25 Ways to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden

Hostas are large, leafy perennials that attract hummingbirds with their spikes of lily-like flowers that bloom in the summer. Some varieties are fragrant and others aren’t, but hummingbirds and bees love their nectar and will return while the flowers are in bloom. Try to get hosta bulbs in the ground in the late summer or early spring.

Lantana’s hummingbird appeal and clusters of blooms make them a great choice for any gardener, but they’re especially well-suited to beginner gardeners. Lantana needs full sun and well-draining soil, and doesn’t require heavy or regular watering once established. Its blooms are made of multiple smaller blooms and are attractive to nectar-drinking critters. Once mature, it can reach 6 feet in height and is hardy in USDA zones six through 11.

As a tropical beauty, hibiscus is a favorite of hummingbirds in part due to its fantastic color. Vibrant colors draw hummingbirds, so Hibiscus is a good choice for a hummingbird garden. It needs routine watering to maintain balanced but not wet soil. Water your hibiscus daily when the temperatures warm, and bring it inside when the temperatures fall below 50 degrees.

The tubular shape of the morning glory and its vibrant variety of colors make it perfect for a hummingbird garden. It’s a climbing vine that will need lots of space and full morning sun. Morning glories require properly-balanced fertilization to produce flowers. Sow morning glory flowers in USDA zones 3 through 10 after the soil has reached 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Be ready for an abundant display of morning glories the following year as well, since they self-seed in many locations and return even stronger in the spring.

Petunias like partial shade to full sun, although if you’re looking to attract hummingbirds, you’ll want the latter location for better blooms. Petunias will provide color all summer and need soil with compost worked in for a strong performance. Deadheading petunias and keeping them out of extreme heat will encourage blooms continually. Petunias are annuals except in zones 10 and 11, but they are fast-growing and will provide plenty of food for your local hummingbirds.

Salvia is a favorite not only of hummingbirds but of butterflies as well. There are both annual and perennial varieties, and the colors range widely, though the pink and red varieties may attract more hummingbirds because of their bright hue. Plant it outside after the last frost date in an area with full to partial sun. Salvia prefers dry soil, so let it dry out between waterings of about half an inch.

This pretty perennial will provide interest in your garden for most of the growing season, and attract nectar-eating birds and bugs while it blooms. The variety of colors, including pink, purple, red, and blue, makes it attractive to hummingbirds and pleasing in any style of garden. As long as the soil is no too dry and full sun, columbine will thrive virtually anywhere. Consider mulching them in very hot areas to keep the roots cool and help the cool-weather plant ride out the warm season.

Foxglove is a perfect hummingbird plant thanks to the myriad of blooms on a tall-accessible stake. It can be grown as a perennial or a biennial, meaning it grows one year and flowers the next. Foxglove enjoys moist soil and usually flowers in the spring. Make sure to enrich your soil before planting seeds or transplants, and never eat any part of this poisonous plant.

Bleeding heart is a shade-loving perennial that flowers in the spring, nearing the end of its blooming cycle when hummingbirds are migrating to their summer areas. It goes dormant in late summer, but some varieties can bloom on and off in cooler areas. Once it’s dormant for the summer, consider planting an annual like petunias to keep the hummingbirds around. It’s well-suited to USDA zones 3 through 9. Remember to water your bleeding heart regularly.

If you’re looking to add some tropical flair to your patio or garden while bringing in more hummingbirds, fuchsia is the way to go. This fantastic flower blooms throughout the growing season but will need some cool shade during the hotter months. Watering them will also help keep them cool, but overwatering will lead to root rot. If you’re growing fuchsia in a pot, make sure it has holes and good drainage. Bring your fuchsia indoors during the winter months to allow it to go dormant and preserve it for the next growing season.

Bee balm is a late summer-blooming perennial that attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. The tubular flowers are white, pink, or red. Bee balm tolerates wet soil, making it a smart choice in areas where other flowers would struggle. It does well in full sun to partial shade. Some varieties are prone to powdery mildew, but there are resistant options, too. Bee balm is hardy from zones 4 to 9.

The cardinal flower is a perennial that does best when planted in full sun to partial shade. It is hardy from zones 3 to 9 and reaches a mature height of between 2 and 4 feet. The cardinal flower blooms during the summer and into the early fall. In addition to attracting hummingbirds, the blooms draw in bees and butterflies.

Zinnias' showy flowers can be many colors, including orange, purple, pink, lavender, yellow, and white. This annual is a nice choice for a low-maintenance garden. It does well in full sun to partial shade and is not attractive to deer. Zinnias do not require rich soil to thrive and are tolerant of drought conditions. They do well in nearly any zone.

If you're looking to add some visual interest in your garden, consider the trumpet creeper. This vine can grow and spread to 30 feet. It prefers full sun or partial shade and neutral to slightly acidic soil. The orange flowers bloom in the summer, and the plant develops brown pods in the fall. Trumpet creeper is hardy from zones 4 to 10 and attracts butterflies in addition to hummingbirds.

The rhododendron is a perennial shrub that grows in full sun to partial shade, although it can thrive in shady areas as well. Its showy flowers bloom from spring to early in the summer, and it is hardy from zones 3 to 9. There are many varieties of rhododendron, with species barely two feet tall to some that reach 20 feet. Choose the variety you plant carefully, taking into consideration the plant's mature height and the area where you plan to plant. In addition to hummingbirds, the rhododendron attracts bees.

Easy to grow and colorful, the calibrachoa is a great option for pots and baskets due to its trailers that spill out over the edge. This flowering plant reaches a height of between eight and ten inches and grows well in full sun or partial shade.

Hummingbirds love the vibrant orange, pink, purple, red, and yellow flowers, as do butterflies. Plant calibrachoa in window boxes and they’ll provide a front-row seat to the high-energy acrobatics of this fascinating tiny bird.

An annual that can also be grown as a perennial in frost-free regions, the cuphea produces small but vivid, orange, red, or yellow flowers that are rich with nectar. It works well in garden beds or containers and blooms throughout the summer.

The cuphea is both heat and drought tolerant, requires no deadheading, and doesn’t easily fall prey to pests or diseases, making it a super easy plant for gardeners of any skill level.

The lavender-blue blooms of the catmint plant are not only attractive to hummingbirds, but also bees, butterflies, and a long list of other beneficial insects. This hardy, multi-purpose plant erupts with an abundance of flowers from late spring to early summer, and sometimes into the early fall.

The aromatic foliage is another element of catmint's charm; it emits its spicy sage and mint scent from fuzzy, gray-green leaves with scalloped edges. This plant grows well in full sun or partial shade, reaching three feet in height.

The tubular, nectar-rich flowers of the beardtongue are a favorite for hummingbirds and other pollinators. Furthermore, if you live in an area where wildlife tends to munch on your favorite garden plants, the beardtongue is a good choice because it is both deer- and rabbit-resistant.

You’ll find lots of varieties of this plant, most of which are herbaceous perennials with oval, needlelike, or spear-shaped leaves and soft pink or lavender blooms. Most are drought and heat tolerant, and some varieties reach heights of six feet.

Generations of gardeners have planted daylilies to add vibrancy to their flower beds. Choose from a rainbow of bloom colors that hummingbirds find irresistible, from shades of pink, red, and purple, to yellow, orange, or cream.

Daylilies aren’t lilies, despite their name. They produce a variety of flower sizes, from three to 15 inches across. This versatile plant works well in beds, borders, and meadow gardens, with many miniature varieties that are perfect for containers. They require regular deadheading and prefer well-drained soil.

If you love the look of prairie-style or wildflower gardens, anise hyssop or hummingbird mint will make an attractive, self-seeding addition to your garden. Hummingbirds and other pollinators are attracted to its pink, cream, powder-blue, or red-violet petals. Better still, this herb’s super-aromatic leaves are edible and add a unique flavor to salads, cookies, muffins, andhomemade jellies.

Plant anise hyssop in areas with well-drained soil and access to partial or full sun. Expect blooms from June to September.

With its bottle-shaped, dynamic blooms and tall stalks, this plant looks like a sparkler lit up on the Fourth of July. Its unique shape and grassy foliage add texture to your garden, it thrives in poor soil conditions, and it’s low-maintenance — just make sure there’s good soil drainage.

Not only will hummingbirds love drawing nectar from blazing star's gorgeous flowers, but butterflies and bees will also find their way to its purplish-pink or white blossoms.

The name might not sound so lovely, but lungwort’s clusters of tube-shaped blue, pink, or white flowers are a sight to behold, and they’re sure to catch the eye of any hummingbirds seeking nectar.

Because the tiny birds are territorial, it’s a good idea to plant clusters of lungwort in different areas of the garden so more hummingbirds will show up. You’ll also see other pollinators, like bees, joining in. These low-growing plants bloom in late spring, and grow well in partial or full shade, unlike other hummingbird favorites.

If you’re looking for shrubs that also attract hummingbirds, the Oregon grape is a superb choice. It’s an evergreen that, in certain climates, erupts in tiny, lightly scented yellow flowers in late winter, so you could be providing the hummingbirds a cold-weather food source.

The flowers ripen into edible blue-black berries by late spring. Oregon grape tolerates shade well and is also drought tolerant.

For those seeking a “wall of flowers” effect, the flowering currant shrub is up to the task. This hardy, easy-care plant grows quickly and produces flowers in spring, as early as April. Although it grows wild all over North America, it makes a charming hedge or border plant, as well as an eye-catching, stand-alone shrub.

The flowering currant’s fragrant pink, white, or red blooms are especially attractive to hummingbirds and other pollinators.