Perennials are a gardener’s best friend, especially when it comes to attracting hummingbirds. These hardy plants bloom year after year with minimal fuss, providing plenty of nectar for our feathered friends. Explore our top picks to transform your garden into a vibrant hub of life and color.
Lantana
Lantanas are vibrant, nectar-rich perennials that hummingbirds love. These colorful flowers, often found in red, yellow, pink, and orange hues, grow to four feet tall, an ideal height for hummingbirds to feed. Their tubular flowers are perfectly shaped for the hummingbirds’ long beaks. You can grow Lantanas in pots or containers, making them great for patios or small gardens.
Coneflowers
Coneflowers are fantastic perennials for attracting hummingbirds. Their large, bright flowers, available in colors like pink, red, orange, yellow, and white, are a magnet for these birds. Standing up to 5 feet tall with 6-inch blooms, they bloom from summer to fall. The nectar-rich central cones and vibrant petals provide a feast for hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
Red Columbine
The bright red flowers of Red Columbine make it a favorite of hummingbirds. Its nectar-rich blossoms, with their tubular shape, are perfect for the long, slender beaks of hummingbirds. The delicate blossoms also offer a perfect landing pad for these agile birds. With low maintenance and adaptability, Red Columbine is ideal for creating a hummingbird-friendly environment in your garden with minimal effort.
Bee Balm
Bee Balms bloom from summer through fall and produce striking red, purple, pink, or white flowers that resemble fireworks. These blooms are a favorite among hummingbirds and other pollinators like butterflies. Bee Balm can grow 1 to 5 feet tall and prefers bright sun to part shade in moist, rich soils. The tubular flowers, held in dense clusters, provide easy access to nectar for hummingbirds, making Bee Balm an excellent choice for a pollinator-friendly garden.
Fire Pink
Fire Pink is a striking wildflower known for its bright-red, nectar-rich flowers that attract hummingbirds. It is also called the Scarlet Catchfly due to its hairy, sticky stems that catch insects. Fire Pink is protected as an endangered species in Wisconsin and Florida and a threatened species in Michigan. It has 3 to 10 scarlet flowers per stem, each with five deeply notched petals, blooming from mid-spring to summer.
Hollyhock
Hollyhocks entice hummingbirds with their tall spikes of single or double flowers throughout the summer. These cottage garden plants produce blooms in various colors, including purple-black, red, yellow, pink, and white, from the bottom of their flowering stalks upward. Reaching up to eight feet tall, hollyhocks thrive in bright sun. Hollyhock petals and roots are edible, which makes them a beneficial addition to any garden.
Bleeding Heart
Bleeding hearts are distinctive red and pink flowers that draw hummingbirds with their heart-shaped blooms and dangling teardrop petals. The white teardrop part is an entryway for hummingbirds to access the nectar. Since they bloom at the beginning of the season, bleeding hearts provide an early source of nectar for hummingbirds before going dormant in early summer.
Trumpet Creeper
The Trumpet Creeper, also known as the hummingbird vine, can reach up to 40 feet high, making it a favorite among butterflies and hummingbirds. Its tubular yellow, orange, or red flowers produce abundant nectar, attracting hummingbirds throughout the season. Provide sturdy support, such as a trellis, to keep this plant manageable and thriving year after year. Avoid planting it too close to your home to prevent root damage.
Fuchsias
Fuchsias attract hummingbirds with their tubular flowers, perfectly shaped for the birds’ long bills. Though hummingbirds typically favor vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows, the pinkish-purple blooms of fuchsias are equally enticing. The drooping stems of colorful, layered flowers of Fuchsias bloom from summer through fall. Ideal for hanging baskets, fuchsias thrive in both shade and sun, making them versatile additions to any garden.
Cardinal Flower
The Cardinal Flower is an eye-catching perennial known for its brilliant red tubular blooms, a magnet for hummingbirds. It’s tough to find a brighter red color for your garden. Native to North America, this plant thrives in full sun or partial shade and prefers consistently moist soils, making it ideal for bog gardens. The short-lived Cardinal Flowers self-seed and often form colonies, ensuring they return year after year.
Daylilies
Daylilies are a favorite among gardeners and hummingbirds alike. Their bright, tubular petals make it easy for hummingbirds to spot and access the nectar. These perennials bloom all summer, thriving in full sun or partial shade with damp soil. Daylilies can grow from 10 inches to four feet high, adding a burst of color to your garden. Their low-maintenance nature and beautiful trumpet-shaped blossoms make them an excellent choice for hummingbirds.
Catmint
Catmint’s lavender blooms and minty fragrance are fantastic for drawing hummingbirds. Butterflies and bees also love it, and its high nectar output provides a reliable food source throughout the season. This aromatic herb is easy to grow, drought-tolerant, and has a long flowering period from early summer to fall. It thrives in full sunlight and well-drained soil and is a low-maintenance favorite for hummingbird-friendly gardens.
Cypress Vine
The Cypress Vine is known for its bright red, star-shaped, trumpet-like flowers, which hummingbirds find irresistible. Though it appears delicate, this vine grows rapidly and can be invasive. You must prune it annually to prevent seeding and manage its growth. The Cypress Vine’s flowers beautifully contrast with its thin, thread-like leaves, making it a standout when twined around arbors, fences, and pergolas.
Hibiscus
Hibiscus plants are known for their large, trumpet-like flowers in vibrant red, yellow, pink, orange, and white colors. These striking flowers, each boasting five or more petals, typically last one to three days in single-bloom varieties. Tropical hibiscus species may flower repeatedly throughout their season. Hibiscus plants are a magnet for hummingbirds in full bloom due to their bright, nectar-rich flowers.