing plant with bushy stems that produce beautiful star-shaped flowers from spring through summer and fall. |
Hanging Plants That Attract Hummingbirds
Hanging plants are planted in hanging baskets and allowed to grow and trail outside the baskets. These hanging plants that attract hummingbirds are best for your garden.
| Plant Name | Description |
| 65. Marigold | Marigold is an ebullient annual flower that blooms brightly all summer, producing single or clustered carnation-like flowers. Native Marigold flowers are scented and thrive in containers and hanging baskets, usually placed in a cottage garden. You can easily plant Marigolds by sowing seeds in the nursery and then transplanting them in your preferred spaces. Once established, they bloom through the summer season until the frost begins to fall. |
| 66. Geraniums | The common Geranium plants are the most popular flowering plants grown in hanging baskets and pots because of their superb trailing habits. They bloom in spring and fall, producing pink, white, orange, red, and purple flowers. While they require little care and attention after planting, you may need to ensure that they get sufficient sun to bloom properly. |
| 67. Bleeding Hearts | The Bleeding Heart plant is an herbaceous spring-bloomer that thrives in humus-rich and well-drained soils. It blooms into heart-shaped pink flower clusters with a protruding drop-like white petal, hence the name bleeding hearts. When planting this magnificent plant in a hanging basket, ensure that the basket has draining holes so the water doesn’t hold in the soil. |
| 68. Clematis | The Clematis is one of the vine plants known for its unmatched climbing traits, making it a perfect choice for a hanging basket. This vigorously flowering plant can trail out of the basket and create beautiful scenery around your garden. It blooms all year round into bell-like purple flowers and continues to thrive, even in harsh climatic conditions. Additionally, its big flowers are a powerful magnet for hummingbirds. |
| 69. Jewel Orchid | Unlike other orchids grown for their flowers, Jewel Orchids are mostly grown in flower baskets for their distinctive foliage. The orchid blooms all year round, producing small white flowers you don’t want to miss in your garden. When planting the Jewel Orchid, ensure you find a wide container accommodating its creeping rhizomes. |
| 70. Hoya | The Hoya plant is a flexible ornamental plant that grows in a hanging basket and helps to add color to your cottage garden.34 Its flexibility allows you to train the plant to follow a certain tailing path as a vine or let it chart its way as it trails outside the hanging box. For best outcomes when handling the Hoya plant, you need to plant it in well-draining soil and let it get enough sun for up to six hours daily. |
| Plant Name | Description |
| 71. Bougainvillea | The Bougainvillea is a tough tropical vine that grows and spreads trailing around your garden. It blooms into many beautiful flowers, putting on a spectacular show of colors that give your garden a radiant look. When planting the Bougainvillea in a hanging basket, ensure you can control its growth by cutting it back and directing its trail. |
| 72. Hosta | Hostas are shade-loving plants known for their lush foliage and elongated flower stocks when blooming. The Hostas do well in cottage gardens when planted in pots or hanging baskets where the evergreen foliage can clump together. It blooms into purple, white, or pink colorful flowers that brighten up your space and attract hummingbirds to your garden. |
| 73. Black-Eyed Susan Vine | The Black-Eyed Susan Vine is known for vigorous growing and climbing traits, reaching up to 15 meters when supported. Planting it in a hanging basket allows it to climb out of the basket and trail around the garden. Its charming flowers appear in spring, summer, and fall, creating a burst of colors, including red, rose, white, yellow, and orange. |
| 74. Climbing Hydrangea | The Climbing Hydrangea is a slow-growing frost-tolerant plant that can take up to five years to attain flowering maturity. It trails out of the hanging basket, following any path you show them. Once mature, the Climbing Hydrangea blooms into lacy white flowers that fill your cottage garden with a beautiful fragrance. |
| 75. Wisteria | The Wisteria is a vigorous climbing plant with a spectacular show of cascading purple flowers hanging from its basket. They are a delight to your garden, and hummingbirds will love them. Mature Wisteria begins to bloom in spring and continues into the summer. |
| 76. Boston Ivy | The Boston Ivy Vine is a perennial woody climbing vine that can hold onto anything as long as it keeps climbing. If not careful, it can grow uncontrollably and damage your walls, gutters, or roofs, where it forms a trail. While it has beautiful, attractive foliage and flowers, you may need to cut it back to a manageable size, especially when grown in a hanging basket. |
| 77. Star Jasmine | When planted in a hanging basket, the Star Jasmine climbs out and clings to any vertical structure they find. If it cannot grow vertically, it spreads to the ground to create a neat ground cover.18 The Star Jasmine blooms in summer to produce star-shaped white flowers that clump together at the tip. |
Best Flowers for Hummingbirds
When planting a hummingbird plant garden,21 keep in mind that the best flowers for hummingbirds can be annual, biennial, or perennial. So, they may have different blooming times depending on their biological life cycle.
Since the goal is to ensure you have hummingbirds in your garden throughout the year, you discover that diversifying the plants to include the different types helps to attract them.
Hummingbirds
(*Has a large number of genera and species)
- Class: Aves
- Order: Apodiformes
- Family: Trochilidae
- Other Facts: Has over 100 genera and over 350 species
Image Credit: Veronika Andrews (Veronika_Andrews)55
Images of Hummingbirds: What Do Hummingbirds Eat?
Hummingbirds have a small body stature compared to other birds, but that doesn’t limit them regarding food. They live an expeditious lifestyle that requires high energy levels to keep them going.
According to Journey North researchers, a hummingbird has the fastest metabolism in the animal kingdom, so it eats up to three times its weight daily to keep up its energy.
Here are some images of hummingbirds.
So, what do hummingbirds eat?
Their diet is mainly nectar from flowers. In a day, a hummingbird can visit more than 1,00040 flowers just to get enough nectar for its needs.
In addition to the high-sugar nectar, hummingbirds get their proteins from aphids, mosquitoes, flies, gnats, tiny larvae, and spiders.47
Hummingbirds are quite particular about the types of flowers they like.50 However, if you create a garden filled with different types of plants that attract hummingbirds, you’re better prepared for their visitation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Plants That Attract Hummingbirds
What Is the Most Popular Flower Planted in Hanging Baskets for Hummingbirds?
Hummingbirds are easily attracted to hanging baskets with red flowers.21 Therefore, the best hanging baskets for hummingbirds have flowers such as begonias, petunias, and nasturtiums.
What Is a Butterfly Hummingbird?
The butterfly hummingbird is a term used to describe mature hawk moths that behave like hummingbirds. They hover around flowers and flatter their wings rapidly like hummingbirds.
How Do You Plant Zinnia Seeds in a Hummingbird Garden?
Zinnia seeds are easy to plant because you can sow them directly to the ground if the frost season has passed and the seedbed is well-prepared.
What Are the Best Hummingbird Flowers That Attract Butterflies and Hummingbirds?
The best hummingbird flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds are brightly-colored and nectar-filled.48
Such flowers include cardinal flowers, beebalm, penstemon, hosta, and the red columbine.
What Are Some Examples of Perennial Hummingbird Plants?
Examples of perennial hummingbird plants include Salvia, Lupine, coral honeysuckle, and trumpet vine.
Are There Biennial Flowers for Hummingbirds?
Yes, there are. Some examples of biennial flowers for hummingbirds include foxglove, hollyhock, and Canterbury bells.
How Do You Identify Plants That Attract Hummingbirds?
According to researchers, hummingbirds are better attracted to brightly-colored and nectar-filled flowers.49
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