Flowers That Hummingbirds Like. My Favorites

If I had to pick one plant, shrub, or flower to have, and no other, it would be Hibiscus syriacus. It is most often referred to as Rose of Sharon, or hardy Hibiscus, or just Hibiscus. 

My grandparents had Rose of Sharon bushes when I was a young child, and you could always count on seeing Hummingbirds on them. 

Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, but they will go to just about any color of flower. Many Rose of Sharon flowers have a red or pink center. They are available in a wide array of colors now, and more are being developed all the time. They can be purchased all ready to be planted in your yard or garden, or you can buy seeds. 

They can be considered a large shrub, or small tree. With pruning, you can keep them at a more manageable size. When we first move to our home, there was one already growing, and we saw as many as 7 Hummingbirds at once on it. Since then, we have planted another one, and have had several that have come up from seeds. 

Like Rose of Sharon, Bee Balm can be purchased as a plant, or can be started from seeds. I've found that Bee Balm is a very hard perennial. It has a tendency to spread, so I would suggest having it planted in a confined space, so it won't invade the space of other plants.

Ours Bee Balm plants are red, but they do come in a variety of other colors. One thing I like about them, is that the flower heads have multiple small flowers. Many times, Hummingbirds will try to hit each flower, so they end up staying in one spot a little longer than with some other flowers. 

When it comes to attracting Hummingbirds, I think that Petunias are vastly underutilized. When I'm talking about using Petunias, for Hummingbirds, I'm talking about using them in hanging baskets, and window boxes. This gets them off the ground, and away from cats. We have cats, and although we've never had one catch a Hummingbird, it does make me a little nervous when I see them working flowers close to the ground. 

By using a hanging basket, you can locate your petunias for easy viewing. They can also be used to photograph Hummingbirds. Instead of trying to guess which flower the Hummingbird will go to next, you can set your camera up on a tripod, and wait for them to come in. 

Depending on where you live, and how well you do attractive Hummingbirds, you may even get to watch them raise their babies. Their nests are unbelievably small. Even if you don't get that lucky, it is still worth the effort to supply them with flowers they enjoy. 

We got a Butterfly Bush for the first time, a couple of years ago, and I'm already a fan. They are very hardy, and are loaded with blooms. Like Bee Balm, there are loads of little flowers all concentrated in one area, so you get to see the Hummingbirds for a longer period of time, before them move on. 

To be honest, we don't really plant Lantana for the Hummingbirds. We just love the way they look, and they also attract lots of butterflies, which we also enjoy. The Hummingbirds do go to them sometimes. They have clusters of small flowers.

As well as butterflies, the Hummingbird moths in our area also like them. The Hummingbird moths can be almost as entertaining, as real Hummingbirds.