Hi Suz
I wouldn't normally respond about plants because there are so many in the forum that are real experts, and very helpful. But I do live in an apartment as well, third floor. I've had good luck with Lipstick Salvia on my balcony in pots. They wintered over well here in the south Texas mild winter. Mine get three hours of morning sun, then shade the rest of the day. They bloom well all summer, and the hummers love them. They would grow bigger in a flower bed with full sun, but I don't want them bigger. The Salvia plants I bought were $6.99 each and were already blooming.
As to vines, see my post here on the forum asking for advise about blooming vines for hummers to grow in shade. I got lot's of help here in the forum.
This year, I'm trying Trumpet vine and Honey Suckle in large containers. I'll let you know how it works out.
Good luck with your hummers.
Rob

Thanks Rob!

I did actually read that thread...I just wasn't sure if it would apply with the shade thing. Although the sun this wall gets isn't direct because the wall itself faces North, but the patio is on the East and gets a lot of morning sun. I've got a thread about Morning glories going over in container gardening.

I'm wondering if traffic is slow here because it is so early in the hummer season, or if I threw out too much detailed info? Or if it is a container vs. ground planting issue?

Suz

I'm new here to. Sometimes it takes a few days to get replys. I think it's a little slow because the season is just beginning. If you'll browse through last years posts, you'll see lots of discussion about plants.
Hang in there.
Rob

Suz,

Like Rob, I'm no expert, but I'll give you any info I can. First of all, your Morning Glories won't be Spring bloomers, and I don't think they're your best choice for hummers. A better choice (and still in the Morning Glory family) is Cypress Vine (Hiedra colorada). You can get the seeds at Walmart, and they will quickly fill in a trellis. My hummers love the beautiful red flowers. Nasturtiums are well behaved in pots, and aren't too fussy about sunlight, as long as they get 3-4 hours at some point during the day. 'Empress of India' is a beautiful red variety, and the seeds can also be bought at WM. As Rob has suggested, a good idea is to get Salvias from a nursery. I got a six-pack of 'Lady in Red' last year for about $3, and they were bloomin' in no time. 'Black & Blue' and 'Hot Lips' are 2 other good varieties, and the 'B&B' would do well in your 14" X 14.5" pot. Someone posted a chart on this forum last year that listed the sugar content of nectar from various flowers. The nectar from 'Lady in Red' was almost 1/3 sugar; that's like us mixing nectar at a 1:2 ratio instead of a 1:4!!

And yes, the traffic will pick up here as the hummers move North, but it will never get so busy that you can't catch up if you miss 3-4 days.

Here is what Cypress vine looks like in full bloom:

Last week I bought two Black and Blue Salvia in half gallon containers. I've waited for weeks for them to come in to the nursery I like.

I repotted them, and they were loaded with buds about to bloom. After some replanting shock, several blooom are out today. The blooms are twice as big as the Lipstick Salvia I have, and have caught the attention of my hummers. The black and blue seem to like my shady balcony with three hours of AM sun.
Rob

Black and blue salvia seem to be many hummer's #1 choice in the garden, despite the color. And my hummers also loved the cypress vine (or cardinal climber, it's sometimes called). But it does reseed with abandon...not necessarily a bad thing. The hummers love it!

Sudi, you might also consider some of the hardy fuchsia, agastache, or or native honeysuckles. And for annuals, consider pentas.