I forgot to add... As you can see from the title, I live in Massachusetts.

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)...beautiful native perennial...hummer magnet...good in beds, bogs, and containers. My winter sown ones are just starting to bloom...

Honeysuckle, morning glory, all sages--salvias, don't know which ones would winter-over for you. You could ask about that on the Salvia Forum.

Eva's Hummingbird Mint agastache, and other agastache are popular with hummers. Blue Fortune agastache is hardy from Zones 4-10, some agastache need moderate climates to be perennial. You could do hanging pots of fuchias, if you keep the plants indoors over winter.

Lorna

Here is a link that might be useful: Salvia Forum

I grow cardinal flower (lobelia cardinalis) and royal catchfly (silene regia) and penstemon (penstemon digitalis) for hummers. But the flowers that they frequent the most in my garden is the purple coneflowers (echinacea sp.), for insects.

If you can grow salvia 'Black and Blue' in your zone, it is a favorite. They also like the salvia greggii varieties. Agastache rupestris is a good one. They tend not to be very interested in my agastache 'blue fortune'. However, the Monarch butterflies and honeybees love blue fortune.

Cameron (in North Carolina)

Here is a link that might be useful: scroll down for hummie photo

Red bee balm (Monarda) works great here in NY zone 5 .I noticed them at my globe thistle (Echinops) and this year they seem to have a great interest in my blackberry lily (Belamcanda)which is a pale orange.They also spend time in the flowers of hosta and annual red sage .

Thanks everyone! I'm going to look into these plants but I'll probably not plant until next year.

Hi David -

I live in CT (zone 6) and the two absolute fool proof hummingbird plants already mentioned are Lobelia Cardinalis (aka Cardinal Flower) and Salvia Guaranitica (aka Brazilian Sage). You can easily find these plants online or at better garden centers. Lobelia requires a lot of mosture and partial shade. It is a native flower here and reseeds easily under the right conditions so you may have dozens of individual plants after a couple of years. Salvia Guaranitica is a tender perennial that prefers hotter and drier condions vs. Lobelia. I dig my Salvia up each fall and overwinter in an unheated garage. Important tip: plant patches of 10 or more of these plants to create islands of nectar in your garden. The hummingbirds will be very pleased - and so will you. Your feeders, however, may feel a bit neglected when these plants are in full bloom. Good luck!

I can confirm that Black n Blue salvia is a great choice for your garden . I had a pair of hummers dueling over the right to feed at it for the better part of this afternoon.

For early-season flowers, the hummers are attracted to Pulmonarias and wild columbine.

Early season flowers are most likely columbine to be your best bet. But in my area it seems they will mainly rely feeder nectar early in the spring anyway and then during the souther migration most of the flowers are in full bloom at that time , so it works well.

In Seattle (mild summers and winters), we have good luck with some of the same plants others have recommended, including salvia (black and blue), bee balm (red), penstemon, and crocosmia.

My birds go back and forth between the feeder and nearby garden, where they enjoy the butterfly bush, sedum, and a recent rebloom of columbine...which I will attempt to post a pic of. It's a bit blurry but I was so happy to have captured it.

I would definitley recommend a butterfly bush. It is wonderful to watch them visit each flower, and perch on the branches.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:996927}}

Red monarda, Jacob Cline
Black and Blue salvia
Gold Flame honeysuckle

These three are absolute magnets here.

Does anyone grow Lobelia cardinalis in a pot?

Hi ,

I would like to make a comment about Salvia, Black and Blue. I planted three in my yard to attract hummingbirds. But all I have attracted is many many bees. I have seen a hummingbird on it once or twice but then the bees chase her away. I doubt if I will have this plant next year. Has anyone else had this problem. My boss came over last evening to hang up a hose hanger that is very near the Black and Blue Salvia. He commented about the zillions of bees on those three plants.

Betty

No signs of bees by mine in fact i'd say more hummers visit it then bees (it's right outside my window). Maybe you live in a region where native bees are attracted to it? I'm in Michigan.

to answer Harryshoe.. I have some Lobelia Cardinalis in a pot this year (as well as some in the ground). I have seen the hummers feeding from it, and it does well. Although my hummers pay attention to the Crocosmia, the Lobelia and Salvia, the first stop they make is on the Scarlet Runner Bean plant. This has failed to provide beans but masses of bright red flowers which I think they prefer because they are so high up.

harryshoe, I've grown L. cardinalis in containers for the last 3 seasons. In the first 2, they were in 'bog containers' ( pots with the drainage holes plugged). Life was too easy for them, they grew 4-5 feet tall, fell over, and the hummers ended up feeding down next to the ground - not a good place for a little hummer.

Winter rosette last Fall.

{{gwi:448702}}

This year, they're in smaller pots (with the drainage holes open), have had tons of neglect heaped on them, and are looking better. The tallest one is 28", and none seem ready to topple. The smaller pots make them more portable - I didn't move them to my deck until they started blooming. Some sort of property line dispute was goin' on here.

Most nectar plants that attract hummers are also going to attract bees. Usually the hummer is going to win the bee vs. hummer battle for a flower.

I've even seen butterflies beat out the bees when vying for position...

Do you keep the pots in shade?

Before being moved to the deck, they got 5-6 hours of midday sun. They get 3-4 hours of midday sun now, with dappled shade for the remainder of the day.

I've read on a few web sites that Lobelia Cardinalis will bloom first year from seed unlike most perennials.

Has anyone in zone 6 found this to be true or, if another zone, know of its first year bloom from general knowledge of species.

If they'll bloom first year from seed it'd be a lot cheaper than buying plants but I don't have space for the number of plugs one is required to buy in a tray.

After my first year's experience trying this I'm adjusting the plants I can grow for hummingbirds and butterflies that will take more shade than most plants they prefer. I can put some in pots to catch more sunlight but am running out of sunny spots to mass color of enough varieties.

Being a novice gardener I've naively been misled by catalogue promises on seeds and plants my first year so I'd really appreciate any experiences or information you can provide.

Thanks!

newbie, The plants in the photo were winter-sown this year. I'm in zone 6b.

Thanks very much for information, ctnchpr.

Glad to know I can wintersow and keep in pots.

Your blooming plants are gorgeous.

I planted 4 more black & blue salvia and added three large container plantings of the salvia. The hummers have found all of the new plants! They are loving it. I also planted more monarda and agastache for them for next year.

They've been coming closer and closer to us when we're in the garden. My husband had to rescue one from the garage recently. It perched on the kayak paddle and he lowered her out of the garage doors.

We also increased our feeder count recently! Too many mouths to feed...but, we love having them here. They'll be migrating soon.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: gardening blog with recent hummer update

What I have that works in zone 5 is pale purple monarda(the red died), tall garden phlox(any color except white), honey suckle, dames rocket(it reseeds) & red columbine. They like looking at all the brightly colored roses,daffoils,tulips,iris's, etc.

I planted cypress vine at the bottom of the post. It has covered the entire thing. The hummers absolutely love it. They sip from the feeder and then go all around the vine sipping from flowers.

These are the best threads! I'm sorry I can't add to the list because I have Never:-( had a hummer in my yard (not that I've seen) yet.....

But I'm compiling a list here for wintersowing lots of hummingbird attracting plants.

I have great sucess with cigar plant they love it ,so much so that I went back to nursery to purchase more of this plant , They haddied down last winter but came
back this year along with many different types of salvia ;red riding hood ,hot lips salvia ,coral nymph [ the salvias all self sowed so got lots free plants for three years now ] also my 3 rose of sharon trees seem to be a big hit for them here .

Its sorta tricky talking about best plants for hummers since in different areas they are attracted to different flowers. They will use all my flowers that I have for them but are more attracted to certain ones here. The old standbys sages agastaches guaraniticas, cupheas. In the movie link Im adding you will see the hummer working hard on cuphea shumannii then going to the cuphea david verity at the end.

in this shot front corner are my tutti fruitti and guaranitica blue ensign both over 4ft tall and hummer favs
{{gwi:974401}}

here is my cuphea david verity another hummer fav
{{gwi:996932}}

Here is a link that might be useful: hummer on cuphea shumannii

I have mostly bee balm in my yard and it works great.

My secret weapon for attracting Hummingbirds is Lantana. It's great for those dry, hot areas. It grows really fast and will take over so containers are good if you don't have much room.
It also attracts many butterflies.

I planted anise hyssop and the hummers loved it. It also attracts American Goldfinches. It does self seed well. Grows up to 4 feet tall or more in the garden.

i have 3 feeders in my garden that consists of potted and hanging impatients ( red ), petunias, begonias, and geraniums basically. i have always had hummingbirds. every year they show up the first week of may and leave the first week of september. this year i have more than ever before. i sit every evening and watch them come from 5-8 pm. it's a frenzy! they are so territorial. you can watch and hear them fight at the feeders. my point is, i don't plant special flowers and they still come.