Annuals - coccinea and subrotunda. The list of shrubby and dieback perennials is extremely long: guaranitica, involucrata, dichlamys, greggii & microphylla and their hybrids, leucantha, pineapple sage, and various other hybrids. The thing they have in common is they are all new world salvia and products of co-evolution with hummingbirds.

In North Carolina, guaraniticas rank first, followed by the involucratas/puberulas. Any Salvia in the midst of robust bloom is favored, with new world sages favoring those of theold world. The involucrata/puberula sages are supposed to be tops in the San Francisco - Bay area, but that is old news.

I have found that S. guaranitica and S. coccinea are excellent throughout the US. Many other larger-flowered new-world salvias are excellent as well. It is one thing for a salvia to be attractive to hummers, and another for a salvia to flower well and grow well in your climate, so the best hummingbird flowers are a combination of the two. That is why guaraniticas and coccinea are both great- they bloom a long time and grow well almost anywhere with a reasonably long and warm summer.

I am a little surprised to see that Indigo Spires and S. chiapensis work well. I have found them to be only a moderately used by hummingbirds. I certainly wouldn't list them among the best, in my experience.

In Mexico and the Big Bend National Park the Lucifer hummingbird pollinates S. Regla. Ruby Throats go for
my S.greggii, S.microphylla and their hybrids.
Art

The hummers sit in the top of our willow tree where they can look at all the gardens and decide where to dine!

The butterfly garden has mass plantings of 'Caradonna', 'Marcus' and red greggii. I added 'Purple Majesty' last fall. It wintered fine, but even with this rain, doesn't seem happy with the sun. I may have to move it to more moisture and partial shade?

The front meadow garden has greggii 'Dark Dancer' and guarantica 'Black & Blue'.

The front path garden has greggii 'Cherry Queen' and 'Black & Blue'.

The sundial bed has more 'Black & Blue'.

The cottage garden has greggii 'Diane', 'Texas Wedding' and one just called autumn sage (rose pink) and a mass planting of 'Black & Blue'.

The fragrance garden was recently planted with more 'Dark Dancer' and a few short purple greggii (can't remember the names right now) and more of the rose pink that BB in Sanford calls autumn sage. I have a big planter with 'Indigo Spires' as the focal point.

1st to bloom are the greggii in my garden. There always seems to be a hummer on 'Dark Dancer' but that may be because I can see that one so clearly from sitting on my front porch.

Then, the guarantica 'Black & Blue' blooms and I have those massed in so many places across the gardens because it's such a hummer favorite all summer long.

Cameron

PS Agastache, nepeta and monarda are also throughout my gardens. Hummers like those, but will always go to the salvia first.

Salvia miniata is a sparse bloomer for me but the hummingbirds always seem to visit it first when in bloom. Other than that, in my NC garden S. guaranitica is foremost, as Richard said.

I have a really hard time finding different varieties of Salvia here in WI but the past two years I did find Black and Blue and the hummers just can't get enough.

I tried to overwinter one from last year but it didn't work. But after I dug the plant I mulched everything in my garden and a black and blue came back!

I've had best success with S. clevelandii and S. spathacea. They haven't paid much attention to my S. leucantha, but elsewhere I've seen them (esp. Costa's) defend large plantings of S. leucantha.

Here in Indy it seems its the guaranitica, coccinia and subrotunda.

Monica - I bet you were surprised to see your Black and Blue coming up, especially in zone 4. What did you mulch with and how deep? I moved a shrub once (calycantha) and it died after I moved it but there must've been a piece of the root left where I moved it from because it returned in the old spot the next spring.
Ok - Sorry to stray off topic. My species guaranitica gets the most hummingbird action in my yard. I'm having trouble getting Black and Blue established so it's hard to compare. It was getting lots of visits too but so far it seems like they like the species better. Coccinea is probably next.

Last year #1 was Salvia greggii 'Cherry Chief' #2 was Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue followed by the coccineas and subrotunda. This year they still aren't using the flowers yet so the jury is still out but in all probability it will be the same.

Penny

For me last year it was #1 guaranitica and blue ensign in particular battling it out for a hot #2 agastache tutti frutti,, also loved are coccinias lady in red , coral nymph etc. also subrotunda. Another plant[native I assume] that is very hot since It has simply exploded since getting past the aphid attack and that fact hasnt gone unnoticed by my rubythroats.

Sorry the plant I was describing in my previous post was coral honeysuckle. Sometimes I stray.