10 Red Hummingbird Flowers
I love plants and adore the flowers that fill my garden with color, fragrance, and beauty. But my garden would be only half a garden without the birds, hummingbirds, bees and butterflies that fill the space with graceful movement, birdsong, and the low rumbling buzz of bumblebees. These 10 red or nearly red flowers are sure to be a hit with hummingbirds. Add enough of these plants to your garden and you’ll never have to fill a hummingbird feeder again!
Let’s start this list with the most flamboyant flower we are including – Toucan Scarlet. The huge scarlet-red flowers are a great tropical touch for gardens everywhere - from Key West to Toronto and the brilliant flowers are sure to catch the attention of any passing hummingbird. They are great when planted in garden beds, but work well in containers by themselves and as the thriller in large combination planters. Whether you put them poolside or flanking your front steps, this bold plant is sure to shine. They love heat, prefer moist soil, but can take wet soil and even short periods of dry soil. Annual. 3.5’-4’ tall. Part Sun to Sun.
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I admit it, this next one is a little bit of a cheat plant. It’s probably more orange than red, but you cannot deny how much hummingbirds adore it. When we first introduced Vermillionaire we had a photo shoot to get pictures for our website and tags. The hummingbirds were so focused on the plant we had a hard time getting photos that didn’t include them. I plant it every year and enjoy the aerial bird battle that ensues. This is another easy-to-grow plant that loves heat and will happily bloom all summer long. Annual. 18-28” Tall. Full Sun.
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Trumpet shaped flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds and our Superbells series of Calibrachoa has several red options that are perfect for hummingbirds. Whether Superbells Red with its clean red color, Superbells Pomegranate Punch with its deep red petal edges and black center or Superbells Tabletop™ Red which is sized perfectly for your patio table--the best option is totally up to you. If you want the softer side of red, Superbells Cherry Red or Superbells Watermelon Punch lean toward the pink side. If you are looking for a bit of contrast with your red, Superbells Cardinal Star sports a yellow star on a deep red base. With several choices everyone should be able to find a red Superbells that suits your style. Annual. 6-12” tall, trailing over up to 24”. Part Sun to Sun. |
Pentas flowers are umbels created by a multitude of small flowers. Because the flowers are massed together, they create a big splash of color, while giving hummingbirds many tiny flowers to sip from. These richly colored, tough plants love the summer heat and will bloom all summer long. They are great when planted in landscapes as well as when used in containers. Annual. 18-22” Tall. Part Sun to Sun.
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Supertunia® Really Red and Supertunia® Black Cherry Supertunias are another great tubular flower for hummingbirds. Reds are less common in petunias than they are in the closely related Superbells. Supertunia Really Red is a mid-red, a bit on the scarlet side, while Black Cherry has a really deep, almost wine colored flower with black accents in the throat. They are great in containers and wonderful landscape plants as well. Plant them in a hanging basket to make them more visible from your windows and then sit back and watch the show. Annual. 6-12” Tall. Part Sun to Sun.
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Pyromania™ ‘Rocket’s Red Glare’ Kniphofia These spiky flowers with an upright habit brings unique drama to your landscape, with a rebloom period extending the color late into the season. Grass-like foliage provides textural contrast to bold-leaved perennials, like Hibiscus. These tropical looking plants are hardy to either zone 5b or 6, if you provide protection. If you’re not familiar with Red Hot Poker, you’re in for a treat with ‘Rockets’ Red Glare’. These sun-loving, spiky flowers add a unique look and texture to the landscape. A stunning color choice! Incredibly long flower spikes have vibrant warm red buds that open to creamy peach flowers. Perennial. 2.5-3’ Tall. Full Sun. Hardy in zones 6-9. |
Bee Balm is an all-around great pollinator plant. Hummingbirds of course love the cheery red color and sip from the flowers often. But there’s a reason why the common name of this plant is Bee Balm – bees adore it too. I love the drowsy droning of bumble bees on summer flowers, it’s one of the ways I know summer really has arrived! But we aren’t done yet. Butterflies will flock to it as well--it is their perfect landing pad! This plant is compact and fits perfectly towards the front of your flower bed and is a good perennial for containers as well. Perennial. 14-18” Tall. Part to Full Sun. Hardy in zones 4-8.
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Distinctive, rich color makes Interstella lily of the valley shrub out of this world! Forgive us for using maybe too many superlatives, but this plant earns them: Interstella pieris is one of the earliest blooming plants, starting its display of beautiful, bell-like, ruby-colored flowers before the calendar (and the weather!) even say its spring. And there are hundreds of them, dangling delicately from fine stems against a gorgeous evergreen backdrop. The flowers persist for a very long time - two months or more--and when they are finished, the plant begins a dazzling display of star-like bright red new growth. So, obviously, it's beautiful, but there's more: this is possibly the most shade tolerant flowering shrub, blooming well even in very low light conditions, and it's deer resistant, too. Shrub. 3-4’ Tall. Sun to Shade. Hardy in zones 5-8. |
 If you think ho-hum when someone mentions spirea, it’s time to check out our Double Play series. These plants have colorful foliage and tons of colorful flowers. Double Play Red is a flower color breakthrough, with nearly-red flowers. Add in showy dark burgundy spring foliage and you've got the perfect double play! While hummingbirds are certainly fans of Double Play Red, they aren’t the only ones. Butterflies and bees will also flock to the red flowers. Shrub. 24-36” Tall. Part Sun to Sun. Hardy in zones 3-8
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Sonic Bloom® Red weigela is part of our Sonic Bloom collection of top-performing reblooming weigelas. Like the others, its big, bold, trumpet-like flowers appear in late spring along with conventional weigelas, but the show doesn't stop. After a brief rest, waves of perfectly red flowers appear up through frost. The larger Sonic Bloom® weigelas are the perfect choice for a flowering hedge or a backdrop to any landscape or garden. It is easy to care for, long blooming, and deer resistant. Hummingbirds are attracted to the red tubular flowers, so they’ll be happy indeed to find this shrub growing in your garden. Shrub. 3-5’ Tall. Sun. Hardy in zones 4-8. |
Learn More
Delve into more annuals, perennials and shrubs for Pollinators.
Explore this Plants for Pollinators Pinterest board and our Red Plants for Pollinators Idea Board.
Watch this video to learn more about Sonic Bloom Red.
