Hummingbirds bring a spark of life and color to any outdoor space. Attracting them isn’t as complicated as it might seem, as these tiny dynamos are simply looking for plants that deliver the nectar they crave for their wild, high-energy routines.
Creating a hummingbird-friendly garden comes down to picking the right mix of flowers, shrubs, and vines with bold colors and tubular blooms. If you stagger your plant choices to bloom at different times, you’ll keep the hummingbirds coming back. Whether you’re into perennials that stick around, annuals that pop, or climbing vines, each plant adds something unique to a welcoming habitat for these fascinating pollinators.
1) Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
Bee balm is a go-to if you’re looking to bring hummingbirds into your garden. Its tubular flowers, especially the red ones like Monarda didyma, are right up a hummingbird’s alley.
This perennial handles sunny or partly shaded spots and puts on a show all summer. There are loads of species and cultivars, and you’ll see heights from 2 to 5 feet, depending on what you plant.
2) Salvia (Sage)
Salvia is another classic for hummingbird appeal. The birds can’t resist those tubular, nectar-rich flowers in shades like red, purple, blue, and pink.
Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) really stands out with its bright red blooms. Salvias can be grown as perennials or annuals, depending on your zone. They just keep blooming, so there’s always something for hummingbirds to snack on.
3) Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)
Trumpet vine gets covered in bold, tubular flowers (think red, orange, or yellow) that hummingbirds absolutely notice. The clusters pop up in summer, and each bloom can be up to 3 inches long, loaded with nectar.
This woody vine likes full sun and shrugs off heat and drought. It’s a fast grower and climbs using aerial rootlets, so it’s perfect for covering fences, arbors, or bare walls.
4) Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.)
Honeysuckle vines are famous for their tubular, nectar-filled flowers. Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), a native, is especially good at pulling in hummingbirds with its bright red or coral blooms.
It’ll climb up to 20 feet if you give it a trellis, arbor, or fence. Once it’s settled in, it hardly asks for anything, just a bit of water and a trim after flowering.
Honeysuckle handles full sun or partial shade and isn’t fussy about soil. Plant it in spring or fall and you’re set.
5) Fuchsia
Fuchsia’s teardrop-shaped blooms in pinks, purples, and reds are a hummingbird magnet. The tubular flowers dangle gracefully, offering up plenty of nectar.
They’re happiest in partial shade with well-drained soil, so they’re great for containers or tucked into garden beds. ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’ is a favorite variety for its coral-pink trumpets – hummingbirds can’t stay away!
Fuchsias bloom all summer, so there’s always something on the menu for your local hummers.
6) Zinnia
Zinnias are bright, cheerful, and practically made for hummingbirds. Their colors and shape are spot-on for these speedy pollinators.
They’re loaded with nectar, and as a bonus, zinnias attract insects that hummingbirds might snack on too.
Plant zinnia seeds after your last frost. They love the heat and don’t need much water, as super easy to keep going all season.
7) Coral Bells (Heuchera spp.)
Coral Bells are woodland perennials that do well in partial shade, perfect for those corners that never see full sun. They send up delicate, bell-shaped flowers on tall stems, and hummingbirds seem to know exactly when they’re blooming.
Besides the blooms, Coral Bells have colorful foliage; everything from silver and lime to deep burgundy. Even when they’re not flowering, they add some nice texture and color.
8) Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Cardinal flower’s vivid red tubular blooms are just the right shape for hummingbirds. This native perennial likes moist soil and puts out flowers in late summer, right when other plants might be winding down.
The red color is a beacon for ruby-throated hummingbirds on the move. Try it in rain gardens, near ponds, or anywhere that stays damp.
9) Penstemon
Penstemon, or beardtongue, sends up tall spikes covered in tubular flowers and hummingbirds notice them right away. Blooming from late spring to mid-summer, they come in lots of colors, but the reds really stand out.
This North American native is easygoing once established, especially since it’s drought-tolerant. Less fuss, more flowers.
10) Foxglove (Digitalis spp.)
Foxglove’s tall spikes are loaded with tubular flowers, perfect for hummingbirds’ beaks. Each spike can have dozens of blooms in shades like purple, pink, white, and yellow.
They’re happy in USDA zones 4 through 9 and like full sun to partial shade with moist, well-drained soil. Woodland gardens or shaded borders are great spots for their dramatic stalks.
11) Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
Garden phlox puts out big clusters of fragrant flowers that bloom for about six weeks in summer. You’ll see pinks, lavenders, and whites, with clusters up to 8 inches across.
This perennial stands 3 to 4 feet tall and likes USDA zones 4 through 8. Give it sun or partial shade and keep the soil moist and well-drained.
The flowers bring in hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Plus, they’re sturdy enough to make great cut flowers.
12) Orange Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans)
Orange Trumpet Creeper bursts with orange-red tubular flowers that hummingbirds flock to. Clusters of 1- to 3-inch blooms show up all summer long.
This vigorous vine does best in full sun and well-drained soil, thriving in zones 4 through 9. It’ll climb up to 40 feet if you let it sprawl over arbors or fences.
Its long bloom season means there’s always nectar on hand for hungry visitors.
13) Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Wild Columbine’s red and yellow bell-shaped flowers hang like lanterns, and their deep nectaries are tailor-made for hummingbirds and long-tongued pollinators.
This native perennial blooms in spring, offering nectar right when migrating hummingbirds arrive. It’s adaptable, thriving in sun or shade, as long as the soil drains well.
The plant grows one to three feet tall and self-seeds, so it tends to stick around once you’ve got it established.
14) Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)
Butterfly Bush sends out long, fragrant flower clusters that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees from summer into fall. It’s native to central China and grows fast; usually 6 to 12 feet tall and spreading 4 to 15 feet wide.
Blooms come in purple, pink, blue, white, and yellow-orange. It likes sunny spots and has an extended flowering period that keeps pollinators coming back.
15) Russell Hybrids Lupine (Lupinus spp.)
Russell Hybrids Lupine offers tall spikes in shades of blue, purple, pink, red, and white. These tubular blooms are a big draw for hummingbirds from late spring to early summer.
They grow 1 to 2 feet tall with packed flower spikes, self-sow easily, and are usually deer resistant, meaning less maintenance for you, more nectar for the birds.
16) Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia spp.)
Red hot poker plants show off tall, torch-like spikes in bold reds, oranges, and yellows. The tubular flowers are loaded with nectar and hummingbirds seem to spot them from a mile away.
Blooms open from bottom to top, giving a cool two-tone look as they mature. Plant these perennials in full sun and well-drained soil for best results.
They do well in zones 5 through 9 and are drought-tolerant once settled in.
17) Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
Mountain laurel is a native evergreen shrub with clusters of pink and white flowers from late spring to early summer. The pentagonal, tubular blooms offer plenty of nectar for hummingbirds.
This shade tolerant plant likes acidic, well-drained soil and its glossy leaves look good year-round. The flowers bring in butterflies and other pollinators, and deer usually leave it alone.
18) Verbena
Verbena gives you clusters of star-shaped flowers from spring through fall if you’re in a warmer zone. The tubular blooms are packed with nectar, and hummingbirds are quick to visit.
Colors range from white and pink to lavender, red, purple, and blue. Trailing types work nicely in hanging baskets, making it easy for hummingbirds to drop by. The long bloom time makes verbena a reliable food source for most of the year.
19) Scarlet Sage (Salvia splendens)
Scarlet sage puts out these bold, tubular blooms that hummingbirds just can’t pass up. Usually, you’ll see those classic red flowers, but there are varieties in purple, pink, white, and even some bicolor mixes.
It blooms densely and keeps at it all season, which is pretty great if you like some color that sticks around. Hummingbirds love the nectar, though, heads up, not every bedding variety actually produces much, so some types might not attract pollinators like you’d expect.
Scarlet sage sticks around for months, asks for very little, and doesn’t really fuss about care. Plus, deer usually leave it alone, and it’s a solid pick if you want to see more hummingbirds zipping through your garden.
20) Blue Mist Spirea (Caryopteris x clandonensis)
Blue Mist Spirea pops with clusters of blue-purple flowers in late summer and early fall, just when the garden’s starting to look a little tired. Hummingbirds definitely notice, since there aren’t many other blooms left to visit that time of year.
This shrub usually tops out around 2 to 3 feet in both height and width. It likes a sunny spot and well-drained soil, and once it’s settled in, you can pretty much leave it alone. It fits right in as a low-maintenance, compact pick for pollinator gardens.
