Invite hummingbirds to your garden
The best gifts come in small packages. And hummingbirds are some of the sweetest small packages that you could ever receive. Not only are they beautiful to watch, they pollinate your flowers as they collect nectar and often eat small insects in your garden.
As gardeners, we have a unique connection to nature at its most basic. Growing and nurturing living plants is not only good for the planet, it’s good for our souls. Often our efforts are rewarded by the arrival of hummingbirds — beautiful flying ornaments. We can increase our chances of encountering these winged visitors by remembering the slightly altered adage, “The way to a hummingbird’s heart is through its stomach.”
What attracts hummingbirds?
Inquisitive hummers can spot the color red from great distances and are always checking out any possible food source. While red flowers, especially trumpet-shaped ones are common favorites, there are lots of blooms of other colors and shapes that will attract hummingbirds, as well. Grow a mix of plants with these qualities and you’ll be much more likely to have them zipping around your garden.
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Grow these plants to attract more hummingbirds
To help you entice these little birds, here are some nectar-rich hummingbird favorites that will grow in many areas of the country. Plant one of these blooms or a mix to increase your chances they will stop by your garden!
Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Type Perennial Blooms Red and yellow drooping, bell-like flowers in late spring to early summer Light Part shade Soil Average or moist, well-drained Size 12 to 36 in. tall, 12 to 18 in. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8
Licorice mint hyssop (Agastache rupestri)
Type Perennial Blooms Spikes of pink and orange blooms early summer into fall Light Full sun to part shade Soil Well-drained soil; Size 30 to 42 in. tall,18 to 20 in. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9
Parry’s penstemon (Penstemon parryi)
Type Perennial Blooms Pink blooms from late winter to midspring Light Full sun to part shade Soil Well-drained, humus-rich soil Size 1 to 3 ft. tall and wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11
Shrimp plant (Pachystachys lutea)
Type Tender shrub Blooms Yellow flowers all summer Size 1 to 5 ft. tall and wide Light Full sun to part shade Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 10 to 11
Scarlet betony (Stachys coccinea)
Type Perennial Blooms Spikes of red from midsummer to frost Light Full sun to part shade Soil Well-drained soil Size 14 to 16 in. tall, 15 to 18 in. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 6 to 8
Cuphea (Cuphea llavea)
Type Tender perennial (usually grown as an annual) Blooms Red blooms from late spring to frost Light Full sun to part shade Soil Well-drained soil Size 18 to 24 in. tall, 24 to 36 in. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11
Salvia (Salvia guaranitica)
Type Perennial Blooms Blue blooms from summer through fall Light Full sun to part shade Soil Well-drained Size 2 to 5 ft. tall and wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 7 to 11
Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
Type Woody vine Blooms Clusters of red-orange or yellow trumpets from late spring through summer Light Full sun Soil Well-drained Size 6 to 20 ft. tall, 3 to 5 ft. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Type Perennial Blooms Scarlet-red, white or pink blooms from midsummer into fall Light Full sun to part shade Soil Moist Size 2 to 4 ft. tall, 1 to 2 ft. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp. and hybrids)
Type Shrub Blooms Red, pink, lavender, purple, yellow or white blooms in spring Light Full sun to part shade Soil Well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil Size 2 to 15 ft. tall, 3 to 15 ft. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9
Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)
Type Tender perennial vine (usually grown as an annual) Blooms Scarlet-red blooms in early summer to fall Light Full sun Soil Well-drained Size 6 to 20 ft. tall, 3 to 6 ft. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 11 to 12
Flowering maple (Abutilon hybrids)
Type Shrub Blooms Bell- to cup-shaped flowers in red, pink, yellow, white and bicolors throughout the growing season Light Full sun to part shade Soil Average or moist, well-drained Size 10 to 12 in. tall and wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11
