What Hummingbird Plants Should You Grow in Your Garden?

Creating a hummingbird-friendly garden requires choosing the right plants. It’s best to consider native species, as they are well adapted to local conditions and attractive to hummingbirds. Here are some excellent choices for different hardiness zones in North America:

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• Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens): This is a hardy climber with bright red tubular flowers.
• Bee Balm (Monarda didyma): Known for its vibrant red blooms and strong stems, ideal for garden beds.

• Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis): A tall plant with striking red flowers, perfect for wetter areas.
• Salvia (Salvia spp.): Offers various colors like red, purple, and blue, fitting well in any sunny spot.

• Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis): Features unique red and yellow flowers and thrives in partial shade.

Plant Selection by Hardiness Zones:

These plants are not only great food sources but also provide nesting materials for female hummingbirds. For more information on hardiness zones, you can check out the maps available at the National Gardening Association USA and Plant Hardiness of Canada.

These choices ensure a continuous supply of nectar and a visually appealing garden. Hummingbirds are particularly drawn to the bright colors and tubular shapes of these flowers, making them ideal for your garden.

Why Wildflowers Are The Best Choice For Hummingbird Plants?

Planting wildflowers is an exceptional way to attract hummingbirds. Native plants usually produce more nectar than cultivated hybrids, providing energy-efficient food sources for hummingbirds. They can get more nectar from fewer flowers, conserving their energy for activities such as migration and mating.

List of Flowering Perennials

Here are some flowering perennials that entice hummingbirds:

• Bee Balm (Bergamot)
• Bleeding Heart
• Cardinal Flower
• Columbine
• Coral Bells
• Cowslip (Virginia Bluebells)
• Crocosima ‘Lucifer’
• Daylily, Foxglove
• Gay Feather (Blazing Star)
• Hollyhock
• Hosta
• Hyssop
• Jewel Weed
• Larkspur
• Milkweed (Butterfly Weed)
• Obedient Plant
• Penstemon
• Phlox
• Pink
• Raspberry
• Red-Hot-Poker
• Soapwort
• Turtlehead

The Cardinal Flower, with its deep red color, is almost exclusively pollinated by hummingbirds. Its tubular shape makes it ideal for the birds to extract nectar while aiding in pollination. The long structure of the bloom provides a perfect mechanism for the flower to deposit or receive pollen on the bird’s head.

List of Flowering Annuals

Consider adding the following flowering annuals to your garden:

• Canna Lily
• Comfrey
• Four-O’clock
• Fuchsia
• Gladiolus
• Impatiens
• Mexican Sunflower
• Nasturtium
• Pentas
• Peruvian Lily
• Petunia
• Red Salvia
• Sage
• Snapdragon
• Zinnia

If identifying plants is a challenge, watch this video that shows you what the blooms and entire plants look like. Knowing their appearance will help you place them correctly in your garden.

List of Vine Plants

Vine plants can create beautiful, nectar-rich vertical spaces. Here are some that are ideal for a hummingbird garden:

• Clematis Vine
• Cross Vine
• Honeysuckle Vine
• Red Morning Glory
• Scarlet Runner Bean
• Snapdragon Vine
• Trumpet Vine or Creeper

List of Shrubs Hummingbirds Like Best

Shrubs provide a sturdy and often larger source of nectar. Some popular shrubs for hummingbirds include:

• Autumn Olive
• Azalea, Beauty Bush
• Butterfly Bush
• Buttonbush
• Cardinal Shrub
• Common Witch Hazel
• Flowering Quince
• Glossy Abelia
• Golden Currant
• Gooseberry
• Honeysuckle
• Lilac
• Red Buckeye
• Red-flowering Currant
• Rhododendron
• Rose of Sharon
• Snowberry
• Viburnum

List of Trees

Trees are excellent for creating a canopy of nectar-rich flowers for hummingbirds. Here are some of the best:

• Black Locust
• Flowering Cherry
• Flowering Crabapple
• Horsechestnut
• Mimosa (Silk Tree)
• Necklace Pod (Silverbush)
• Red Horsechestnut
• Siberian Pea Tree
• Texas Madrone
• Tulip Tree

When to Plant a Hummingbird Garden?

I suggest starting your garden so it begins to bloom in spring, just before hummingbirds return. This way, they’ll have blossoms waiting for them. Ensure you have plants flowering throughout the summer, giving hummingbirds an enjoyable space. Keeping flowers available into autumn provides an extra energy boost for their migration.

An ongoing plan with the best plants for hummingbirds is ideal. Watch this video to see how each of us together can make a big difference. To learn more, check out the guide on hummingbird gardening.

Do You Have Deer That Eat Your Flowers?

6 Flowering Plants That Hummingbirds Love That Deer Don’t Like

• Bleeding Hearts
• Salvia
• Coreopsis
• Shasta Daisy
• Echinacea
• Blazing Star

Deer dislike plants with strong scents or thorns, which explains these choices. For a deer-resistant yet attractive garden, these plants are perfect.

How to Plant a Hummingbird Habitat?

Planting a hummingbird habitat starts with selecting flowers. Hummingbirds depend on blossoms for nectar. Choose plants with bright colors to attract them. Make sure to maintain soil moisture and provide a mix of trees and shrubs. Here’s an example of hummingbird-friendly plants:

These plants will attract and sustain hummingbirds in your garden year-round.

How do Hummingbird Plants Help to Attract Hummingbirds?

Hummingbird plants serve an important role in drawing hummingbirds to gardens. The bright colors of the blossoms act like a neon sign, signaling a delicious meal. Flower gardens provide two key foods for hummingbirds: nectar and insects. These plants not only offer nectar but also attract bugs, a vital part of the hummingbird diet.

Hummingbirds need insects to keep up with their busy lifestyle. These insects come from the plants, offering a varied menu. When hummingbirds eat the bugs attracted to the plants, it can lead to longer viewing times for bird watchers.

Wild Flowers Like This Beardtongue Are The Best Hummingbird Flowers

What Other Benefits do Hummingbird Gardens Provide?

Flowers also provide an ideal location for spiders to spin their webs. This is a double bonus for attracting Hummingbirds. They will eat the spiders and then use the spider’s web to build their nests.

Spider web provides the glue to keep the nesting material collected by the female Hummer together. She will weave the spider silk into the nest material to hold it all together.

Spider silk also serves another purpose. It’s elastic quality allows the nest to expand a little to accommodate the growing nestlings. For a more complete description of the material in Hummers nest click here.

Hummingbird Plants Host Spiders Which Make The Silk Hummers Use To Bind Their Nest Together

There are also many other small bugs that thrive around plants that will be eaten by Hummers.

Just like royalty, food and drink served in high style together!

Providing a continuous blooming flower garden during “hummingbird season” will act as a magnet for attracting the Hummers.

They will have all the bugs and nectar they need from your feeder and flower garden.

And nesting material as well!

3 Quick Facts About Native Hummingbird Plants

• Planting native wildflowers will provide significantly more nectar for Hummingbirds to eat.
• Native plants are hardier, more drought-resistant, and require less care than hybrids.
• They support native pollinators better and the environment.

Plants Provide Food ~ Hummers Bestow Pollination Services

There is a lot to know about Feeding Hummingbirds, find more below & in sidebar at top.

To keep hummingbirds coming back, I clean the feeders regularly. Dirty feeders can harm these tiny birds, so I follow a good maintenance regimen.

Hanging the feeders in the right spot is also crucial. I always think about the when, where & why to make sure the feeders are in the best place.

Unwelcome guests can be a problem. Nectar attracts ants, bees, and even larger pests. I’ve found helpful tips on managing these intruders.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which flowers are most effective in attracting hummingbirds to a garden?

Hummingbirds are drawn to bright and tubular flowers. Some of the best flowers include:

• Bee Balm: Bright red and tubular, perfect for attracting hummers.
• Trumpet Vine: Its orange-red flowers are a favorite.
• Salvia: Available in many colors, but red and purple varieties are the best.
• Columbine: Especially the red and yellow varieties.
• Fuchsia: Ideal for hanging baskets and shaded areas.

For more information, you can refer to this resource on attracting hummingbirds.

Can you suggest a layout for a hummingbird-friendly garden?

Creating a layout involves placing flowers and feeders in strategic locations:

1. Entrance: Plant bright and tubular flowers like Bee Balm and Trumpet Vine.
2. Mid-Garden: Use a mix of perennials such as Salvia and Fuchsia.
3. Rear: Consider small trees or large shrubs like Butterfly Bush or flowering trees.
4. Feeder Area: Place hummingbird feeders amidst these garden sections to attract more birds.

Are there any potted plants that are particularly good at attracting hummingbirds?

Yes, there are several potted plants that work well:

• Fuchsia: Perfect for hanging baskets.
• Petunias: Available in bright colors.
• Lantana: Bright and hardy.
• Cuphea: Known as the cigar plant, very attractive to hummingbirds.

Mix these with flowers mentioned before to get a vibrant display.

What are the best plants for a hummingbird garden in warm climates like Florida?

In warm climates, these plants thrive:

• Firebush: Known for its bright red flowers.
• Hibiscus: Large and colorful blooms.
• Coral Honeysuckle: Great climber with tubular flowers.
• Pentas: Prolific bloomer and very hardy.
• Bottlebrush: Its brush-like flowers are a favorite for hummers.

How can one create a hummingbird sanctuary in their own backyard?

To create a sanctuary:

1. Diversity: Plant a variety of flowers that bloom at different times.
2. Water Source: Include a birdbath or a misting system.
3. Shelter: Add trees and shrubs for nesting and perching.
4. Avoid Pesticides: Use organic methods to keep pests in check.
5. Feeders: Maintain clean feeders with fresh nectar.

For more details, check this hummingbird garden resource.

What should be included in a hummingbird garden kit for starters?

A basic kit should have:

• Variety of Seeds/Plants: Include Bee Balm, Salvia, and Fuchsia.
• Feeders: Ideally, one or two to start with.
• Nectar Mix: Pre-made or guides to make your own.
• Pruning Shears: For maintaining plants.
• Water Feature: Simple birdbath or small fountain.

These essentials will help you get started on creating an attractive and comfortable habitat for hummingbirds.