What makes a plant a hummingbird favorite? It needs to be nectar-rich and preferably tubular in shape, which encourages the tiny birds to feed. Some popular choices are outlined below. More border plants that are open invitations to hummingbirds are bee balm (Monarda hybrids), which also lives up to its name and attracts bees by the hiveful; and those towers of flowers like delphinium, hollyhocks, and foxgloves. Hardiness: USDA hardiness zones 5 to 10Exposure: Full sun to partial shadeBloom Period: Summer into fall Another native plant choice, also great for partial shade, is red columbine. Hummingbirds adore the sweet nectar and appreciate the early-blooming food source. Hardiness: USDA hardiness zones 2 to 9Exposure: Full sun to partial shade (needs more shade in hot climates areas)Bloom Period: Summer into fall There are many great perennials that will keep your hummingbirds happy. Choose a hosta with beautiful flowers, like the sweet-smelling Hosta plantaginea. Or try one of the long bloomers like lupine and liatris. Hardiness: USDA hardiness zones 3 to 8Exposure: full sun to partial shadeBloom Period: late spring/ early summer If you’d like to get an earlier start, morning glories (Ipomoea tricolor) open with the sun and remain open until the afternoon heat. They also re-seed readily on their own, so although they are annuals, you often only need to plant them once. Be careful: morning glories can quickly overtake your garden. Hardiness: USDA hardiness zones 7 to 11Exposure: full sunBloom Period: mid-summer Hardiness: USDA hardiness zones 6 to 11Exposure: partial shadeBloom Period: mid-summer into fall For those in cooler climates, try rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), also a woody shrub capable of being trained into a small tree and covered in flowers for weeks on end. Hardiness: USDA hardiness zones 7b to 11 Exposure: full sunBloom Period: summer into fall Some trailing varieties of lantana work well in containers or hanging baskets. Petunias naturally trail, making them great for hanging baskets. If you’d like a longer vine for trailing or climbing, some good choices include canary creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum), cardinal vine/ cypress vine (Ipomoea sloteri), and the quick growing scarlet runner bean. Hardiness: USDA hardiness zones 10 to 11, usually grown as an annualExposure: full sunBloom Period: spring through fall This plant works welling in containers or hanging baskets. Although gardeners might take impatiens for granted, hummingbirds see them for the treat they are. Another annual hummingbird plant that has been in gardens for generations is flowering tobacco or nicotiana. Hardiness: varies by species; ranges from zone 5 to 10Exposure: full sun to partial shadeBloom Period: spring through fall This plant works welling in containers. Bleeding heart (Dicentra species) are equally charming to both gardener and hummingbird and, like snapdragons, they prefer cool spring weather. Hardiness: USDA hardiness zones 8 to 9Exposure: full sun to partial shadeBloom Period: prefers the cool seasons of spring and fall This plant works welling in containers. Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) is an even earlier bloomer, and butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) will bloom throughout most of the summer, (Note, buddleia has become invasive in some areas.) Hardiness: USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9Exposure: full sun to partial shade Bloom Period: late spring/ early summer
