Ten Red Perennial Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds

Red perennial flowers have bright petals attract attention from humans and hummingbirds alike. These tiny, fascinating birds are not only beautiful to watch, but they also pollinate thousands of plant species. Attracting hummingbirds to your garden is a lot easier than you might think.

Hummingbirds live on a diet consisting mostly of flower nectar, though they also rely on small insects and spiders for protein. While there are many varieties of flowering perennials that hummingbirds find attractive, they especially love red flowers.

Ten Common Red Flowering Perennials

1. Coral Bells (Heuchera sanguinea 'Bressingham Hybrids'): tiny bell-like flowers that bloom late May through  July
2. Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis): tall spikes of bright red flowers, August through September
3. Red Hot Poker or Torch Lily (Kniphofia uvaria): flower spikes above grass-like foliage, July through August
4. Red Beebalm (Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline'): Aromatic with dense terminal clusters of flowers, June through July
5. Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans): vigorous climbing vine with clusters of trumpet-shaped blooms, July through September
6. Crocosmia (Montbretia): clump-forming plant with sword-shaped foliage and tubular, one-sided flowers, June to August
7. Penstemon (Penstemon): spiky flowers with green foliage, June through September
8. 'Cambridge' Beard Tongue, aka Rondo (Penstemon barbatus 'Cambridge'): spiky flowers, late June through July
9. Maltese Cross (Lychnis chalcedonica): clusters of flowers on tall stems, early summer
10. Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadense): spurred flowers with attractive foliage resembling a maidenhair fern, May and June   

Plant flowering perennials in the ground, in containers or in hanging baskets to attract hummingbirds to a garden of any size. Hanging baskets and flowering vines, such as the Trumpet Vine, offer a nice way to enjoy hummingbirds from indoors. Hang a basket in front of a window and allow a vine to grow along the frame on an outside wall.

Avoid chemical insecticides on your perennials, as they will not only kill the insects and spiders that hummingbirds eat, but can also contaminate the nectar and make the birds ill.

Once a hummingbird has found its way to your garden, it will likely return.  Hummingbirds are territorial and will defend their favorite resting spots.