10 Container Plants That Hummingbirds Love

A hummingbird in flight near red flowers, surrounded by green foliage — Credit:
Getty / DansPhotoArt

Hummingbirds migrate north in the spring, so if you want to make your garden a destination for them, you'll need to grow nectar-rich flowers. Opting for container plants is especially beneficial, as you can place them on elevated surfaces, creating more protection against these birds' natural predators.

It's a good idea to bring hummingbirds to your garden, not just because they're beautiful, but because they're beneficial pollinators and can even consume troublesome insects (like mosquitoes). Here are 10 container plants that experts say will attract these special birds.

Andrew Bunting, vice president of horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Tess Renusch, senior coordinator on the native plant habitat team at the National Wildlife Federation
Linda Vater, plant expert for Southern Living Plant Collection

01 of 10

Red Salvia

This flower's vivid red blooms and lush green foliage are a favorite of hummingbirds, according to Linda Vater, gardening expert at Southern Living Plant Collection. “Their tubular flower spikes produce an abundance of nectar from April to November,” she says.

The Saucy variety, in particular, is vigorous and self-cleaning, so it doesn't need to be deadheaded. Plus, salvia adapts well to containers, as it has a manageable size and drought tolerance.

Zones: 9 to 10 (grown as an annual in cooler climates)
Care requirements: Well-drained average soil; drought-tolerant; full sun to part shade
Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide

02 of 10

Butterfly Weed

Hummingbirds are drawn to bright colors. The red and orange tubular blooms of butterfly weed—a type of milkweed—are easy for them to spot, says Tess Renusch, senior coordinator at the National Wildlife Federation.

This plant is compact and drought-tolerant once established, making it well-suited to containers. Since it isn’t a spreading milkweed, it won’t overtake other plantings.

Zones: 3 to 9
Care requirements: Well-drained, loamy soil; low water needs; full sun
Size: 1 to 2 feet tall and wide

Bee Balm

Bee balm's fast-spreading tubular red flowers make it a favorite with hummingbirds, says Andrew Bunting, vice president of horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The plant is also deer-resistant.

Since bee balm prefers moist, well-drained soil, containers provide the ideal environment.

Zones: 5 to 9
Care requirements: Well-drained soil; somewhat drought-tolerant; full sun
Size: 4 to 5 feet tall

04 of 10

Agapanthus

Hummingbirds adore these large clusters of deep, violet-blue, trumpet-shaped blooms, which can last until the first frost, says Vater.

Agapanthus is also a compact grower that blooms more prolifically when it’s root-bound, making it an ideal choice for containers. Ever Sapphire, in particular, is also a semi-dwarf variety and is drought-tolerant.

Zones: 8 to 11 (grown as an annual in cooler climates)
Care requirements: Well-drained average soil; drought-tolerant; full sun to part shade
Size: 20 to 24 inches tall by 12 to 18 inches wide

05 of 10

Cardinal Flower

The cardinal flower’s vibrant red color is a hummingbird magnet. Additionally, its long, tubular blooms are perfectly adapted to the bird's long bill and tongue, Renusch says. They bloom from July to October and thrive in wet, saturated soils. For best results, use a slightly larger pot (1 gallon).

Zones: 3 to 9
Care requirements: Well-drained loamy to clay moist soil; full to part sun
Size: 2 to 4 feet tall by 1 to 2 feet wide

06 of 10

Hyssop

This hardy perennial has small, tubular lavender-blue flowers and fragrant foliage that hummingbirds love, Bunting says. Hyssop is also a compact, low-maintenance grower that’s ideal for planting where space is limited.

Zones: 5 to 9
Care requirements: Full sun, well-drained soil; somewhat drought-tolerant
Size: 4 to 5 feet tall

07 of 10

Eastern Red Columbine

These red-and-yellow tubular flowers bloom from February to July, depending on your region. “It coincides with the arrival of migrating hummingbirds, offering an early and crucial food source,” Ranusch says.

Plus, this particular variety of columbine matures to a manageable size that won’t overtake a container.

Zones: 3 to 8
Care requirements: Well-draining moist soil; drought-tolerant once established; full sun to partial shade
Size: 1 to 2 feet tall and wide

08 of 10

Kaleidoscope Abelia

A cluster of small, delicate flowers on a plant, with green leaves in the background — Nahhan / Getty Images

Fragrant tubular blooms cover this evergreen shrub from spring to fall, Vater says. Kaleidoscope, in particular, has a compact and mounding growth habit, allowing it to fill a container uniformly with little to no pruning.

Zones: 6 to 9
Care requirements: Well-drained average soil; drought-tolerant once established; full sun to part shade
Size: 2 to 3 feet tall by 3 to 4 feet wide (smaller mature size in containers)

09 of 10

Autumn Sage

This heavy bloomer produces clusters of tiny, tubular, pink-and-red flowers. They bloom from March to November in warmer regions, which covers both hummingbird migration periods, Renusch notes.

Autumn Sage grows to a compact and manageable size in a container and is drought-tolerant once established.

Zones: 6 to 9
Care requirements: Well-drained rocky, sandy, or loamy soil; drought-tolerant once established; full sun
Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide

10 of 10

Lantana

The combination of hot pink and sunny yellow colors, as well as an extended blooming season (summer to fall), makes this vining plant a favorite for hummingbirds. “Lantana will thrive in the summer heat when other flowers may start to fade," adds Vader.

This low-maintenance plant reaches a manageable mature size, so it works well in containers and is also very drought-tolerant once established.

Zones: 10 to 11
Care requirements: Well-drained, slightly acidic soil; drought-tolerant once established; full sun
Size: 10 to 12 inches tall and wide