Hummingbird Gardens


To attract and keep hummingbirds in your garden, you will need to supply food, water and shelter. Provide nectar producing plants, feeders, water and shade areas for perching, and the hummingbirds will flock to your garden all season. Hummingbirds prefer trumpet or tubular shaped flowers, but will readily visit most flowers in search of nectar. Hummingbirds do not have a sense of smell and rely on their sense of sight to find the flowers. Red flowers and red colored feeders are strong attractants.


Plant flowers "en masse" that have different blooming periods, and keep feeders full to provide a continual food supply. Use a commercial mix or make your own - 1 part sugar to 4 parts water - never use food coloring or honey as these can cause illness or death. Hummingbirds are very territorial; if you notice fighting amongst the hummers, add another feeder out of sight from the other one. Hummingbirds spend approximately 80% of their time perching on twigs, stems, clotheslines, etc. between feedings, so place the feeder close to a perching spot. Hummingbirds are a delight to watch in the garden and will also eat insects such as aphids and gnats. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird occurs in our area (Southeastern US) and migrates south to Mexico and Central America in the fall. Migration begins when the daylight length lessens and so leaving your feeders up will not delay their migration.


Hummingbird Favorites

Note - these plants are suitable in the southeast region of the US
*Indicates southeast native cultivars

Botanical Name Common Name Bloom Period Color
Ajuga reptans   Bugleweed   Spring   Blue, lavender, pink
Aquilegia caerulea   Columbine   Mid - late spring   Various
*Aguilegia canadensis   American Columbine   Mid - late spring   Various
*Asclepias tuberosa   Butterfly weed   Mid - late sum   Bright orange
Campanula glomerata   Bellflower   Early - mid-sum   Violet blue
*Campsis radicans   Trumpet Creeper   Summer - fall   Orange tubes with scarlet lobes
Dianthus species   Pink's, Carnation   Spring - fall   Various
Dicentra formosa   Bleeding Heart   Late spring - fall   Cherry-red
Hemerocallis species   Daylily   Summer - fall   Various
Heuchera sanguinea   Coral Bells   Late spring   Pink, coral and red
Hosta species   Hosta   Summer   Various
*Lobelia cardinalis   Cardinal Flower   Mid-sum - early fall   Cardinal-red
*Lobelia siphilitica   Great Blue Lobelia   Mid-sum - early fall   Blue
*Lonicera sempervirens   Coral Honeysuckle   Summer - fall   Coral-red
Penstemon digitalis   Beardtongue   Early - mid-sum   White tinged with pink
Penstemon x mexicali   Beardtongue   Early - mid-sum   Bright rose
*Phystostegia virginia   Obedient Plant   Summer   White
Salvia elegens   Pineapple Sage   Early - mid sum   Red
*Salvia lyrata   Sage   Mid - late sum   Blue-purple
Salvia nemorosa   Meadow Sage   Early - late sum   Rose-pink, white
*Silene virginica   Fire Pink   Spring   Bright red