The Top Ten Native Hummingbird Plants

The Top Two Plants

• The trumpet creeper usually leads top-ten lists of plants for hummingbirds, because it produces the most nectar per blossom. This vine, which gets its name from the shape of its yellow or red flowers, can be found throughout most of the hummingbird's range and blooms from May to September. The beebalm or oswego tea plant is another valuable plant to hummingbirds. Although many people consider the trumpet creeper a weed, the beebalm is a member of the mint family, with leaves that make a fragrant tea.

The Next Three

• Trumpet honeysuckle, cardinal flower and spotted jewelweed are also known for their hummingbird attracting qualities. Trumpet honeysuckle has elongated trumpet-shaped flowers, and the cardinal flower has bright red blooms. The trumpet honeysuckle prefers bright sunlight; the cardinal flower prefers moist areas. Spotted jewelweed is usually found entwined with poison ivy. It has a habit of releasing its seeds on even slight contact.

Six through Eight

• Red columbine, Canada lily and Indian pink all have red flowers, although they vary in hue. Red columbine is found in the eastern United States and is easy to grow in gardens. Canada lily is found in woodland areas from Canada to Alabama. This plant can also have yellow or orange flowers; it usually blooms during summer. Indian pink has bright crimson flowers with an equally bright yellow interior. Although this plant grows low to the ground, passing hummingbirds have no trouble finding it.

The Final Two

• Although red buckeye and catawba rhododendron are ninth and tenth on the list of top ten hummingbird plants, they are larger than most of the others. Red buckeye grows into a small tree. Catawba rhododendron, also referred to as mountain rosebay, is a large evergreen shrub. Both of these can grow well in gardens despite their wild origins.