Hi Molly. I've moved away now but I lived in Rochester and in Owatonna over the past 14 years. I've had great luck with honeysuckle (perennial), petunias (annual), tropical hibiscus and fuschia (also tropical). There are many others, but these are my favorites. I always go buy a big hanging basket of petunias early in the spring and put them out as 'hummingbird bait' :-)

I usually put out a feeder and make my own food but this summer we are very busy and I didn't want to worry about the food spoiling.

I hung a huge petunia basket from the feeder hook and still get the hummies coming. I've also seen them at my penstemon...even though they aren't the showiest flowers for attracting hummingbirds they really like anything tubular.

Kristy :)

In my garden the perennials that attract hummingbirds the most are columbine and heuchera. I have an annual salvia in a patio pot that is keeping them busy this week as well.

Trumpet vine and honeysuckle vines are huge draws for hummers. If you have a place to grow them, go for it.
If not, as advised above, any thing tubular will attract.
Especially red and orange. Pondy

Whenever we have friends/family over they will see hummingbirds in my flower gardens and comment "you should put out a hummingbird feeder". And I always think, well why? The hummingbirds are already here...LOL
I've noticed they do not appear to be very picky at all. Whatever is blooming seems to interest them. Behind my house we have several wegeilia bushes and korean lilacs and they seem to spend a lot of time there.
In my flower beds I have a wide variety of perennials: penstemon, daylily, iris, phlox; several hanging baskets with petunias, geraniums...the hummingbirds seem to like them all.
Heck, if I wear a bright colored gardening shirt they seem to like me! LOL!

A hanging basket of brightly colored impatiens has consistently attracted hummingbirds. They seem more attracted to impatiens than to petunias. They are truly fun to watch.

Yes indeed, those little bright coral impatiens - fun to watch them give each blossom a 'kiss'!!! Â:) I plant flats & flats of them in the back & front where I have shaded beds.

Of course the Buddleias (Butterfly Bush) & Lantana ... they do check out all the other perennials in my butterfly border bed!

My neighbor has a shepherd's hook with a hummer feeder right behind my perennial bed - I still see them come & swing by the flowers after leaving the red feeder!

For perennials, I've had great luck with Honeysuckle vine, Raspberry Wine Monarda and Cardinal Flower. They looove the Cardinal Flower. Those bright, scarlet red tubular flowers are a real magnet.

I no longer feed the hummers with a feeder, just naturally with plants. I got tired of them fighting over the feeder. I sometimes had 9+ trying to feed at the same time. They were not polite. It was more fun to watch a few at the honeysuckle vine. I also had an impatient oriole that would tap at the window when the feeder was empty!

It's not technically a perennial but my Nicotianas reseed like crazy and really attract hummingbirds..The best ones are Alata, "Perfect Mix" and Mutabilis.This season is weird though..I'm in St. Paul and haven't seen a single hummer yet. They usually also love the Nasturtiums. I usually have the cherry rose color..

My hummers love my coral bells, monarda, and the calabrichoa in my hanging baskets.

I still us a couple of feeders, too, they seem to like to oriole feeder better than the hummer feeder, even tho they contain the same sugar water!

Linda

Hi there, I'm new at this, and got a hummingbird feeder with the red stuff and hung it on my kitchen window. It seems in reading this that I'm going about it all wrong. I'm in Scandia MN. I'd love some tips about where to hang them, etc. I will make up some of the sugar mixture with no color, but will they come that close to the house? Can someone help a newbie get started?? Thanks so much, Becki

Becki, it is a little early to expect the hummers in Scandia just yet. I am just west of North Branch and they usually arrive here around the first week in May. With the warmer than normal spring it may be a bit earlier.

Sugar water with no coloring is best, and once they find it they will definitely come close to your house! Give them some time, it may not be that you get them right away since yours is a new food source. But they will find it in time!

Good luck!

Linda

I love checking this website every spring, and watching the hummers make their way north.

I always make sure to put in when I see them in my yard too!

Jenny P

Here is a link that might be useful: Hummingbird Migration Map

Another thing that will help attract hummers to your yard are plenty of perches near the food sources you've planted. Hummers actually spend most of their time perched when not eating.

If you prefer to garden with native plants, sticking as close to the original and not varieties/hybrids will also attract more birds. This is because originals tend to be more robust in their nectar production and sugar concentration, which hummers strongly prefer. They seem to prefer this over bloom color at times.

Another thing I've noticed is, hummers like to eat bugs.

Thank You Linda, I appreciate the knowledge and I will also get some purple petunias to hang near it. I saw another post about perches. What do they perch on? I'm really going to enjoy this spring!!! What a great resource this is ~ :)

The first hummingbird I saw this year was sipping from native columbine flowers, Aquilegia canadensis. That was after the fifteenth of May and we live in the Roseville area. We have a red honeysuckle cultivar and they seem to start showing as soon as it blooms.

My first hummingbird this spring came to the single blooming red fuchsia hanging basket on my deck.

Our hummers just love the Monarda(Bee Balm)!

Being mostly shade I have a feeder so I can enjoy these little guys. They show up at my house for Mother's day and stay all summer. I actually have them looking in my window where the feeder hangs if I am late. Last year I filled my feeder only a few times..there was a lot of activity just not a lot of drinking. This year they are emptying it every two days!! I think there are fewer than in the past but they are THIRSTY! Two years ago I knew where the nest and babies were. So fun!! We don't put bird seed out summers, we let them fend for themselves in good weather but the hummers--well they are just too fun not to watch up close!!