Well Eric - if I were you I would hang fuschia plants - from trees or a pole. One of the problems that I have found with low growing red plants that hummers love, is CATS. They learn to stay still and then zot the little guys. :)
I have fuschias that I overwinter in the garage.

My hummers also go for the delphiniums, which at least grow tall, are perennial and also very pretty. So you could plant some in a container and not worry about having to overwinter it. Im assuming you dont live in the Arctic. :) There are also some honeysuckle that they love, but make sure if you buy some that they like the variety. Some honeysuckle just doesnt attract them.

I was planning to put the plants on my porch. My cat doesn't hunt.

Eric, I think Janalyn is giving you good advice. I won't get into a debate with you over whether your cat hunts when you're not looking. Your neighbors may have cats that do hunt. I'm allergic to cats and therefore have none, but see other people's cats in my yard regularly since I started feeding birds. I've noticed the hummers spend longer at plants and perches that are higher up. I think they feel safer that way. If you give the hummingbirds a spot where they are comfortable, you will get to see them more.

We can give you better suggestions if you're more specific. I'm glad you added that this container will be on the porch. How big is the container? Did you want to hang up the container, set it on the porch floor, or something in between? Window box on a porch railing, perhaps? How much sun does your porch get? Do you care what the plant looks like in winter? If you want a plant that looks good year round to decorate your house in winter, that will narrow your options considerably.

I second the vote for fuchsias, with the caveat that you will need to choose the variety carefully. I think for your area you'll need to seek out heat-tolerant fuchsias. Fuchsias come in both trailing and upright shapes. I grow several different ones and have seen the hummers nectar on all of them. In my area, fuchsias are healthiest in either dappled shade all day, or morning sun followed by shade the rest of the day. Generally speaking, triphylla types can handle more sun and heat. I have heard that some people grow triphyllas in full sun but haven't tried it. For me, they fill a useful niche as a shade-tolerant hummingbird plant. I overwinter them in the garage too.

The container is about the size of a large wastebasket and will be placed on a small table on the porch a few feet from the railing. I am serious that my cat doesn't hunt:) He never bothers birds. Only small mammals once every two years. My porch gets a lot of sun especially in the afternoon. I don't care what the plants look like in winter. Just as long as they don't die:) I think I have my list.

Two geraniums superbells (I'm still deciding)

begonia Fuschia, coleus, and basil

gerbera daisy

I am going to grow the cuttings from my geranium:) Now I don't have to spend money on more geraniums.

Okay, here is my final list. Coleus,gerbera daisy,2-4 zonal geraniums,begonia,morning glory,four o' clocks, and fuschia. Well, I will update in the spring with many pictures of happy hummers enjoying a nectar buffet on my porch:)