Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Garden Plan to Attract Hummingirds

This guide features regional native plants for the Great Lakes that are highly attractive to pollinators and are well-suited to small-scale plantings in gardens, on business and school campuses, in urban greenspaces and farm field borders. These plants are particularly attractive to ruby-throated hummingbirds.

There's no question that hummingbirds make use of plant nectar--or the sugar water from your feeders--as a source of quick energy. But while they're visiting those flowers, they may also be gobbling up tiny insects and spiders--both excellent sources of protein. In fact, some authorities think of hummingbirds as insectivorous birds that happen to also eat plant nectar. Here’s a list of nectar-producing plants that should attract them to your garden.

See the KEY at the bottom for details on the 'Soil' and 'Moisture' codes.

Bloom Common Name Scientific Name Color Height Light Soil Moisture
EARLY Beardtongue Penstemon grandiflorus Lavender 2- 4 feet Full sun icon S D
Columbine Aquilegia canadensis Red, Yellow 1-3 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon L,S D,M
Downy Phlox Phlox pilosa Pink 1-2 feet Full sun icon L,S D,M,O
Fire Pink Silene virginica Red, Pink 1-2 feet Shade icon L,S D,M
Lupine Lupinis perennis Blue 3 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon S D
Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica Blue 1-2 feet Partial sun icon C,L,S M,O
MID Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata Pink, Red 3-5 feet Full sun icon C,L,S O,W
Smooth Penstemon Penstemon digitalis White 2-3 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon C,L,S M,O
MID-LATE Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa Orange 2-3 feet Full sun icon C,L D,M
Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca Pink, Lavender 2-4 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon C,L,S D,M
Lavender Hyssop Cirsium discolor Lavender 2-4 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon L,S D,M
New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus White 2-3 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon L,S D,M
Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana Pink 1 foot Full sun icon C,L,S M,O
Prairie Blazing Star Liatris pycnostachya Pink, Purple 3-5 feet Full sun icon C,L,S M, O
Scarlet Beebalm Monarda didyma Red 3-5 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon C,L,S M,O
>LATE Bergamot Monarda fistulosa Lavender 2-3 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon C,L,S D,M,O
Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis Red 2-5 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon L,S O,W
Fireweed Epilobium angustifolium Pink 2-6 feet Full sun icon L,S M,O,W
Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica Blue 1-4 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon C,L,S M,O
Harebell Asclepias syriaca Pink, Lavender 2-4 feet Full sun icon Partial sun icon S D,M
Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea Purple 3-4 feet Full sun icon D,L,S D,M
Rough Blazing Star Liatris aspera Pink, Purple 2-5 feet Full sun icon L,S D,M
Tall Bellflower Campanula americana Blue 2-5 feet Shade icon C,L,S M,O

SOIL:   L = Loam       C = Clay       S = Sandy       R = Rocky
MOISTURE:   D = Dry       M = Medium       O = Moist       W = Wet 

Beneficial Species
Composting
Fertilize & Mulch
Garden Plans
Garden Pests
Lawn Management
Pollination
Quick Tips
Soil Management
Specialty Gardens
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