Plant Your Own Hummingbird-friendly Garden
Top Tips from the Pros at Monrovia™
May 2026 Issue
Information provided by Monrovia
For many gardeners, the goal for their landscape is to create a productive space that is both beautiful and teeming with life.
Many people these days are planting to attract butterflies,
bees, and other pollinators.
The process of creating a pollinator-friendly garden
puts us more in touch with nature and can
expand our connection to the garden.
“Attracting pollinators is a design trend that just continues to grow and expand,” says Katie Tamony, plant expert and trend spotter for Monrovia, the nation’s largest grower of premium shrubs, perennials, and trees. “We are seeing increased interest in attracting hummingbirds to the garden. Some are even calling it the next glamour animal—the pollinator they feel most connected to, the one that stops them in their tracks when they encounter it in the garden.”
Hummingbirds bring an undeniable magic to the garden. Whether you’re creating a full-scale meadow, small garden space or planting in a container, choosing the right nectar-rich plants, is key to creating a hummingbird haven in your yard. Hummingbird-friendly spaces also focus on layers of color, loads of blooms, and a sense of movement.
Hummingbirds thrive in gardens with reliable sources of nectar. Understanding how they move through the garden in search of nectar-rich plants offers insight into designing a space they’ll love.
Here are 4 Tips for Designing a
Hummingbird-Friendly Garden:
1. Think in Layers
Hummingbirds move through a garden the way we move through a house: Some spaces are for feeding; some are for resting; and some are transitional. When you include plants at various heights, you naturally create these zones.
Tall shrubs and trees give hummingbirds places to survey the garden, preen, and rest. Mid-sized perennials supply consistent nectar right at feeding height. Low-growing plants cover the ground and support short hover-feeding sessions. A garden built with layers feels immersive rather than sparse, and that richness is as appealing to hummingbirds as it is to humans.
Layers of Penstemon and Salvia offer plentiful nectar and bold color that’s easy for hummingbirds to find.
2. Aim for a Continuous Bloom from Spring to Fall
If hummingbirds find a good nectar source, they’ll keep coming back to check it. A garden that offers new flowers every few weeks is like a reliable café on their daily route. Plus, hummingbirds are migratory, so when they arrive in your area depends on your location. In the southern U.S., you might spot them as early as February, while northern regions typically see hummingbirds arrive in April or May. Planting a garden that blooms throughout the warm season will ensure that you’re providing food from their arrival until their fall migration.
Early in the season, plants like Peaches and Cream Honeysuckle, Kirigami™ Columbine, and Summertime Blues™ Chaste Tree offer a nectar kickstart for hummingbirds just arriving from their long journey. 
Kirigami™ Red & White
columbine offers nectar to hummingbirds early spring through early summer.
Summer bloomers like Summerlong™ Coral Agastache and Poco™ Red Hot Poker keep the party going, while late-season bloomers like Stoplights Red Yucca provide fuel for the journey south.
For gardeners in cold climates, treating some warm-zone hummingbird-attracting perennials as annuals or planting in containers can help extend the bloom season.
Monrovia’s plant varieties are especially reliable: Many are selected or bred for extended bloom windows, vigorous growth, and strong flower production. By mixing early-, mid-, and late-season bloomers, you create a continuous buffet that hummingbirds can count on.
3. Use Color and Movement to Catch Their Eye
While hummingbirds might investigate almost any flower, bold colors like reds, oranges, hot pinks, and deep purples stand out the most. Bright blooms help hummingbirds quickly assess where to feed, and movement plays an equally important role.
Airy perennials and ornamental grasses sway with even the slightest breeze, creating visual cues that help hummingbirds navigate safely. Color draws them in, but motion makes the space feel alive.
The cool purples of Cobalt Millennium Allium and
Blue Jean Baby Russian Sage offer a colorful contrast to the hot reds and oranges of Dark Fire Montbretia.
4. Give Them Flight Corridors
Hummingbirds are agile in tight spaces, but they still prefer clear lines of travel between food sources. Grouping plants in loose clusters of three to five creates a more noticeable feeding station than single plants scattered around. Clusters also allow hummingbirds to feed efficiently, allowing them to visit multiple blooms without burning unnecessary energy.
Space groupings so hummingbirds can swoop, arc, and retreat easily. A garden with intentional airspace feels more natural and more enticing.
Beautiful additional options Include:
Containers, Small Spaces,
and Hanging Gardens for Hummingbirds
Big garden or small, hummingbirds don’t discriminate. What they respond to is color and the promise of nectar. If you’re working with a patio, balcony, or small courtyard, you can still build an irresistible nectar oasis.
Containers
A waterwise container with Red Wing Mangave, Poco™ Orange Hot Poker, and Hot Blooded® Lantana is tucked into a border with Russian sage, bringing bright color and nectar for hummingbirds.
Containers bring flowers to the perfect place for up-close viewing, especially when situated near seating areas, windows, or entryways. You can enjoy the show all season!
A simple formula works beautifully here and is as easy as 1-2-3:
1. Select a tall, nectar-rich focal plant like weigela, fuchsia, cuphea, or a trellised honeysuckle).
2. Surround it with long-blooming fillers—think agastache, salvia, or penstemon.
3. Finish with spillers that trail over the pot’s edge, such as lantana or calibrachoa.
Small Spaces
Colorita® Eliane® Peruvian Lily, Angelina Stonecrop, Chapel Hill Yellow Lantana, and Goldflame Honeysuckle make a big, vertical impact with colorful flowers full of nectar for hummingbirds.
In tight spaces, verticality is your best bet for maximizing your space. A trellis with honeysuckle (like Goldflame Honeysuckle pictured on a trellis here), an upright salvia like VIBE® Ignition in a corner container, or layered pots grouped together can all act as magnet zones for hummingbirds.
Clustered containers create dense, layered pockets of nectar-rich blooms that hummingbirds read as food-rich opportunities. Even a slim, balcony railing planter with cuphea or trailing lantana can become a busy feeding zone.
Hanging Baskets
Confetti® Spreading Lantana has a spreading habit that looks gorgeous in a hanging basket.
Hanging baskets naturally position blooms right where hummingbirds want them. Lantana, cuphea, and mandevilla make exceptional choices because they’re easy for hummingbirds to access and stay in bloom for long stretches. The key is placement. Choose hangers where birds won’t collide with windows and where you can easily keep an eye on the frequent feedings.
Visit Monrovia.com for more information on these and other hummingbird attracting selections. Our recent Landscape Project Guide also features a stunning Hummingbird Oasis garden plan.