Being a little bit different than you I started out planting for hummingbirds and only hummingbirds which is not to say that butterfies arent attracted to some of the same flowers. Also having a small yard and space being a problem I have to use only what works here.

As far as new plants go , I will be trying lonicera sempervirens major wheeler, I already have coral honeysuckle which is highly praised by me and hummers. Also new for me this year is sal.greggii white, pink and purple. Plus lobelia cardinalis and standing cypress. Im also trying sal greggii pink preference as a new plant this year.

Here are my mainstays with the ones listed near the top the favs but the top four can be interchanged. Hummers being a bit fickle, the favs in any other area could be different.

L. Semervirens coral honeysuckle
Agastache tutti frutti
Sal. guaranitica black and blue/ green and blue
Sal. guaranitica blue ensign.
Sal coccinea lady in red , coral nymph
Sal. subrotunda , sal darcyi
Sal. greggii [autumn sage] cherry chief
Cuphea - david verity, schumannii[ orange cuphea]
Agastache cana heather queen
Agastache rupistris
Lonicera x heckrottii goldflame honeysuckle

Steve, I didn't know there existed a S. guarantica 'Green and Blue'! Wow - I'll have to check it out.

I have no doubt that some of those Salvias may not work out for me, but I am going to give it try.

So hummers' tastes change from location to location? Well, LOL, I'm kinda used to that with the butterflies. They leave me scratching my head and wondering why it works in someone else's garden and not mine! What a hoot! Sometimes their tastes change from year to year as well. That's why I try to offer as wide a variety of nectar plants as possible, hoping beyond hope that something will appeal to the fickle lil things!

Lobelia cardinalis was given to me as a seedling by a butterfly friend here in Oklahoma. She said that it is more tolerant of a wide variety of conditions than others she has tried, and she is right! I had a problem with pit bulls running free in the neighborhood last year and in particular in my backyard where the Cardinal Flower was. I failed to add any supplemental water, and we had the hottest, driest June and July here. I checked it late August, and it was blooming its head off! Was I shocked.

Let me know how yours does, and if you want to try 2 or 3 (if I get seedlings, that is cuz I let it seed around), I'll be happy to share with you. It is a prolific bloomer.

Forgot to mention Spigelia marilandica (Indian Pink) which is a native to much of the U.S. and is a great hummer plant, too. Another very tough plant that just keeps on doing its thing despite any adversity thrown its way.

I try to incorporate a lot of natives in my yard because you can always be assured that the nectar has not been bred out of them.

I wish I had room for another honeysuckle, but I don't at this time. Our native yellow flowering L. flava draws a lot of the hummers, though, as well as the tiny little hummingbird moths that use it as a host.

Susan

Last year was my first attracting hummers. I did not realize how important it was to have plants in addition to a feeder so I only had a couple small patches of lady in red. This year I will be adding the following plants...

-salvia guaranitica 'black and blue' and 'blue ensign'
-salvia coccinea 'coral nymph'
-salvia greggii 'pink preference', 'wild thing', 'furman's red', and x 'cherry chief'
-salvia 'mesa purple'
-agastache 'tutti frutti' and 'coronado'
-nicotiana mutabilis
-lobelia cardinalis
-canna patens
-lonicera sempervirens
-cuphea 'david verity' and 'schumannii'

I am re-planting the garden at my new house. The garden was let go while the house was vacant. I'm trying to pick plants that will appeal to hummers and butterflies. So far, I have a red sage plant, liatris, columbine, and bleeding heart. I've also started purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan,monarda, and love lies bleeding from seed -- only time will tell whether these will actually grow into plants, though.

I also plan to plant cardinal climber right into the ground in a few weeks when the weather is a little warmer and let it climb the back yard fence. Does that attract hummers as well as cardinal flower?

Cynthia

Yes it does, Cynthia. You might also want to intermingle some Cypress Vine seeds with your Cardinal Vine. Any of the colors (it comes in red, pink, and white) will work fine. I can hardly wait til they get here!

Susan

Susanlayne

In regards to the salvia guaranitica, I believe the species is green/blue , but also sal guaranitica blue ensign is green/blue. Whereas black/blue for me only gets to 3ft tall, blue ensign goes to between 4-5 ft. My blue ensign usually gets easily 4 and 1/2 ft. The blue ensign usually blooms later than black/blue since it has to get its full growth first but its worth it. Hummers just cant seem to resist this taller plant with the same blue flowers. I got mine from '" a world of salvias" and by a mistake in order [someelses order] but a nice discovery. Here are a couple of shots of mine.

In the background you can see the smaller black and blue

This is the first year I have actually had any hummers using a feeder. I use to have 1 hummer stop by every couple of months.This year I have 2 hummers visiting all day.
So now I have planted plants I hope will help to attract more hummers to my yard.

Batface Cuphea
Micropetla Cuphea
Cape Honeysuckle
Midnight Mexican Bush Salvia
Red Salvia
Penta
Coral Honeysuckle

I'm planting cannas, zinnias, poppy, dahlia, phlox, all in red, larger varieties. Not all of these are super attractive to hummers, but i like some flowers in large sizes to catch folks' attention from a distance.

I want to plant the more attractive varieties of red salvia this year. (I forget which variety, but some apparently have more nectar for the hummers.)

Last year i planted black and blues and royal catchfly, both are super attractive to hummers. The black and blue salvias aren't supposed to survive the winter, i plan on making room for plenty as i really like this plant.

Wow, Steve, Blue Ensign is a gorgeous plant! Love that blue, blue, and blue!

Do you know if you can divide Black & Blue? I want to move some of it to full sun, cuz I have in part sun right now, and maybe that is why it doesn't bloom profusely like it should. Also, maybe those dratted worms won't eat it up. They attack the tips and the the flowering stems as they emerge, which is another reason I don't get as many blooms.

Susan

Susan

I have never attempted to try and divide black and blue. I have only taken cuttings and seed. Possibly someone will kick in who has done it.

B&B will put up new sprouts by underground runners. In the spring you will notice little green shoots popping up out a bit from older growth. Just dig them up and replant or dig up a root ball of older growth and replant. This plant is tough. In the spring, I can break off or cut off a new growing tip, pinch off the lower leaves and pop it into the bed in a different spot (or pot) and it will begin growing. Be certain a leaf node is underneath the soil surface. If it is sunny, shade for a few days and keep the soil moist. This is a VERY tough, robust plant.

These are B&B babies freshly dug and potted to share with a fellow gardener:

This is a close up of the B&B bloom:

Mary

Thanks, Mary! Now that I recall, I believe I did have some sucker growth last year, but just didn't pay much attention to it - probably because I was frustrated with the caterpillars attacking it.......@#$@#*(%R)&.

I will watch for them this year and move them to a better location to see if they do better than the mother plant.

Susan