Wildlife
A Garden for Hummingbirds: Plants That Bring Them In
Bring the hummingbirds in. Nectar-rich, tubular flowers they cannot resist, from spring to fall.
Few things bring a garden to life like hummingbirds, hovering, darting, and squabbling over flowers all summer. Drawing them in is simple: they are after nectar, and they are especially pulled toward bright, tubular flowers their long tongues are built to reach. Plant enough of the right ones and they will keep coming back.
They famously love red and orange, but they will work nectar-rich flowers of any color, particularly tubular and trumpet shapes. Aim for something in bloom from spring to fall so there is always a meal waiting. Many of these are also native plants and double as pollinator favorites.
Tubular flowers hummingbirds cannot resist
These are the heavy hitters: rich in nectar, perfectly shaped, and proven hummingbird magnets.
Lobelia cardinalis
Spikes of intense scarlet built for hummingbirds, and one of their all-time favorite flowers.
Monarda
Shaggy, nectar-rich heads, the red kinds especially, that hummingbirds and butterflies swarm.
Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
Arching sprays of fiery red trumpets in high summer that hummingbirds chase down the stem.
Agastache
Long spikes of nectar-rich, anise-scented flowers that hummingbirds and bees work for weeks.
Salvia nemorosa 'Mainacht'
Upright violet spikes full of nectar that hummingbirds return to again and again.
Penstemon
Native beardtongue whose tubular flowers are shaped almost exactly for a hummingbird's bill.
Vines, shrubs, and more favorites
Add height and stretch the season with these, including a couple that thrive in part shade.
Campsis radicans
A vigorous native climber whose big orange trumpets are a hummingbird magnet (give it room).
Kniphofia
Torch-like spikes of orange and red tubular flowers that hummingbirds love to work.
Aquilegia canadensis
Native red-and-yellow columbine, one of the earliest hummingbird flowers each spring.
Cuphea ignea
The cigar plant, covered in small tubular red-orange flowers nonstop until frost.
Fuchsia
Dangling, jewel-like flowers for a shadier spot, completely irresistible to hummingbirds.
Make it a hummingbird haven
Plant in generous drifts so the color is easy to spot, skip the pesticides (hummingbirds eat small insects too), and keep something flowering from spring to fall. A shallow water source and a few perches help, and real flowers beat a sugar feeder for keeping them healthy.
What flowers attract hummingbirds?
Tubular, nectar-rich flowers, especially in red and orange: cardinal flower, bee balm, salvia, agastache, crocosmia, trumpet vine, and red hot poker are all reliable.
What color attracts hummingbirds most?
Red and orange catch their attention first, which is why so many hummingbird flowers are red. They will visit other colors too, as long as the flower is rich in nectar.
How do I attract hummingbirds naturally?
Plant plenty of nectar-rich tubular flowers that bloom from spring to fall, avoid pesticides, and add a water source. Natural flowers are healthier for them than sugar feeders.
Design a garden with these plants
Open BloomsEye Studio with this guide's plants ready to drop onto a plan, then watch the whole bed bloom across the year.