27 Pretty Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden
Plant a haven for these winged wonders.
Hummingbirds are amazing! Their aerial acrobatics are a marvel to witness and their wings flap at a jaw-dropping rate of 90 times per second. What’s more, these little busybodies can visit hundreds of flowers a day. With their highly active lifestyle and lightning-fast metabolisms, these impressive creatures need to eat every 10 to 15 minutes!
As they conclude their spring migration across the country, you might be wondering how to watch them up close. By planting some of their favorite nectar-filled flowers, you’ll invite hummingbirds into your garden and encourage them to stay a while. While it's typical to attract these marvelous birds by putting out hummingbird feeders, planting their most-loved flowers is also a sure bet. Not only will these bright blooms attract the birds to your yard, they’ll add life, color, and texture to your garden.
To create a hummingbird-friendly haven, the best flowers are ones that grow in red or similar hues, have a tubular shape, and are filled with nectar. But these winged wonders are drawn to plants in many different colors, shapes, and sizes, such as easy-to-grow sunflowers, evergreen shrubs, and other pollinator-friendly annuals and perennials. While hummingbirds get most of their energy from nectar, they also hunt flying insects and spiders as part of their diets, especially during breeding season.
For an outdoor space that’s brimming with beautiful birds, plant some of these hummingbird attractors in your garden. Choose one that suits your climate and coordinates with your garden aesthetic, and don’t forget to limit the use of pesticides!
More ways to welcome hummingbirds into your outdoor space:
Pride of Madeira
Pride of Madeira produces tall spikes that are brimming with nectar. With its vibrant blue-purple color, this flower will add a dramatic flair to your garden. While it isn’t the most universal plant, it’ll thrive in the right conditions: sun, well-drained soil, and mild winters.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
Trumpet Vine
One of the most powerful attractors out there, trumpet vine is a nectar-filled, trumpet-shaped bloom that hummingbirds cannot resist. Its bright and bold color and ability to quickly cover fences, arbors, and wills won’t just draw hummingbirds in, but it’ll also give your garden a punchy pop.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 10
Lantana
With lovely lantana in your garden, hummingbirds will flock to your yard like magic! This flower is one of the most reliable hummingbird attractors, since it’s drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, and packed with color and nectar. These pretty plants bloom continuously in warm weather, and they’ll bring natural beauty to your garden in summer through fall.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 8 to 11
Firecracker Plant
Just like their name promises, firecracker plants have fiery red blooms that pack a visual punch. Hummingbirds are drawn to their tubular flowers, and these plants have a fountain-like shape with cascading stems that’ll add elegant movement and jaw-dropping texture to hanging baskets, containers, or garden beds. In warm climates, they basically don’t stop flowering!
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
Petunia
Due to their eye-catching color (especially red and purple varieties), nectar-rich tubes, and long blooming season, petunias are excellent flowers for attracting hummingbirds. As a bonus, they’re easy to grow, and they clean themselves! Grow them in containers, window boxes, or mixed beds.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 11
Zinnia
These versatile annuals will invite hummingbirds and vibrancy into your summer garden. Although they aren’t as nectar-heavy as tubular flowers, zinnias’ open faces, cheerful color, and long blooming season make them pollinator-friendly. They’re easy to grow and bring boldness to beds and borders.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 11
Azalea
As hummingbirds make their spring migration northwards, azaleas—which bloom from early March through May—will give them a sweet spot to refuel before taking off again. Their citrusy, honey-scented aroma doesn’t hurt, either!
Sun Exposure: full sun or partial shade
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a well-loved flower among hummingbirds (and bees and butterflies). While tropical hibiscus will flourish in warm climates or containers, hardy hibiscus make gorgeous additions to summer gardens. They’re easy to grow and they’ll give your yard a tropical feel, whether you use them as hedges or plant them on patios.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9
Costus
Costus has tubular flowers that are filled with a nourishing nectar for hummingbirds. Given their vibrant petals and spiraled stems, these blooms aren’t just highly visible to hummingbirds; they’re also striking supplements to flowerbeds. Since these blooms are tropical plants, if you live in a cooler climate, you’ll need to grow them in containers and bring them inside before the first frost.
Sun Exposure: partial shade
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
Red Hot Poker
Since hummingbirds love the color red, red hot pokers are veritable hummingbird magnets! These perennials feature tall, torch-like spikes filled with nectar-rich blooms. Aside from their striking color, these plants are drought-tolerant, long-blooming, and resilient, which makes them a reliable choice.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
Red Columbines
This pretty perennial wildflower blooms in the spring, providing early nectar for pollinators like hummingbirds. Avoid overwatering these blooms and mulch them before the ground freezes to protect their roots.
Sun Exposure: light shade to full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 9
Daylilies
They're a favorite of hummingbirds, and they'll be a favorite of yours once you learn how low-maintenance they really are! Daylilies can survive almost anything, including drought, uneven sunlight, and poor soil.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9
Lupines
Lupines, also known as bluebonnets, are known for their colorful spikes of tubular flowers that attract all types of pollinators, including hummingbirds. These perennials thrive in moist, sandy, well-drained soil and cool temperatures.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
Foxgloves
Hummingbirds and bumblebees alike love this pretty spiked flower with bell-shape blossoms! These biennials grow best in full sun and moist, well-drained soil.
Sun Exposure: light shade to full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
Hollyhocks
These pretty flowers can grow up to eight feet tall, where their brightly colored blooms attract plenty of butterflies and hummingbirds. Hollyhocks prefer full sun and evenly moist soil.
Sun Exposure: part shade to full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
Fuchsia
Fuchsia, also called hardy fuchsia or hummingbird fuchsia, is a striking annual with exotic-looking flowers in shades of white, pink, hot pink and purple. Hummingbirds adore this plant!
Sun Exposure: part shade
USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9
Salvia
Tube-shaped flowers of pink, purple or two-tones are a favorite of hummingbirds. There are both annual and perennial types, but they both need a lot of sun.
Sun Exposure: part shade to full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
Bee Balm
This native plant comes in bright, saturated colors such as red and pink. Pollinators of all types enjoy visiting this perennial with its cute fringed flowers. Look for newer varieties that won’t take over your garden beds.
Sun Exposure: part sun to full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
Penstemon
This striking perennial has tall spikes with many tubular flowers, which hummingbirds prefer. The foliage may be green or burgundy, so it's a handsome plant even when not in bloom.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
Hummingbird Mint
This pretty perennial, also called agastache, has spikes of purple, deep or pale orange flowers that bloom all summer long. It’s not fussy about soils and is drought tolerant once established.
Sun Exposure: full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 10
Arricca Elin SanSone is a writer, editor, and content creator who specializes in lifestyle and gardening. With a background in health reporting, she applies these same research skills when writing about the science of growing things. She trials new plants in her expansive garden, and her houseplant collection consists of 60+ varieties. Arricca has written thousands of articles for publications such as Country Living, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, VERANDA, Southern Living, and more. She’s happiest when digging in the dirt, baking, or spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
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