Is there anything more interesting than watching a hummingbird fly around your garden? No. They are not only pretty but also help spread pollen, which is important. When you plant flowers with lots of nectar, hummingbirds will come more often, and you’ll be helping the local ecosystem.
It’s good news if you’re hoping to make your property more inviting to pollinators. These flowers attract a wide variety of pollinators, not just birds, insects, and insects that can eat them.
Our Favorite Flowers that Attract Hummingbirds
Sunflowers
Pollinators seem to like sunflowers a lot. Their many small, tubular flowers are full of nectar, so hummingbirds are especially drawn to them. North America is home to 52 different kinds of sunflowers.
Salvia
Hummingbirds like salvia and other flowers with a lot of nectar. Because salvia flowers can grow up to 4 feet tall, they provide hummingbirds with a reliable food source.
Red Columbine
The red-flowered versions of these North American wildflower blooms are especially good for hummingbirds. The U.S. Forest Service says that the nectar of red columbine cultivars has twice as much sugar as native columbines.
Trumpet Honeysuckle
The bright red, tubular flowers of trumpet honeysuckle tell our hummingbirds where they can find food. This perennial can be placed next to a fence, tree, wall, or other garden structure.
Delphinium
Even though it can grow up to 8 feet tall, the delphinium is not a good choice for hot and humid weather. Hummingbirds and butterflies love them, and they also make beautiful cut flowers.
Trumpet Flower
It’s not surprising that birds like this flower, called “hummingbird vine.” This easy-to-grow plant, found in many parts of the U.S., will bloom most in a sunny spot.
Hummingbird Fuchsia
Hummingbirds are attracted to this plant, which is sometimes called the hardy fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica). It can be grown as a shrub that comes back year after year or in a hanging basket.
Red-Hot Poker
This flower’s bright orange and yellow colors will stand out in any yard. Because it has a lot of nectar, hummingbirds are drawn to it.
Bee Balm
Bee balm is a favorite of bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. The plant comes from North America, also known as wild bergamot. Spotted bee balm is a well-known plant whose blooms look like little cottages from a fairy tale.
Madeira
This evergreen flower can grow 6 to 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide and can handle drought. Hummingbirds and butterflies love to feed on the bright flowers.
Cardinal Flower
This beautiful perennial has large tubular blooms that are hard for pollinators to find but not for hummingbirds.
Bleeding Heart
The roots of this perennial plant are easy to see, and the flowers are a great place for hummingbirds to get nectar.
Butterfly Bush
This easy-to-grow flowering plant does attract butterflies, but the long clusters of flowers with lots of nectar also attract hummingbirds. They keep blooming until it starts to get cold.
Zinnia
Zinnia is one of the most well-known and widely grown annual flowers in the United States. They grow quickly from seeds and are easy to spread. Hummingbirds and other pollinators are drawn to the beautiful flowers, which make great cut flowers.