Flowering Shrubs That Attract Hummingbirds

USDA Zones 3 and 4

• Look to shrubs such as the deciduous azalea, roseshell azalea and certain lilac cultivars to attract hummingbirds in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 3 and 4. 'Golden Lights' is a cold hardy deciduous azalea cultivar able to tolerate winter temperatures plummeting to minus 40 F. Its yellow flowers bloom during May. 'Roseshell' azalea grows to 8 feet in these zones, producing pink flowers. Lilac cultivars such as 'Palibin,' a form of the Meyer lilac, are appropriate for these colder zones when trying to lure in hummingbirds with fragrant flowers.

USDA Zones 5 and 6

• USDA Zone 5 is the coldest zones in which several types of rhododendrons and azaleas with hummingbird-friendly flowers grow. 'Conlec,' 'Boudoir' and 'Girard's Crimson' are evergreen azalea cultivars matching this description, while 'Maxecat' and 'Mary Fleming' are rhododendrons that grow to fruition within Zones 5 and 6. Deciduous shrubs like the bush honeysuckle generate sulfur-yellow flowers in June and July that draw hummingbirds. Bush honeysuckle is a low-growing shrub that loves the sun and is small enough to plant in containers, allowing you to position them where you can best view your tiny visitors.

USDA Zone 7 and 8

• 'Red Red' is a short evergreen azalea cultivar, growing to 3 feet and useful for creating hedges or shrub borders. Hummingbirds will make continuous sojourns to its deep red flowers, which bloom during May in USDA Zones 7 and 8. 'Purple Pride' and 'Martha Hitchcock' are similar shrubs. The red buckeye is a tall shrub with red flowers that grows in these zones and blooms by early June. Red buckeye grows to 12 feet tall and it flowers in time for the return of the ruby-throated hummingbird in eastern states. Shrubs including the flowering crabapple cultivar 'Jewelberry' and 'Miss Kim,' a type of Manchurian lilac, are good options to use as hummingbird magnets.

USDA Zones 9, 10 and 11

• The firecracker plant and the desert rose are a pair of broadleaf evergreens that handle the humidity and potential heat of USDA Zone 11. For all three zones, try the Chinese hibiscus, a native of tropical locations in Asia. This seasonal bloomer attracts hummingbirds with red flowers as wide as 8 inches. The coral plant, originating from Mexico, is an option for this trio of zones. Coral plants grow 4 feet high and their foliage resembles needles. The flowers are tubular, bright red and full of nectar.