10 Must-Have Flowers for Attracting Hummingbirds

Pollinator gardening

Hummingbirds love bright, colorful flowers that provide a lot of nectar! Of course, you can put up a feeder, too, but flowers are the best source of nectar for hummingbirds.

hummingbird on purple flower

Add flowers in large clumps so that the birds can see bright patches to feed on. For the best visibility, tall flowers should go behind shorter flowers. That way, everyone can enjoy watching these beauties flitting in and out of the garden.


  • Snapdragon is a good cool weather choice. In the early spring and late fall, other flowers might not be blooming, but the hummingbird will still be looking for food.
  • Morning glories have a trumpet shape that advertises the sweet nectar inside. These flowers are gorgeous on a trellis or fence.
  • Milkweed is a must-have for pollinator gardens. Hummingbirds also visit these bright, colorful flowers that monarch butterflies depend on.
  • Blue Columbine is a gorgeous flower with an unusual shape that certain insects find harder to navigate. Hummingbirds can navigate to the nectar within easily with their long specialized beaks.
  • Lupines attract a lot of attention with their tall spikes of beautiful flowers. They’re another good choice for providing food for hummingbirds during cooler weather.
  • Cosmos come in bright, attention-grabbing colors. Deadheading these flowers will encourage more blooms and more hummingbirds.
  • Nasturtiums depend on hummingbirds as their major pollinator. Their nectar is especially sweet, so plant a lot of these beauties!
  • Zinnia is so easy to grow and makes a delightful cut flower as well. If you choose not to deadhead these flowers, other birds will enjoy the seeds after the blooms have faded.
  • Poppies are another easy-to-grow flower that hummingbirds love. Plant them in patches for dazzling, eye-catching color.
  • Wildflower mixes are always great choices for hummingbirds. There will be a variety of pollen and nectar flowers in different colors and shapes. These mixes are created to bloom continuously throughout the growing season, so your pollinators will always have a ready snack.

In addition to providing flowers and nectar, one surprising way to support hummingbirds is to leave spider webs intact. Hummingbirds make their nest from spider webs. They also get some valuable protein from insects stuck in spider webs, so if the spider isn’t bothering you, leave it alone.

hummingbird on zinnia flower

We hope you can attract hummingbirds all season long. They’re such fun to watch, and if you are careful to prepare the garden for them, they’ll remember you. It’s a delight to see them return year after year.


Written by Teresa Chandler


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