When designing your gardens, you aren’t just creating a beautiful space, but one that’s full of life. Using plants for hummingbirds, butterflies, and pollinators. Since we’ve already covered how to attract pollinators to your garden with native plants, we’re going to go over the best ways to attract hummingbirds to your garden. These little, energetic birds are beautiful to watch and very helpful in pollination. We’re going to share some best plants for hummingbirds and how to create your garden using plants that these amazing creatures will positively love visiting.
Hummingbirds: Nature’s Little Wonders
Hummingbirds are a very unique group of birds. They have the ability to hover in the air and fly backward. Their wing beats are faster than most birds, and so are their metabolisms. As a result, they must forage for much of the day. The birds are primarily drawn to glorious tubular flowers, the nectar of which replenishes their energy levels. Planting the right flowers can enable you to get quite a throng of these little avians in the comfort of your own backyard.
Creating a Hummingbird Habitat
To make a hummingbird-friendly garden, you need to:
- Plant a variety of annuals, perennials, and flowering shrubs.
- Choose plants that flower at different points in the season to ensure continuous blooms.
- Incorporate small twigs and thin branches for the birds to rest on.
- Add a shallow birdbath or mister for drinking and bathing.
- Eliminate the pesticides: Use natural ways of getting rid of pests to not harm your hummingbirds inadvertently.
Types of Plants for Hummingbirds
Perennials
The only problem with annuals is that you have to replant them. The best type of plants for hummingbirds if you don’t want to replant every year are perennials since they come back every year. Some of the best perennials plants for hummingbirds that you can plant in your garden include:
Bee Balm: It is a plant that produces reddish-pink to purple, tubular flowers that hummingbirds love.
Columbine: It has distinctive, spurred flowers that the hummingbirds love.
Salvia: Many varieties of salvia bear tubular red, purple, and blue flowers that are adored by hummingbirds.
Penstemon: Penstemon, or beardtongue, produces tall, tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds.
Annuals
An annual garden is especially attractive if you enjoy changing flower colors and plans from year to year. Among the most popular annual plants for hummingbirds are:
Impatiens: Well-known in colors both for sun or shade. Hummingbirds especially like these.
Petunias: Their trumpet-shaped flowers make them perfect for hanging baskets and very attractive to hummingbirds as well.
Fuchsia: The drooping, bell-shaped flowers of the fuchsia are quite irresistible to hummingbirds.
Flowering Shrubs
These shrubs provide food and shelter for hummingbirds. Some of these are as follows:
Butterfly Bush, Buddleia: In spite of its name, this bush is a favorite among hummingbirds.
Weigela: The shrub bears tubular flowers, which are visited frequently by hummingbirds.
Rose of Sharon: Large, trumpet-shaped flowers on this shrub will be a hit with your garden’s hummingbirds.
Vines
If you’re looking to add some vertical interest to your garden while at the same time attracting hummingbirds, consider some of these flowering vines:
Trumpet Honeysuckle: The red, tubular, native flowers will bring in hummingbirds in droves.
Morning Glory: The large, funnel-shaped flowers of morning glory will also please hummingbirds.
5 Tips For Starting Your Hummingbird-Friendly Garden
- Plant in mass: Hummingbirds are more likely to spot larger swatches of color.
- Offer nectar feeders: Supplement natural nectar resources with hummingbird feeders full of a simple sugar-water solution and are regularly cleaned to prevent mold growth
- Stay on top of garden cleaning and grooming: Deadhead flowers regularly, so they keep producing more flowers.
- Offer a diversity of habitats: Offer both sun and shade areas as well as plants of varying heights.
- Be patient: While the hummingbird may need a year or so to find your garden once identified as a food resource almost certainly return year after year
To stage a habitat laden with plants for hummingbirds is an engaging experience. It is not only good for you but appropriate for these charming little birds. Include an assortment of flowers, all nectar-rich, and follow the tips that we have shared; this will help you to start attracting hummingbirds to your garden.
Visit our extensive garden center to find a good selection of plants that attract hummingbirds. Also, check out our expert advice to create a garden that is a hot spot for wildlife and full of plants for hummingbirds.
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