Hummingbirds have little or no sense of smell, so they look for bright colors and shapes to probe with their long beaks and equally long tongues. Here’s a list of hummingbird magnets:
Bee balm, Monarda spp., zones 3 to 9 (depending on species), blooms midsummer to fall.
Bleeding heart, Dicentra spectabilis, zones 3 to 9 (depending on species), blooms early spring.
Blue cardinal flower, Lobelia siphilitica, zones 4 to 9, blooms summer to fall.
Canada columbine, Aquilegia Canadensis, zones 3 to 8, blooms late spring to midsummer.
Cardinal flower, Lobelia cardinalis, zones 4 to 8, blooms summer to fall.
Coral bells, Heuchera sanguinea, zones 3 to 8, blooms early spring.
Dropmore honeysuckle, Lonicera x brownii ‘Dropmore Scarlet’, zones 4 to 9, blooms summer to fall.
Firecracker penstemon, Penstemon eatonii, zones 4 to 9, blooms summer to fall.
Foxglove, Digitalis spp., zones 3 to 10 (depending on species), blooms summer to fall.
Hosta, Hosta spp., zones 3 to 8, blooms summer to fall.
Morning glory, Ipomoea spp., annual, blooms summer to fall.
Orange honeysuckle, Lonicera ciliosa, zones 6 to 9, blooms summer to fall.
Petunia, Petunia spp., annual, blooms summer to fall.
Scarlet bugler, Penstemon centranthifolius, zones 5 to 10, blooms summer to fall.
Scarlet sage, Salvia splendens, annual, blooms summer to frost.
Snapdragon, Antirrhinum majus, annual, blooms summer to fall.
Spider flower, Cleome spp., annual, blooms summer to fall.
Texas sage, Salvia coccinea, especially ‘Lady in Red’, annual, blooms summer to frost.
Trumpet creeper vine, Campsis radicans, zones 5 to 9, blooms summer to fall.
Trumpet honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens, zones 4 to 9, blooms summer to fall.
Western columbine, Aquilegia Formosa, zones 4 to 8, blooms late spring to midsummer.