Hummingbirds are agility, speed, and fearlessness all bundled into a three-inch package wrapped in iridescent colors! They’re so cute, would you like to enjoy them up-close? You can by offering a garden of nectarous plants they like. And, it also happens to make their lives a bit easier—they expend enormous amounts of energy in their search for food, so when there’s a convenient spread before them they have more time to rest.
Delightful as they are, hummingbirds serve a higher purpose than mere entertainment for us. As they move among plants sipping their nectar, they spread pollen, and, in fact, more than one hundred thirty native plant species rely exclusively on these birds for cross-pollination—they can’t exist with them.
We see the heaviest concentrations of hummingbirds when they move northward in the spring to their breeding range in the United States, and again south in the fall to their winter range in Mexico and beyond. Some species stay all year in California, Oregon, and Washington, and an occasional few spend winter in southern Florida and southern Texas. But those of us in the rest of the US must take our enjoyment during the short time they’re here in the summer. America’s long-distance hummingbirds
Go bright!
Hummingbirds are drawn to bright colors, especially red (which is why most nectar feeders are red). They don’t entirely limit themselves and will sip nectar even from white flowers, but mostly go for bright colors. Plant flowers in masses of the same color—a single red plant here and a single yellow plant there just doesn’t scream “come hither” to a little bird passing overhead. (It’s also more appealing to the human eye.)
They like to have many different sources of nectar, so also plant several varieties. Be sure to include species that flower at differing times, so a group of something is always in bloom. If you decide to include hybridized plants, be sure to select single-bloom varieties, as hummingbirds prefer them over double-blooms. Slow-motion video of how hummingbirds “sip” nectar.
Common name Type Latin name Blooms Zone
Beebalm P Monarda didyma MS–F 4–7
Blue Flag P Iris versicolor ES 5–9
California Fuchsia P Epilobium canum MS–EF 5–9
Canada Lily (plant bulbs only) P Lilium canadense MS–EF 3–9
Cardinal Flower P Lobelia cardinalis LS–EF 3–9
Coral Bells P Heuchera sanguinea MS 4–9
Coral Honeysuckle Shrub Lonicera sempervirens S–F 4–9
Currant (Golden, Red, Black) Shrub Ribes spp. MSp 3–8
Fire Pink P Silene virginica MSp 4–8
Garden Phlox P Phlox paniculata MS–EF 4–8
Great Blue Lobelia P Lobelia siphilitica ES–EF 3–9
Indian Blanket (Blanket Flower) A Gaillardia pulchella MS–MF 3-10
Indian Pink P Spigelia marilandica LSp–ES 5–9
Lemon Horsemint A, B Monarda citriodora LSp–MS 2–12
Milkweed (Common, Marsh, Butterfly, etal) P Asclepias spp. S–F 2–9
Monkeyflower P Mimulus cardinalis MSp–MS 6–9
Mountain Rosebay Shrub Rhododendron catawbiense Sp 4–8
Nasturtium A Tropaeolum majus MS–EF 1–13, incl. Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico
Phlox A, P Phlox spp. MS–F 3–8
Purple Beardtongue P Penstemon cobaea MSp–ES 3–8
Red Buckeye Shrub Aesculus pavia ESp–ES 5–9
Red Columbine P Aquilegia canadensis LSp 3–8
Red Iris P Iris fulva ESp–LSp 5–11
Red Thistle B Cirsium occidentale Sp 2–9
Rose Verbena P Glandularia canadensis LS–EF 6–9
Royal Catchfly P Silene regia MS–EF 4–8
Scarlet Bugler Penstemon P Penstemon centranthifolius MS 3–8
Scarlet Monkeyflower P Mimulus cardinalis MSp–EF 6–9
Scarlet Sage A, P Salvia coccinea MS 4–10
Southern Blue Flag Iris A Iris virginica Sp 5–9
Spiked Gayfeather P Liatris spicata MS 3–10
Spotted Jewelweed A Impatiens capensis MS–EF 4–10
Trumpet Vine P, Vine Campsis radicans ES–MF 4–9
Wild Bergamot P Monarda fistulosa MS 3–9
Wild Lupine P Lupinus perennis Sp–ES 3–9
Wild Petunia A Ruellia caroliniensis ES–LF 3–8
Yellow Honeysuckle P, Vine Lonicera flava LSp-ES 4–9
*Top photo: Allen’s Hummingbird, Selasphorus sasin. (Dawn Beattie / Flickr; cc by 2.0 )
More reading:
Hummingbird nectar recipe
Explore an insect-friendly yard
Types of bird feeders
