10 Container Plants That Will Attract Hummingbirds to Your Patio, Porch, or Garden

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

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, so it does well in 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

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

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

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

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

Kaleidoscope Abelia

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)

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

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 an easily maintainable 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