Are you wondering which perennials to plant for hummingbird visitors?
From Salvia to Coral Bells, we’ve created a list of 12 perennial flowers that attract hummingbirds like magnets to your garden.
You’ll also learn:
- Tips to keep your garden producing continuously for thirsty hummingbirds
- Why native plants are best for pollinators like hummingbirds
- Other plants like annuals, shrubs, and trees that hummingbirds love
Top Perennial Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are drawn to colorful plants that produce nectar, a sweet liquid that serves as a source of energy for them.
A variety of perennials can help attract hummingbirds to your garden due to their abundant nectar and vibrant colors. They’re a great option as they grow back year after year with minimal effort, providing a consistent source of nectar for these busy birds.
Read Next: Annual Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds
1. Salvia
Salvia is a popular summer blooming perennial that comes in a variety of colors, including red, orange, pink, white, and purple.
These vibrant, nectar-rich flowers are a favorite among hummingbirds due to their tubular shape, making it easy for them to feed.
2. Bee Balm
Next up is Bee Balm, a member of the Monarda mint family. Its bright colors and fragrant foliage make it an alluring option for hummingbirds.
Bee Balm is also known for its medicinal uses by some Native American tribes.
3. Bleeding Heart
Bleeding Heart also goes by the name of Dicentra. This enchanting perennial is quite easy to grow.
And, the best news of all, it typically blossoms in early spring to start attracting hummingbirds looking for sustenance.
4. Columbine
Columbine is an ideal choice for attracting hummingbirds, offering nectar-rich flowers in various colors. Their tubular shape and vibrant hues, including red, orange, and pink, catch the attention of these winged creatures and make them a garden favorite.
5. Cardinal Flower
The Cardinal Flower, with its bright red flowers, is a target for hungry hummingbirds.
Its bold color and long, tubular blooms provide an excellent source of nectar that keeps hummingbirds coming back throughout the summer season.
6. Butterfly Bush
As its name suggests, the Butterfly Bush doesn’t just attract butterflies but also hummingbirds.
These bushes offer plentiful nectar and a range of colors like purple, pink, and white, providing a visually appealing addition to your garden.
7. Phlox
Perennial Phlox is another excellent option for attracting hummingbirds.
Its colorful flowers, coming in shades of red, pink, and white, create an irresistible allure for these nectar-loving birds.
8. Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is a hummingbird favorite, known for its tubular-shaped flowers and delightful fragrance.
This climbing plant is available in various colors, including red, orange, and yellow, making it a beautiful addition to your garden.
9. Lupine
Lupine is an eye-catching perennial with tall spikes of colorful flowers that draw in hummingbirds.
Many people know the purple variety of Lupine, but these vibrant blooms can be hues of blue, purple, pink, and white.
Coupled with their nectar-rich composition, they’re an excellent option for hummingbird lovers to plant.
10. Beardtongue
Beardtongue, also known as Penstemon, is another perennial flower with tubular-shaped blooms perfect for hummingbirds.
Available in an array of colors like red, pink, and purple, they provide a reliable nectar source for these fast-flying birds.
11. Delphinium
Delphinium, with its tall spires of blue, purple, red, and white flowers, is another perennial that hummingbirds find irresistible.
Its abundance of nectar and attractive appearance make it a stunning addition to any garden.
12. Heuchera
Lastly, Heuchera, or Coral Bells, offers petite, bell-shaped flowers in various shades of red, pink, and white.
These blooms are a prime feeding spot for hummingbirds and will add a touch of elegance to your outdoor space.
Perennial Flower Gardening Tips
Sun Exposure Requirements
- To attract hummingbirds with perennial flowers, it’s important to consider the sun exposure requirements of the plants you choose.
- Many hummingbird-friendly flowers thrive in full sun, but some can also grow well in light to moderate shade. For example, red columbine varieties prefer light to moderate shade to full sun, while garden phlox can grow in full sun or part shade.
- Choose plants that match the sun exposure in your garden to ensure healthy growth and abundant blooms.
Soil and Water Conditions
- Hummingbird-attracting perennials have varying soil and water needs.
- Most of these plants prefer well-draining soil to prevent root rot, with some requiring moist conditions and others being drought-tolerant. For instance, bee balm is a perennial flower that hummingbirds love and thrives in evenly moist soil.
- Selecting plants with similar soil and water requirements will make it easier to maintain your garden and keep your hummingbird visitors happy.
Planting and Maintenance
- When designing a garden that attracts hummingbirds, it pays off to plant perennials with staggered blooming periods. This approach ensures colorful blooms and a continuous source of nectar throughout the growing season.
- Perform regular maintenance like deadheading spent blooms, trimming back overgrown foliage, and providing adequate water to ensure your garden remains a hummingbird haven.
- Additionally, many perennial plants that attract hummingbirds are also deer resistant, making them a great choice for areas with deer populations.
Annuals, Shrubs, and Trees
While perennials are an excellent choice for attracting hummingbirds to your garden, it’s important to consider other options like annual flowers, shrubs, and trees. In this section, we’ll explore the different types of plants and their potential benefits for attracting these beautiful pollinators.
Annual Flowers
Annual flowers are plants that complete their entire life cycle in one growing season. Some popular annuals for attracting hummingbirds include:
- Lantana: This vibrant flower thrives in warm climates and blooms from late spring through frost. Its colorful clusters are highly attractive to hummingbirds.
- Salvia: Available in various colors, salvia is a favorite among hummingbirds for its rich nectar supply. It can be grown in full sun or partial shade.
These annuals add a burst of color to your garden and provide plenty of nectar for hummingbirds to feed on throughout the growing season.
Shrubs
Use flowering shrubs in your garden to provide a more diverse range of food sources for hummingbirds. Some shrubs that attract hummingbirds are:
- Buddleja: Commonly known as butterfly bush, this shrub features long, fragrant blooms that attract not only hummingbirds but also butterflies and bees.
- Weigela: This durable, low-maintenance shrub produces bright trumpet-shaped flowers, making it a hummingbird favorite.
Adding these shrubs to your garden will provide both aesthetic appeal and reliable sources of nectar for hummingbirds.
Trees
Trees can also play a role in inviting hummingbirds to your garden and expand the variety of food sources available for these birds. Some popular choices are:
- Crabapple: These deciduous trees bear attractive blossoms in spring, which provide ample nectar for feeding hummingbirds.
- Trumpet Creeper: Although classified as a vine, this plant can be trained as a tree, and its trumpet-shaped flowers are a top pick for hummingbirds.
Planting a mix of annuals, shrubs, and trees with perennials and vines like the trumpet creeper will create a haven for hummingbirds, ensuring that your garden is buzzing with life and vibrant colors throughout the year.
Native Plants and Pollinators
Native Plant Benefits
- Many native plants play a crucial role in supporting local ecosystems and attracting pollinators like hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. These plants are well-adapted to their specific environment, making them low-maintenance and often more resistant to pests and diseases.
- By planting native perennials, we can create a thriving garden that supports pollinator populations and contributes to a healthy ecosystem. For example, Foxglove is a beautiful woodland flower that provides nectar for hummingbirds, and it’s also shade-tolerant, making it an ideal choice for your garden.
- Additionally, native plants help conserve water resources, as they typically require less irrigation than non-native species. They also assist in the preservation of vital and limited resources like soil and nutrients, helping to maintain the balance and diversity of their habitats.
Supporting Pollinator Diversity
Pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds depend on various native plants for their survival and health. For example, Sunflowers are popular among hummingbirds for their tiny tubular-shaped flowers that contain nectar. Another great perennial to attract hummingbirds is Bee Balm, a native North American plant popular among pollinators.
Plants like Bee Balm and Sunflowers not only support hummingbirds but a variety of other pollinators as well. When we plant a broad array of native perennials in our gardens, we can ensure that a wide range of pollinator species are offered the necessary resources to thrive.
Here’s a list of some additional native perennials that attract pollinators:
- Milkweed
- Coneflowers
- Penstemon
- Astilbe
- Lupine
In our gardens, we do well to keep the benefits of native plants in mind. Not only are they low-maintenance, resource-conserving plants, but they also help us support a more diverse pollinator population and contribute to a healthier ecosystem overall.
Planting for Visual Appeal
- When designing a hummingbird-friendly garden, choosing plants with various textures, forms, and bloom times can create a visually appealing space. Brightly colored flowers, specifically reds and pinks, are known to attract hummingbirds due to their high visibility and nectar content.
- One beautiful perennial flower to consider is the bee balm (Monarda didyma), which blooms in vibrant red or light purple shades. This plant adds a stunning pop of color and has the added benefit of attracting hummingbirds and other pollinators due to its long-lasting blooms.
- Another gorgeous option is the red columbine, which not only features bright red flowers but is also especially nutritious for hummingbirds thanks to its high sugar content in the nectar. This North American native wildflower boasts delicate, heart-shaped flowers that make it a valuable addition to any garden.
- To add visual depth and interest through texture, consider using plants like the cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). Its vivid red flowers stand out even in shady corners and can add a dramatic touch to your garden.
- Lastly, don’t forget to choose perennials with varying bloom times to maintain a consistent supply of nectar for your hummingbird visitors while keeping your garden visually appealing year-round. Combining early bloomers like red columbine with mid- to late-season flowers, such as bee balm and cardinal flower, ensures a continuous display of bright colors and textures throughout the growing season.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some popular perennial plants that hummingbirds love?
Hummingbirds are attracted to a variety of nectar-rich perennials.
Some popular options include Bee Balm, Columbine, Crocosmia, and Honeysuckle. These flowers are brightly colored and have tubular shapes, making them the perfect food source for hummingbirds.
Which shade-tolerant perennials are best for attracting hummingbirds?
Even in shady areas, you can grow perennials that attract hummingbirds.
Some shade-tolerant options include Coral Bells, Foxglove, and Hostas. These plants are known for their eye-catching colors and nectar-rich blooms, which are perfect for luring in these fascinating creatures.
What are the top perennial flowers that appeal to both hummingbirds and butterflies?
To attract both hummingbirds and butterflies, consider planting perennials like Butterfly Bush, Echinacea (Coneflower), and Monarda (Bee Balm).
Flowers like these provide nectar for both types of pollinators, making your garden a buzzing and humming hotspot for beautiful winged visitors.
Which red-flowering perennials are known for drawing in hummingbirds?
Red flowers are particularly attractive to hummingbirds due to their high visibility.
Some top red-flowering perennials known for attracting hummingbirds include Columbine and Crocosmia. Both of these plants have tubular-shaped flowers, providing easy access to nectar for hummingbirds.
Read Also: Red Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds
What types of hanging perennial plants can be grown to attract hummingbirds?
Many hanging perennial plants can create a welcoming environment for hummingbirds.
A few great choices include Fuchsia, Lantana, and Trumpet Vine, all of which have long, tubular flowers that hummingbirds are drawn to.
Additionally, these plants can be grown in hanging baskets, adding visual interest and charm to your garden.
Are there any potted perennial flowers that are particularly appealing to hummingbirds?
Yes, several perennial flowers can be grown in pots and are known for attracting hummingbirds. For example, Salvia, Agastache, and Penstemon all thrive in containers and offer bright, tubular flowers that hummingbirds find irresistible.
These potted perennials can help transform your patio or balcony into a hummingbird haven.