I have a hummingbird in my garden now. He likes the red beebalm the most.

coral honeysuckle
salvia black and blue green and blue
agastache tutti frutti or lady in red

Salvia guaranitica the species as well as the cultivar Black and Blue
Salvia greggii 'Cherry Chief
Cuphea ignea 'David Verity'

Salvia guarantica - black and blue salvia
Bee balm - Jacob Cline
Gold Flame honeysuckle

I have only one plant to suggest and it is one no one else has mentioned. Among my neighbor and I we have all the plants mentioned by others. The one the hummers head for most is our coral bells. When they are in bloom they ignore most of the other plants and head straight for the coral bells. It might help that we have many very mature plants.

1. Salvia Black and Blue (not blooming well now)
2. Coral Honeysuckle (heat? what heat?)
3. Third place a tie: Cigar Plant, Autum Sage, Lipstick Salvia (all blooming well in high temps)

My favorite nusery has Mexican fire plant, that supposedly thrives in hight temps. Think I'll try one. Anone have it?

Trumpet creeper
Coral Honeysuckle
Bee Balm

Agastache mexicana "Salmon & Pink"; unfortunately not a perennial in my garden
Ipomoea quamoclit, Cypress Vine
Ipomoea coccinea "Orange Noah"; strangly, I've been trying to get rid of it for years, even though the hummers ADORE it. HEAVY reseeder.

Rob,
When you say Mexican Fire plant are you referring to Mexican Fire Bush aka Scarlet Firebush, aka Hamelia patens? If so yes I have two of them and when they bloom here in my yard in NY, they are used a lot. The problem is that up here in NY they don't bloom until later in the season.

Penny

Yes, I meant to say Mexican Fire Bush. Thanks Penny. I saw the plant at a nursery last weekend. The label said that the hotter the weather, the more it blooms. In zone 9 it should thrive. The plants were locally grown and blooming.

MY three choices would be....salvia,bee balm, and cannas.

1) Lonicera x heckrottii 'Goldflame'
2) Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'
3) Pentas lanceolata

Honorable mention to ipomoea quamoclit too!

Bee balm
Agastache
Columbine

Rob,
I stopped by Lowe's on Friday and was surprised to see at least a half dozen Hamelia patens. I don't think that they will sell many as people here don't know what they are. I am going to watch for them to be marked down and try to pick up a third at a good price. Right now they are $20. The two that I have I started from seed 3 years ago. They should do very well for you in Texas. Mine are in large pots on my blacktop driveway so that they can absorb as much heat as possible especially this year since we are not having much summer weather at all. If you haven't already gotten one go for it!
Penny

Thanks Penny. I have a Lowes three blocks away. I'll look for it. I really need heat tolerant plants that can bloom July and August in high temps.

Sadly, my B&B are struggling with heat and ants and not blooming well. My hummers keep hunting around in their folage for blooms. I'm tempted to bring them inside for a while. I envy your mild summers in NY.

Rob have you tried Stachys coccinea (Texas Betony)? It is native to southwest Tecas, NM and AZ and a good hummer plant. Also Red Yucca (Hesperaloe Parviflora) Penstemon barbatus coccinea and Penstemon murrayanus should do just as well. I believe P. murrayanus is an Okla. native plant. I have all of these growing in full sun from about 9:30 in the morning until nearly sundown with very little water. B&B struggles even here if we have a hot summer. This isn't one of those summers unfortunately. I am probably the oddball 'cuz I miss the heat and humidity after growing up in La.

Penny

A favorite of my hummers which hasn't been listed is Lobelia cardinalis. 'Black & Blue' and 'Lady in Red' are #2 & #3.

I have tried to grow cardinal flower from seed without much success, but I have tried.

I just sprinkle the seed on the surface of the soil where it is to grow and water water water and water some more. Lobelia cardinalis LOVES water. Probably not the best plant for folks in the southwest.
Penny

1) Red bee balm
2) Trumpet creeper
3) Fuschia (garden meister if possible) - they're treated as annuals where I live, but they blooms the whole season long, and the hummers love them

Hummingbird Mint, aka Wild Hyssop
Salvia
Wild Columbine

Their 3 favorites growing in the Hummingbird garden, but I'm sure there are lots of others too -

Monarda didyma - red Bee Balm and cultivars like 'Raspberry Wine'
Lobelia cardinalis - Cardinal flower
'Yvonne's Salvia' (cultivar of Salvia splendens)

Mine would be

Salvia = Black & Blue (its a favorite of theirs here in WI)
Red Wave Peutnia's
Fuschia

PS: Next year I'm getting some Red Cardinal. I bet they would love them.

Also, the Foxglove they just love. Which surprised me because I thought they were toxic. Maybe just the leaves are toxic if digested by humans.

Thanks again Penny for the suggestions. They are on my list to look for. If it's here in SA, Rainbow Gardens will have it. They have eight acres for me to wander through.

Was it you that mentioned Cuphea? I bought a Bat Faced Cuphea. I bought it because I liked the bat faces with big red ears blooms. LOL It's delicate looking and thriving in the heat. The hummers like it to.

I can't list three. I will give one David 'verity'.

They love shrimp plant Justicia brandegeana here. Red

Rob yes some cupheas are very good hummer plants. The first one I every had was the Batfaced Cuphea (Cuphea llaviea). Mimidi mention Cughea ignea 'David Verity' and that one is even better than the Bat Faced Cuphea.

Penny