Lantana is a super hardy perennial that attracts butterflies in droves with tons of long lasting blooms. Hummingbirds will visit it, but mine scarcely looked it with the cypress vine right there (which I would NOT recommend planting because it's so invasive). The only down side to lantana is it looks horrible in winter, but all the care it needs is to be trimmed back in the winter. My garden mostly has the old fashion cultivars which get very big and have seeds that attract other birds as well.

There's also coral bells and bee balm, and all the salvias.

Nicole, Is bee balm invasive? I'd planted one years ago (at least that's what it had been labeled at the nursery) that spread and spread and I never did get a bloom from it. Will look up info on coral bells. Do you have a particular favorite of salvia?

a native plant that they like is lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower).
the flowers are borne on a tall, upright spike and are a beautiful red.

Here is a link that might be useful: attracts hummingbirds

I like all the salvias and there is so much variety. While they are not prolific bloomers, they can tolerate a lot of abuse and many are also fragrant. In zone 8, almost all the salvias will be perennial for you. Texas Hummingbird Sage (S. coccinea), if you can find it, is probably my favorite.

If you want to try bee balm, pick a cultivar improved for blooms. Jacob Cline, Monarda Rasberry Wine and Violet Queen are popular varieties. I have see other herbs, like bergamot and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) sold as bee balm. They attract bees and birds too, but you want Monarda didym for the most hummers and blooms. (But I think lemon balm makes the better tea.)

All herbs have the capacity to be invasive when happy and bee balm IS in the mint family. If you want to keep it in one spot, you can teach it some manners by cutting the bottom out of a plastic nursery pot (or similar) and planting the plant inside the pot, in the dirt. Leave the rim of the pot showing so the roots don't get over the top edge. This works well for plants that send out runners. Be sure the pot is deep enough -- about 12" and has no cracks or holes in the sides where the roots can escape.

One of the best hummingbird planrs I have is ruellia "rajun cajun." I have not
found it to be invasive or anything, and the hummers like the red flowers.

Salvia luecantha, or mexican bush sage, is great salvia, and gets pretty big,
buts its another hummer favorite. Easy plants if they are in a happy spot.

Greatly appreciating everyones input and the list was very useful. thanks
Anyone here ever seen hummingbirds in their yard in winter?

I am actually in n.e. MS, not far from Ala line, and have been welcomed on the Ala forum before, so I'll chime in. I have nandina planted right behind my lantana, and also Knock Out roses. When the lantana gets knocked back by frost, I cut it back, and the nandina stands out with the red berries. Not all nandina have berries, I think, and some are yellow I think, but the red ones look great. In zone 8 (where my mom lives in south MS) you can have great roses most of the time, the shrub roses and old roses not the hybrid teas. These next suggestions are not strictly considered perennials, but still. You can plant daffodils among your daylillies and the daylilly foliage covers the drying daff foliage. Also zinnias (annual but reseed) give a very long flowering period in the south. Hope your 2008 is a better year.

Black & Blue salvia is also my favorite. It has come back the past 3 years with no problem --it is SO pretty. I have several other salvias planted around, but the hummingbirds seem to prefer the B&B. They also like the hyssop plant--it is called Apricot something? I've seen it sold as agastache also. It comes back great every year.

I've had b-balm for a few years and it has never bloomed. Any tips? I have it on the deck where it gets the most sun---probably about 6-8 hrs.

I have had a bee balm clump for a couple of years that never bloomed either. I dug up some of the "babies" & moved them into the vegetable garden which gets sun almost all day & those got big & bloomed this year. I don't know if they just need LOTS of sun or if the dirt was just better, less clay( I did fertilize it more, with the veggies)

A good blooming, low maintenance perennial for me has been gaura. It blooms most of the summer & into the fall, especially if you give it another dose of fertilizer after the first large bloom. Butterflies and hummingbirds have visited it but not like they do lantana and the black-and-blue salvia I have nearby. Another low-growing perennial I tried this year was Walker's Low Catmint. It was still green at Thanksgiving. It spread into a nice large clump & has small purplish-blue flowers. It is not invasive like the other mints and catmints. I believe some group named it 'perennial of the year' for 2007. I'll definitely buy more of it where I need something low growing and hardy in summer.