Hummingbirds are tiny, beautiful creatures that can even fly backward and upside-down! Want to invite them to your garden? Fill your yard with plants that attract hummingbirds, and create a perfect environment for them.
The long beaks of hummingbirds suit tube-like flowers, while bright colors like red and orange often attract them. So, if you want to bring hummingbirds to your garden, consider growing these 10 beautiful, nectar-rich plants.
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Cigar Flower
The cigar flowers grow well in USDA hardiness zones 10 to 12 and native to Mexico and Jamaica. The 1-inch long, narrow flowers of this plant look like lit cigars and have deep orange and red colors that often attract hummingbirds!
They’re sensitive to winter temperatures but can be grown inside in containers. They thrive in full sunlight to partial shade and grow about 2 to 3 feet tall. Well-draining, fertile soil with a neutral pH between 6.6 and 7.3 is best for cigar flowers.
So, grow these flowers indoors or outside for a burst of color and garden guests. One of the best characteristics of this plant is that it blooms nonstop!
Hyssop
Anise hyssop (Agastache Foeniculum) is a beautiful short-lived herbaceous perennial with tubular blue and lavender flowers. These flowers are 3 to 6 inches long and appear in whorls, or concentric circles joined together. Better yet, these beautiful plants often attract hummingbirds!
Hyssop grows well in USDA hardiness zones 3 to 8 in full to partial sun. It is drought resistant once established, but beware of deer and rabbits, as they simply love this plant!
Fun Fact: Hyssop has aromatic leaves which can be used in herbal teas and even as potpourri.
Flowering Tobacco
Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana Sylvestris) is only hardy to zone 10 but can be grown further in the north if provided with some protection. It has ornamental flowers that have a tube-like structure with a star shape end. They emit a jasmine-like scent, especially in the evening, which attracts hummingbirds — they adore the long cone like structure of the flowers.
You can also grow them in large containers on your patio and appreciate its beautiful fragrance in the evening. Flowering tobacco requires at least 12 hours of sunlight during germination and complete to partial sun afterward.
Canna Lily
Native to the tropical regions of North and South America, canna lilies are suitable for growing in-ground at the back of your garden or in large containers if you are in extreme cold zones. Some canna lily varieties grow about 2 feet tall, while the giant ones can reach up to 10 feet.
Their beautiful red, orange, yellow, and pink flowers attract hummingbirds and other pollinators! Plant them in your garden and reap the benefits!
Plant these pretty canna lilies in well-draining soils and full sun. They grow well in USDA zones 7 to 10 but can be grown in colder zones with proper overwintering.
Fun Fact: Canna lilies is that they are not actually lilies! They grow from rhizomes, not bulbs.
Lavender
Plant beautiful, attractive lavenders and invite hummingbirds to your garden! The sweet fragrance and tube-like shape of lavender flowers will make your home a playground for pollinators.
Lavender plants grow well in USDA zones 5 to 9. They grow in full sun (at least six hours a day) and need alkaline soil with a pH between 6.5 to 7.5.
Fun Fact: An interesting fact about lavenders is that they are a member of the mint family!
Spider Lily
Xuân Thống Trần via Pexels
Also known as the equinox flower or surprise lily, this plant is showy and perfect to attract hummingbirds. Plant spider lilies in-ground along the borders of your garden or inside containers and invite garden guests!
Spider lilies grow well in zones 6 to 10 in full sun to partial shade. In late summer to early fall, white or red fragrant flowers appear on the plant, depending on the spider lily variety you are growing. Don’t be scared if foliage starts dropping, this plant is sheds its leaves as the flowers appear!
Fire Spike
Want to add some bright red hues to your garden and attract hummingbirds too? Bring the fire spike plants! The 3-inch long, tubular, red flowers of fire spikes are worth the view, and their nectar provides a good feed for the hummingbirds. Since fire spikes are about 4 to 6 feet high and have long flowers, they are often called red salvias on steroids!
They are cold hardy in zones 8 to 11. Plant them at the back of your garden where they can get full sun for the best blooming. Highly fertile, loamy soil with a pH between 6 and 7 is the best for fire spike plants.
Turk’s Cap Mallow
Turk’s cap mallow (Malvaviscus Penduliflorus) has beautiful red colored flowers that seem as if they are about to open. Hummingbirds love these unique, folded flowers — This flower is one of their favorites!
This shrub grows in zones 8 to 11 and can be up to 10 feet high, with its flowers reaching a length of 2.5 inches. If growing in tropical regions, provide light shade to the plant. If you are in northern latitudes, full sun throughout the day with some shade in the afternoon is best for it.
Be aware, this plant might freeze to the ground in zone 8 but no worries, it will return in the spring.
Crocosmia
Hummingbirds love the red, yellow, and orange flowers of crocosmia plants. Native to Southern Africa, this plant grows well in USDA zones 6 to 10 from mid-summer to fall. Crocosmia has beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers that will enhance the beauty of your garden and will attract hummingbirds. Plant it in full sun and provide organically rich soil with a pH between 6 to 8.
Soap Aloe
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Add a bold touch to your garden by growing soap aloe (aloe maculata). It’s beautiful red, yellow, and orange blooms appear all through the summer and often attract hummingbirds.
Soap aloe is a highly drought-tolerant plant once established and grows in full or partial shade. It thrives in zones 9 to 11, but can also grow in zones 8 with overwintering.
Fun Fact: The sap is used as a substitute for soap, hence the name soap aloe! Just be careful of the spikes at the end of its leaves.
A Delight to Watch!
Now that you know which plants attract hummingbirds, bring a few varieties to your garden. Add the benefit of watching gorgeous blooms and these pretty-colored birds together!
Do hummingbirds visit your garden? What do you do to attract them? Share your tips in the comments below.
