Hummingbird Plants

Hummingbirds feed from tubular and brush-shaped flowers, and this list covers both halves of the year. The aloes carry the winter: each throws a spike of narrow red, orange or yellow flowers held clear of the foliage when very little else in a California yard is blooming, which is when Anna's hummingbirds need nectar most. The shrubs, perennials and vines carry the warm months, with kangaroo paw, agapanthus, butterfly bush, bottlebrush, desert willow, bougainvillea and trumpet vine blooming from spring into fall.

Bloom time is listed on every product page, so you can pair a winter aloe with a summer shrub and keep something in flower most of the year. Plant them where you will actually see the birds, since a flower spike behind the garage is wasted. Water needs differ across the list: the aloes and most of the shrubs are drought tolerant once established, while azaleas and camellias want regular water and some shade, so check the sun and water ratings on each page before you group them.
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Grown by California nurseriesAloe, kangaroo paw and manzanita1 gallon to 48 inch containers
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Common uses

Where the plants on this page usually go, and what to browse next.

A winter nectar source

Aloe and tree aloe bloom from late fall into early spring, giving hummingbirds a nectar source when almost nothing else in a California yard is flowering.

Aloe

A window you watch often

Placing a hummingbird plant where you actually spend time, near a kitchen window or a patio chair, makes the birds it draws something you notice instead of missing entirely.

Plants for Pots and Containers

A low water hummingbird bed

Kangaroo paw, agapanthus and manzanita all draw hummingbirds while needing very little water once established, fitting the same low water profile as the rest of a xeriscape planting.

Xeriscape Plants

A part shade flowering bed

Azalea brings hummingbird color to a part shade bed that gets regular water, pairing well with other shade tolerant shrubs rather than the drought tolerant plants on this page.

Shade Plants

Hummingbird Plants Buying Guide

How to choose, what to check before you order, and how plant orders are delivered.

Hummingbird plants are species with tubular, funnel or bell shaped flowers that hold nectar a hummingbird's beak and tongue can reach, and pairing plants with different bloom times keeps that nectar available across more of the year. Aloe and tree aloe carry the coldest months, throwing flower spikes when little else in a California yard is blooming. Kangaroo paw and agapanthus bloom in the warmer months, manzanita blooms in winter and early spring, and azalea adds color in part shade during spring. Milkweed draws hummingbirds too, though it is better known as monarch butterfly food.

Aloe and tree aloe for winter color

Aloe and tree aloe carry hummingbird color through the coldest months, when Anna's hummingbirds are still active across most of California but very little else is in bloom. Flower spikes in red, orange or yellow rise clear of the rosette from late fall into early spring depending on the species, putting nectar within reach at exactly the time other plants have gone dormant. Most aloe on this page wants full sun to part shade and soil that drains well, and stays drought tolerant once established. See aloe plant care for planting depth and winter watering.

Kangaroo paw, agapanthus and manzanita through the rest of the year

Kangaroo paw and agapanthus carry hummingbird bloom from spring into summer, sending up tall flower stalks well above the foliage where a hovering hummingbird can reach them easily. Manzanita works on the opposite end of the calendar, blooming with small, bell shaped flowers in winter and early spring, so a bed that mixes manzanita with kangaroo paw or agapanthus covers more of the year than any one of them alone. All three are drought tolerant once established, fitting the same low water profile as the broader xeriscape plants list.

Azalea in part shade

Azalea draws hummingbirds too, on a shorter spring bloom window and with very different needs than the drought tolerant plants on this page. It wants part shade and steady, even moisture rather than full sun and dry soil between waterings, so pairing an azalea with an aloe or a kangaroo paw usually means giving each its own watering zone rather than one shared schedule. Placed near a patio or window where the color and the birds it draws will actually be seen, a spring flowering azalea extends the bloom calendar past what the drought tolerant plants alone provide.

Milkweed for butterflies, with hummingbirds as a bonus

Milkweed is on this page because hummingbirds do visit its flowers, but it is better known, and more reliably visited, as food for monarch butterfly caterpillars and adults. Bees and butterflies favor flatter, more open flowers they can land on, while a hummingbird needs a longer tube or bell it can hover in front of, which is why milkweed draws a different mix of visitors than an aloe or a kangaroo paw does. Planting both flower shapes together usually brings in the widest range of pollinators, hummingbirds included.

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FAQ

Aloe, tree aloe, kangaroo paw, agapanthus and manzanita are among the best plants that attract hummingbirds sold here, chosen for tubular or bell shaped flowers that hold nectar a hummingbird's beak can reach. Aloe and tree aloe bloom in winter when little else is flowering, manzanita blooms in winter and early spring, and kangaroo paw and agapanthus carry spring into summer, so pairing plants from each group keeps color, and hummingbirds, in the yard across more of the year.

Aloe and tree aloe are the hummingbird plants that bloom in winter on this page, throwing spikes of red, orange or yellow flowers from late fall into early spring depending on the species. Manzanita blooms in that same window too, with small bell shaped flowers rather than a tall spike. That timing matters in California because Anna's hummingbirds stay active through winter in most of the state and need a nectar source when the warm season bloomers have gone dormant.

No, hummingbird plants do not have to be red or orange, though many are. Hummingbirds respond more to flower shape than color, favoring a long tubular form or a bell they can hover in front of, which is why aloe, tree aloe and kangaroo paw all draw hummingbirds across a range of colors from red and orange to yellow and green. Shape and nectar volume matter more to a hummingbird than the exact shade of the flower.

Yes, several hummingbird plants on this page also draw bees and butterflies, though the overlap is not total. Flatter, more open flowers tend to favor bees and butterflies landing on them, while a hummingbird needs a longer tube or bell it can hover in front of instead of land on. Milkweed in particular draws monarch butterflies first and hummingbirds only as a secondary visitor, while kangaroo paw and aloe draw hummingbirds more directly.

Pairing plants with different bloom seasons is how you keep something flowering for hummingbirds across most of the year in California. Aloe and tree aloe cover the winter months, manzanita overlaps into early spring, and kangaroo paw and agapanthus carry the bloom into summer. Checking each plant's bloom period on its product page before you buy is the easiest way to avoid a gap in the calendar between the last winter aloe and the first kangaroo paw flower.

Most hummingbird plants on this page bloom best in full sun to part sun, matching the sun rating listed on each product page, including aloe, tree aloe, kangaroo paw and manzanita. Azalea is the exception, wanting part shade and steady moisture rather than the drought tolerant, full sun conditions that suit the rest of this list. Matching the sun rating to the actual spot in the yard affects bloom volume more than almost anything else.

Planning a larger planting?

Send the plant list, sizes and your ZIP and we will confirm delivery and price it before you order.

Call (800) 215-7372

Hummingbird plants for shade

Most hummingbird plants need full sun to bloom well, but azalea is the one true shade option on this page, blooming in part shade with the same tubular-adjacent flower form that draws hummingbirds to the sunnier plants nearby. A shaded yard that still wants hummingbird visits generally needs azalea planted near a brighter edge of the shade, such as the dappled light under a high canopy, rather than the darkest part of a bed, since even a shade tolerant bloomer needs some light to flower well. Pairing azalea with a nearby full sun aloe or kangaroo paw bed extends hummingbird activity from the shaded side of a yard into the sunny side.

Winter blooming plants for hummingbirds

Winter blooming plants for hummingbirds matter in California because Anna's hummingbirds, unlike many other hummingbird species, do not migrate south for the winter and need a nectar source through the coldest months. Aloe and tree aloe are the winter bloomers on this page, and manzanita overlaps into that same window with smaller, bell shaped flowers. A yard with only spring and summer bloomers, such as kangaroo paw or agapanthus alone, leaves a real gap from late fall through midwinter, which is the exact gap the aloe and manzanita on this page are meant to fill.

Delivery & Pickup

Hummingbird Plants Delivery Across California & the Southwest

Order hummingbird plants for pickup at our Central Valley or Antelope Valley yards, or bulk delivery throughout California — plus Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado. Tell us your ZIP and project and we will quote a delivered price.

Central Valley Visalia Yard 30617 Co Hwy J25, Goshen, CA 93227 Yard details › Antelope Valley Rosamond Yard 1387 Sierra Hwy, Rosamond, CA 93560 Yard details ›

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