Absolutely coral honeysuckle. It blooms heavily in the spring and then intermittently throughout the summer and early fall. Think their second choice in my yard is butterly bush-we have yellow, purple and lavender but they seem to prefer the yellow.

That annual red salvia that reseeds everywhere is very popular, along with coral honeysuckle. The cardinal and cypress vines are just starting to flower. They really like those, too.

For me, mine have been in "LOVE" with the Fire Spike and the Shrimp Plant......They will eat at feeder and then stop by these (2) plants b4 leaving. Will let you know if I see them at something else.

There are many number ones that I dont have, I planted coral honeysuckle late in the season but has flowered and the hummers have found it but we have had some extreme weather that has deflowered those. But by far this year the number one in my yard is guaranitica black and blue followed by lady in red, both of these still flowering and spiking and will till it frosts. Next year CH may give them a run but I doubt it.

I'm with hummersteve...the best plant in my yard is Salvia Black and Blue. I also have honeysuckle Dropmore scarlet which is also great but I see them more at the salvia! They also loved the Cardinal vine and Salvia Lady in Red.

Hi! New to gardenweb. My personal preference is cypress vine. I go out each morning and count 10 to 15 hummers flittering around my cypress vines, Let me tell you they do not miss one little red flower. lol. I keep them corraled(cypress vines) so I have no worries with evading other plants. I have posted one of my vines in the photo gallery I hope it works.

I mentioned this in another recent post, but the hummers in my 'hood frequently feed at both a pineapple sage that's in bloom and a bog sage. I have a Jacobinia (or Justicia - there's some confusion there. It's related to the shrimp plant, but has pink plumes opening out of a central, pinecone-like bud) that is just starting to flower (it was obtained late in the season), and I'm curious to see if they go for it.

Tough to pick one, so I'll say 2; cypress vine & Yvonne's salvia:

I live in southeast Michigan and the hummers love the Jacob Cline Monarda, but this year the powdery mildew took hold and had to cut them to the ground. Left me scrambling to get new hummingbird plants. They seem to really like the cardinal flowers and the salvia black and blue. Just wondering if there is any way to overwinter it here in Michigan? Every now and then I still see them hovering over where the monarda's were, there about 1 1/2 foot now, so not sure if they will rebloom or not.

The one and only hummer I did see was on my red bee balm , so that would be my plant of choice;0)

We are in the desert of Nv, Las Vegas high desert. The most favs of my hummers are the lady in red salvia, followed by a red star flower. sorry I don't know the botanical names. I looked for a black and blue salvia and couldn't find it here, so it probably doesn't do well here. I also have red bottle brush bushes which they frequent in bloom. Seems they love red, have also bit feeded at the purple salvia a bit. We have had the smoke from Cali fires come in big time today, the hummers seemed to sense this and made themselves scarce the last few days. It has been so smokey it looks like clouds and ash is falling. I hope the poor little ones have made shade as it is so overpowering today. I will report as it was so eveident today. Love these little guys, new to watching them in NV, have a lady who visits every morning . Barb

1. Cardinal vine which is an annual peaks in late
august to September with many trumpet red blooms, it
climbs and does well in sun. Will have many seeds to
share. 2. Butterfly bush/Budelaie Davida. 3. Verbena
Bonaresis. 4. Red Canus

My Hummer (1) loves the Penstemon and Dragon Flower early in the summer. That's when she starts to show up. Her #1 favorite is the Lobelia (Cardinal Flower), and two other popular plants are Agastache, and Nepeta . She also likes Monarda, Dropmore and Goldflame Honeysuckles, Salvia Guarantica, Crocosmia Lucifer, Cypress vine, Cardinal climber, Ipomopsis, Potter's Purple Buddleia (not interested in the the yellow one), Pentas, red Salvia, and Rose of Sharon. She seems to have no interest in the Trumpet Vine or the Mexican Sage, and the Kniphofia blooms before she comes around.

I was rather amazed when I noticed both hummingbirds and butterflies flocking to my Dahlia coccinea palmeri. They seem to love this flower the best. Also, hummers like my Salvia coccinea 'Lady in Red.'

I planted Cardinal Lobelia for the first time this season and it was the first plant I saw a hummer on, other than the fuchsia.
Cannas have drawn rubythroats whenever I've had them.
The Butterfly Bush is a good all around attractant. They nectar on it and perch on it and the butterflies it brings in are a bonus.

Buddleia davidii is considered an invasive plant in many eastern and southern states, so please be sure to check before planting it.

Hummingbirds here, go for the Silene regia, Lobelia cardinalis, Penstemon digitalis, Monarda fistulosa and Lonicera prolifera in our yard.

Some hummer favorites in my garden:

1. Salvia guaranitica (I also had the Black and Blue form of this, but I preferred the plain old guaranitica, and I think the hummers did, too. Both are excellent hummer flowers).
2. Aquilegia canadensis -- A real favorite this spring
3. Monarda didyma -- I've had Gardenview Scarlet and Jacob Cline (Kline?). Both were excellent hummer flowers, but if you don't have the right conditions, they can be a problem to grow because of mildew.
4. Ipomoea luteola -- a small reddish orange morning glory with yellow centers. Hummers were crazy for it.
5. Ipomoea quamoclit (Cypress Vine) and also Ipomoea x multifida (Cardinal Climber).
6. Manettia bicolor (Candy Corn Vine) My biggest surprise hit of the season. The hummers were all over it. Very easy to grow, too.
7. Lonicera sempervirens "Alabama Crimson" is the one I have.

There were several more plants that got used, but I think these were the real standouts. The Salvia guaranitica, especially, was a great hummer magnet.

kristin_williams, did you grow the Manettia bicolor from seed?

Thanks
Linda

Without a doubt, Agastache. I have penstemons, trumpet vines, lots of salvias but I don't think I've ever glanced over at the Agastache "Ava" without seeing a hummer on it.

For this year in my garden the undisputed champion hummer attractor was Salvia splendens, Yvonne's Salvia. Ipomopsis rubra was a close second and Thunbergia alata and Red Limbo petunias have seen a lot of action.

Folks,
I recon I'm lucky. Not many things I plant don't attract hummers. The one I enjoy most of all is the torch sunflower when it is green and in bloom. My hummers love it. It doesn't take the August TX heat real well though. Maybe it would do great there in VA. Others I like and that draw them in are any salvia, pentas, flame acanthus, butterfly bushes, cardinal climbers, 4 oclocks, coral honeysuckle (as said before)and any cigar plant.

MP

My hummers really liked the salvia coccinea-lady in red. This is the first year I've tried it and it performed well in my garden despite long, hot, dry spells. In fact, it is still performing in Mid-October in Ohio despite two light frosts. Unfortunately the hummers are no longer here to enjoy it. The perennial favorites are Old fashioned Red Monarda (I grow it despite the mildew problem because hummer's like it so much), and Trumpet Vine.

This year (2016) these were some of the Hummer's favorite plants. Most I either grow from seeds, buy from Online website called "Flower's by the Sea" at www.fbts.com ) great place to buy plants but you have to place order by Feb. as they sell out fast. Plants are we well rooted, some blooming already. Never had any problems with disease or pests. Great customer service & staff. I will buy locally if I can find the plants I am looking for & trying to buy local native plants as some plants do not do well with the heat & humidity here in Tx.. I live now in Denton, Tx -zone 8. When I live in Lincolnton, N.C. we had a Hummingbird haven with a larger yard & sunny growing areas. The sun & drought in N.C. was not as harsh as it is in Tx.- In Tx we have the Ruby-Throated & the Black-Chinned Hummer's & they have different taste. They also prefer the plants over the feeder's & are very nervous birds. In N.C. we only had the Ruby-Throated ones; they love the feeder's, our plants & were more tame. We had 20-30 birds B4 migration in N.C. year- 2006 B4 we left. Here in Tx we started with 1-2 birds in Spring 2013 & now this yr.(2016) counting the juvenile's of both types & adults we had about 8-10 birds, We also had waves of different birds 3 times b4 all left as of Oct. 19th. TEXAS PLANTS- I grow from seeds each yr are Cypress Vines & Mexican Sunflowers. Our Cypress Vines we trained to grow this year up a metal stake & bamboo up the mature trees in the backyard & they reached a height of 20-30 ft. & laid like a blanket among the trees giving the hummer's a drapery of vines to spend a lot of time going to each flower. The birds also loved the Zinnia- single flower tall plants but I ran out of room (this yr. 2016). Our Salvia favorites were- Salvia guarantica 'Black & Blue', Suncrest Bright Eyes (Autumn Sage) Spring & Fall flowering due to our heat, Amistad, Lipstick(Salvia greggi) was just added this yr., , Salvia greggii 'Cherry Chief'- big hit this Spring thru Fall, Hot Lips Salvia is a great early Spring plant but stops blooming during the heat of our summer's reblooms in the fall when it cools off, 'Lady in Red' tolerates our heat if watered & could be grown in window boxes as it is a shorter plant, Love & Wishes & Ember's Wish I usually grow as annual's but did come back this yr. because of our mild winter (2015),. Heatwave Blaze Salvia was added this yr. but was only visited by juvenile's & late traveling birds (not our regular adults), Purple Dwarf (Salvia Leucantha) is great for Fall, Pineapple Sage(Salvia elegans) is good for fall blooming., Danielle's Dream(Salvia leucantha) was just tried this yr. suppose to bloom in the summer-fall but mine did not start until fall. NONE SALVIA PLANTS--- were Cuphea x 'David Verity' also called (Cigar plant), Anisacanthus quadrifidus v. wrightii / Hummingbird Bush or Texas Firecracker Bush, Compact Hamelian patens also called ( 'Compact Fire Bush') may be just an annual where I live as growing zone is 8-9 (nectar did not come in until fall but was covered with blooms all Spring-Frost. If we have snow or ice this winter it may not come back & I also here it is very slow to start putting our leaves as it will die back to the ground, so do not dig up too early thinking it is dead unless never comes back, Kniphofia both the Mango Popsicle & Redhot Popsicle also known as 'Poker plants' are perennial plants, Turks' Cap (red or pink colored blooms), 'Major Wheeler Honeysuckle Vine, Red Lantana(Shrub Verbena), Trumpet Vine's (non-invasive type's) also called Campsis Radicans grow both well in N.C. & Tx. 'Indian Summer' is a non-invasive type & can be bought On-line. Weeping Bottlebush grows well in Tx & does not have the thorns. The other tall varieties do well & draw the hummer's but have thorns. Red Columbine is a Native Spring plant for Tx, our white flowered Abelia Shrub that I was going to have my husband remove was a huge hit this year (2016) with the juvenile's that were trying every plant for the 1st time & they seem to go to it everyday for about 5 days b4 they left. We had never seen anything go to it b4. PLANTS IN N.C.- We had Blueberry Bushes & Prairifire Crabapple Tree which helped attract the birds in early Spring as that is when the tree/shrubs flowered, we also grew Hosta plants with the purple flowers & these were the old fashioned type. I cannot grow the hosta plants here in Tx. The Phlox grew in N.C. (but does not do well in Tx), Fushia plants were grown in hanging baskets, Buddleia davidii 'Black Knight' did well in N.C. but has died twice in Tx even in a large pot where I can control amount of water, light & soil but was a popular plant in N.C. by the butterflies & hummer's. Lochroma plants as annuals in large pots, Red Bee Balm (but buy mildew resistant ones), Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph' was popular in N.C. but not in Tx. Foxgloves did well in a part-shade/part-sun in the garden in N.C. for Spring flower's but I have not tried growing them yet in Tx. Old-Fashion Camelia evergreen plants attract hummingbirds & grew well in N.C. We also had mature red & hot pink azalea shrubs , many trees for perching, shade, lichen & nest areas & a lot more of wide-open areas for flying. In Tx we do have plenty of small bugs which the hummers do eat esp. when 1st arriving in Spring to get into mating condition & again in the fall to gain weight. We do not spray our yard for insects because of the poisons that I do not want the birds to ingest. So our gardening in the different states is greatly different. We do not have the room for succlents & cactus but may if we move to the County farther out from the city.