Plants To Naturally Attract Hummingbirds

One way to enjoy the company of hummingbirds is to use natural plants in the yard and garden. All of us know how laborious it can be to continually fill, clean and hang conventional feeder, especially when the birds are migrating. Sometimes I have had to do this chore up to 3 times in one day to keep up with the hungry fellas; especially when using the birds favorite treat - add 3 drops of pure organic orange extract to every 4 cups of sugar water.)

You can still keep your feeders if you want and place these plants nearby or replace them altogether. Remember never use pesticides near the plants that these birds visit to feed from it could sicken or kill them. Garden pests can be killed that would eliminate small insects that they rely upon for protein in their diet. If you wouldn't eat it yourself, don't feed it to the hummingbirds.

Since hummers, like most birds, have virtually no sense of smell, the flowers that attract them tend to have little or no fragrance, apparently directing their resources instead toward high visibility and nectar production.

Plants to Attract & Feed Hummingbirds

Trees & Shrubs

Azalea, Butterfly Bush, Cape Honeysuckle, Flame Acanthus, Flowering Quince, Lantana, Manzanita, Mimosa, Red Buckeye, Tree Tobacco, Turk's Cap, Weigela

Vines:

Coral Honeysuckle, Cypress Vine, Morning Glory, Scarlet Runner Bean, Trumpet Creeper

Flowers;

Perennials: Bee Balm, Canna, Cardinal Flower, Columbine, Coral Bells, Four O'Clocks, Foxglove, Hosta, Hummingbird Mint, Little Cigar, Lupine, Penstemon, Yucca

Annuals: Beard Tongue, Firespike, Fushia, Impatens, Jacobiana, Jewelweed, Petunia, Salvia, Shrimp Plant