Few things beat watching a hummingbird hover at a basket of bright flowers right outside your window. The good news is that you don’t need a big yard to bring them in.
The right hanging plants that attract hummingbirds can turn a porch, patio, or balcony into a regular feeding stop.
In this guide, I’ll cover what hummingbirds actually want, the best picks for sun and shade, and how to plant and care for a basket so it keeps blooming all season. I’ll also share my advice on feeders and on keeping these tiny birds safe.
What Hummingbirds Look For
Hummingbirds look for tubular flowers in red, orange, and pink that hold plenty of nectar. They feed by sight, not smell, so bright color and the right flower shape matter far more than fragrance.
Color and Flower Shape
Red is the classic hummingbird color, but orange and hot pink work well too. Many birds and insects don’t key in on red, so those flowers often keep more nectar for hummingbirds.
Tubular flowers suit a hummingbird’s long bill and tongue. Bees have a harder time reaching deep into these blooms, which leaves the nectar for the birds.
Hummingbirds also favor flowers with little or no scent. If you’re picking between a fragrant bloom and a bright, unscented tube, the tube usually wins.
If you love softer shades, you can still mix them in. My list of hanging plants with pink and purple flowers has plenty of options that pair well with red and orange bloomers.
Steady Nectar Over Time
Hummingbirds burn energy fast and need to eat often throughout the day. They remember reliable food sources and return to them.
That’s why constant bloom matters so much. A basket that flowers for two weeks and then stalls won’t hold their interest. A basket that blooms from late spring to fall becomes part of their daily route.
Gear That Helps
Two simple products make a big difference. A hanging basket with a coco liner gives roots good airflow and looks natural, though it dries out quickly. A hummingbird feeder hung nearby can draw birds in while your plants fill out.
- Coco-lined basket: breathes well, looks natural, needs more frequent watering
- Hummingbird feeder: draws birds early in the season and fills gaps between bloom flushes
- Long-spout watering can or wand: makes daily watering easier
Best Hanging Plants for Hummingbirds in Sun
The best sunny choices are lantana, compact or trailing salvia, cuphea, calibrachoa, petunia, nasturtium, and mandevilla. These plants handle six or more hours of sun and produce the bright, tubular flowers hummingbirds favor.
Top Sun-Loving Picks
These are my favorite hanging plants that attract hummingbirds in full sun. Each one blooms heavily when it gets enough light, water, and food.
- Lantana: clusters of small, bright flowers in red, orange, yellow, and pink; tough in heat
- Salvia: look for compact or trailing types with red or deep pink spikes
- Cuphea (cigar plant): small, tube-shaped red-orange flowers that look made for hummingbirds
- Calibrachoa: mini petunia-like blooms that spill over the edge all season
- Petunia: large trumpets in red, pink, and purple; trailing types fill baskets fast
- Nasturtium: orange, red, and yellow flowers with a spur of nectar
- Mandevilla: big pink or red trumpets on a vining plant that can trail from a basket
| Plant | Flower Colors | Habit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lantana | Red, orange, pink, yellow | Mounding to trailing | Handles heat well |
| Salvia | Red, pink, purple | Upright or trailing | Choose compact types |
| Cuphea | Red-orange | Mounding | Tubular blooms |
| Calibrachoa | Red, pink, orange, many more | Trailing | Feed often |
| Petunia | Red, pink, purple | Trailing | Cut back midsummer |
| Nasturtium | Orange, red, yellow | Trailing | Edible flowers |
| Mandevilla | Pink, red | Vining | Loves warmth |
Note that lantana is toxic to pets if eaten, according to the ASPCA. Hang it where dogs and cats can’t reach fallen leaves or berries.
Heat-Tolerant Options
If your summers run hot, lean on lantana, mandevilla, and portulaca. Portulaca isn’t a top hummingbird flower, but it works as a tough filler in a sunny basket.
For more choices that won’t wilt in a heat wave, see my guide to hanging plants that survive high temperatures. Bigger baskets also help, since they hold more water and dry out slower.
Supporting Plants for Sunny Baskets
Not every plant in the basket needs to feed hummingbirds. Supporting plants add shape, color, and texture.
- Verbena and scaevola: mounding or trailing fillers that bloom all summer
- Bacopa: small white or lavender flowers that spill over the edge
- Ivy geranium: trailing plant with bright blooms
- Sweet potato vine or licorice plant: foliage that sets off red and orange flowers
Best Hanging Plants for Shade
Fuchsia is the classic shade choice for hummingbirds, with dangling, tubular flowers they love. Begonia, impatiens, torenia, and lobelia round out a shade basket nicely.
Fuchsia: The Star of Shade
Fuchsia’s hanging bell flowers come in red, pink, purple, and white, often in two colors. The shape is perfect for a hummingbird’s bill.
Fuchsias prefer morning sun and afternoon shade. They don’t like intense heat, so a covered porch or north- or east-facing spot works well.
Keep the soil evenly moist and feed regularly. Pick off spent flowers and seed pods so the plant keeps putting energy into new blooms.
Other Shade Bloomers
These plants handle shade or part shade and add steady color to your basket.
- Begonia: red, pink, or orange flowers on trailing types; some offer good nectar
- Impatiens: bright, nonstop color in shade
- Torenia (wishbone flower): small, tubular blooms that hummingbirds visit
- Lobelia: trailing blue, purple, or red flowers that do best in part shade
| Plant | Light | Flower Shape | Hummingbird Appeal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuchsia | Part shade to shade | Dangling tube | Excellent |
| Torenia | Part shade to shade | Small tube | Good |
| Begonia | Part shade to shade | Open | Moderate |
| Impatiens | Shade | Open with spur | Moderate |
| Lobelia | Part shade | Small, lipped | Moderate |
Foliage for Shade Baskets
Ferns make a lush backdrop in a shade basket, though they don’t feed hummingbirds. Creeping Jenny adds a bright, trailing edge.
I like to pair a fuchsia with torenia and creeping Jenny. That gives you a strong hummingbird plant, a blooming filler, and a trailing spiller.
Planting a Hummingbird Hanging Basket
Plant your basket after the last frost using fresh potting mix, slow-release fertilizer, and the thriller, filler, spiller method. Match plants by sun and water needs so everything thrives together.
Choosing the Basket and Mix
Bigger is better. Baskets that are 12 to 16 inches or more hold more water and give roots room to grow.
Coco liners breathe well but dry out fastest. Plastic-backed liners and self-watering baskets hold moisture longer, which helps in hot or windy spots.
Always use potting mix, never garden soil. Don’t add rocks or gravel to the bottom. They raise the wet zone and don’t improve drainage.
How Many Plants to Use
Packing in the right number of plants gives you a full basket fast without overcrowding.
| Basket Size | Number of Plants |
|---|---|
| 12 inches | About 3 to 5 |
| 14 to 16 inches | About 5 to 7 |
Use the thriller, filler, spiller approach:
- Thriller: an upright plant in the center, like salvia or fuchsia
- Filler: mounding plants around it, like lantana or cuphea
- Spiller: trailing plants at the edge, like calibrachoa or petunia
Step-by-Step Planting
Here’s how I suggest putting a basket together.
- Fill the basket partway with moist potting mix.
- Mix in a slow-release fertilizer.
- Set the thriller in the center and the spillers around the edge.
- Tuck fillers in between.
- Add mix to about 1 inch below the rim so water doesn’t run off.
- Water slowly until it drains from the bottom.
If you plant early, keep the basket sheltered and bring it in on cold nights. Tender plants like fuchsia, mandevilla, and lantana don’t handle frost.
Placement and Care for Steady Blooms
Hang your basket where its plants get the right light, then water, feed, and deadhead consistently. Hummingbirds move on when flowers stop, so steady care keeps them coming back.
Watering the Right Way
Hanging baskets dry out fast. In summer, check daily. Small baskets or baskets in heat or wind may need water twice a day.
In spring and fall, every 2 to 3 days is usually enough. Water slowly until it drains from the bottom, ideally in the morning.
To check, lift the basket to feel its weight or touch the top inch of mix. For more detail, see my guide on how often to water hanging plants.
If a basket goes bone-dry, soak it in a tub of water for 20 to 30 minutes. That rewets the mix so water stops running straight through.
Feeding and Deadheading
Frequent watering washes nutrients out of the mix. That’s why I recommend a water-soluble flower fertilizer every 1 to 2 weeks in summer, on top of the slow-release fertilizer at planting.
Deadhead spent flowers regularly. This keeps plants focused on new blooms instead of seeds.
If blooms suddenly drop off, check for heat stress, drying out, or hunger. My post on why hanging plants lose their flowers walks through the common causes.
Fixing Midsummer Fatigue
By midsummer, many baskets look tired and stretched. Low light, no pinching, heat, too much nitrogen, or drying out can all cause this.
Cut back by one-third to one-half, then feed and water. Petunias and calibrachoa respond especially well. Plants usually regrow in about 2 to 3 weeks.