Agastache (Hummingbird Mint)   I have never grown an agastache that our ruby-throats haven’t loved, but they do seem to prefer the xeric southwestern U.S. species and hybrids of A. cana, A. mexicana, A. aurantiaca, and A. barberi to name a few. (North American ssp. seem to be frequented more often by bees and butterflies. )Some of our favorite hybrids of these species are ‘Firebird’, which bears many orange-salmon flowers on 24 – 36 inch tall plants. Other favorites include ‘Tutti Frutti’, a long blooming hybrid with lavender pink flowers over much of the summer. ‘Apricot Sprite’, hybridized by Richard Dufresne, is packed with tubular golden orange flowers.  I can’t think of a more lovely or entertaining patio container than one packed with agastache, visited by nectar hungry hummingbirds. For culture and listings see our ‘Tropicals/Annuals’ and ‘Sun Perennials’ pages for a variety of agastache that grow well in hot and humid summer climates.
     
Salvia    I especially covet those salvias in their peak bloom period in August & September, when our ruby throats are off the nest and fattening up on insects and nectar for their trip back to their wintering grounds in Mexico and Costa Rica. Favorites include: ‘Faye Chapel’, Salvia guaranitica ‘Blue Ensign’, ‘Scarlet Spires’, Salvia splendens‘Paul’, ‘Caribbean Coral’, and ‘Whopper Lighthouse’ , Salvia ‘Hot Lips’, and Salvia coccinea. This past summer (2009), our ruby throats started their migration in early September, so the best of the later autumn blooming salvias (S. leucantha, S. elegans, S. greggii) had fewer visitors, although they are spectacularly beautiful and hummers do love them.

Abutilon (Flowering Maple)   Great for shaded to part sun areas, and most notably in containers. The red and orange-red flowering varieties, especially ‘Clementine’ and ‘Bernard Schwartz’, are visited most frequently.  Watch your hummers dip into an abutilon flower. Instead of entering through the center zone of the flower, they take a shortcut, dipping inside the calyces on the outside of the petals to reach the nectaries.

Cuphea    Powerful hummer bait here. Cupheas are native to Central America and South America, big time hummer hang outs and native habitat. Our favorite, and a Plants of Merit introduction (plantsofmerit.org) from the Missouri Botanical Garden, is ‘David Verity’. Equally at home in ground beds or containers, it is continuously in bloom, and thrives in heat and humidity. The blooms are tubular and orangey-red, a hummer’s dream.  New this year is Cuphea schumannii, with large orange cigars with outrageous purple eyelash fringe. Other favorites are Cuphea ignea ‘Matchless’, Cuphea laevis ‘Starbrite’, and Cuphea micropetala.

Fuchsia   I was reluctant to list fuchsias only because they don’t tend to flower well in our hot and humid Midwestern summer climate. However, ‘Cascading Angel Earrings’ is heat tolerant, and a favorite of our ruby throats. ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’ has a long period of bloom in spring to midsummer also.  If you’re lucky enough to live in a cooler summer climate, or at least where night temperatures cool significantly, there are a number of beautiful fuchsias and specialty nurseries to be found.

Hamelia (Mexican Fire Bush)    Tubular orange flowers grace this woody subtropical throughout summer, most notably in August and September when our ruby throats are most active. The lovely, glossy green leaves turn spectacular shades of red and orange as night temperatures cool down in late summer. A Plants of Merit (plantsofmerit.org) selection from the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Another great selection of the species is Hamelia ‘Dwarf Red’, with a more compact habit and a longer bloom season.  Both love heat, humidity and sun!

Justicia (Shrimp Plant)    Mexico, and Central and South America, habitat to hummingbirds, is also home to many justicia species.  They are free bloomers, perfect for containers or bedding, and I would suggest any of them as top rate hummingbird bait. My favorite is J. brandegeana, crowned in orange-red tubular flowers with white petals, adaptable from full sun to filtered shade. Probably one of the best is Justicia carnea, with large pink flowers that bloom in cycles during the growing season. Pachystachys lutea, a shrimp with yellow blooms, is another great attractor and ideal container plant.

Leonotis    I grow Leonotis leonurus and the hummers adore it. My friend, Horti, insists L. nepetifolia is the best, being a shorter species than  L. leonurus. Both species self sow and peak in bloom in late summer and fall, when hummers appreciate them the most. L. leonurus adds a wonderful vertical element to borders, very exotic looking.

Manettia inflata ‘John Elsley’  This little known vine is a superb ornamental that erupts into ‘firecracker’ red blooms in mid to late summer and autumn when hummers are most actively seeking nectar.

Native North American perennials   I couldn’t in all honesty list only tropicals, since ruby throats depend on our native perennials for a summer and autumn nectar source while breeding in the north.  I would certainly include Aquilegia canadensis, our beautiful native columbine, and Lonicera sempervirens (Trumpet Honeysuckle) as a spring nectar source. For summer, you will need Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower), Monarda ‘Jacob Cline’,  Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed), or any of the wonderful native penstemons. Silene regia ‘Prairie Fire’ is superb, as are the dinner plate sized blooms of Hibiscus moschuetos cultivars and the large flower panicles of our native Phlox paniculata, most notably ‘Robert Poore’.  Non native perennials that hummers adore include Centranthus ruber (Jupiter’s Beard), Kniphofia (Torch Lily), Heuchera sanguinea (Coral Bells), Nepeta (Catmint), Salvia nemerosa cultivars, and Stachys superba (Betony).

Stachytarpheta spp.  I have grown two species.  S. jamaicensis is the most available, and there are several forms in interesting colors that hummingbirds dote on, S. jamaicensis ‘Red Compacta’, and a purple flowering form that the Humnet-ers swear by. (www.hummingbirds.net). S. mutabilis ‘Coral’ is another good one.

Canna    Favorites appear to be species- type cannas, notably with red flowers. At the top of the list of cannas to grow for hummingbirds I would include Canna glauca ‘Firecracker’, Canna ‘Robert Kent’ and Canna iridiflora ‘Ehemanni’.