If you’ve ever watched a hummingbird flit from flower to flower, hovering in mid-air with wings beating faster than the eye can follow, you know just how mesmerizing these tiny creatures are. One of the most incredible sights in nature is watching the iridescent glow of a ruby-throated hummingbird as it zips through your garden, the male’s brilliant red throat glistening in the sunlight. These birds are not just beautiful; they’re also essential pollinators. The best part? You don’t have to travel to a tropical paradise to see them. You can create a hummingbird haven right in your backyard in the Eastern USA where these little aerial acrobats are commonly found.
In this blog post, we’ll explore fascinating facts about the ruby-throated hummingbird, the types of native plants they love, and how you can design your own hummingbird-friendly garden. If you’re ready to bring the beauty of these flying jewels into your garden, keep reading to discover how to make it happen.
Amazing Facts About the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
The ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the most common species of hummingbird in Eastern North America, and it’s also the one you’re most likely to see in Kentucky. These tiny birds are full of surprises! Here are some fun facts that might just inspire you to create a garden that attracts them:
- Incredible Speed: A ruby-throated hummingbird’s wings beat about 53 times per second, enabling it to hover in place as it feeds. This makes it one of the most agile creatures on the planet.
- Migratory Masters: These birds are known for their remarkable migratory behavior. Each year, they travel thousands of miles between North America and Central America, making a non-stop flight of over 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico (now Gulf of America).
- Tiny but Mighty: Weighing just 0.1 ounces, a ruby-throated hummingbird is one of the smallest birds in the world. Despite their size, these birds consume an astonishing amount of food, and feed up to 5 times per hour.
- Colorful Iridescence: The male ruby-throated hummingbird sports a dazzling red throat (the “ruby” in its name), which shimmers like a jewel when caught in the sunlight. The females, while less colorful, are still beautifully adorned with green and white feathers.
- Important Pollinators: As they feed on nectar, ruby-throated hummingbirds inadvertently pollinate flowers, making them crucial for plant reproduction. Their long, slender bills and specialized tongues are designed for extracting nectar from flowers while brushing against the reproductive parts of the plants.
- Coming Home: The Ruby Throated Hummingbird retraces its same migration path each year, often stopping by the same exact gardens and bird feeders. What is even more astounding, is that their offspring follow the same path as the parents, even when they have not migrated yet as young juveniles! The adults and their offspring actually begin their migration journey at a different time, so there’s no way for the juveniles to know. Call it hummingbird intuition!
These facts highlight the importance of creating an environment that attracts these little aviators. By selecting the right plants, you can offer them a rich food source while also enhancing the beauty of your garden.
Native Plants for Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds in Kentucky
When planning a hummingbird-friendly garden, it’s essential to choose plants that cater to the specific needs of the ruby-throated hummingbird. These birds are particularly drawn to tubular flowers with brightly colored blooms, especially those in red, orange, or pink hues, but they will visit flowers of other colors too. Native plants are the best choice for your garden because they are naturally adapted to the local climate and soil conditions and support local wildlife.
Here are some of the best native plants for attracting ruby-throated hummingbirds:
1. Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
Bee balm is a perennial favorite of hummingbirds. Its vibrant, tubular flowers come in shades of red, pink, and purple, making it irresistible to ruby-throated hummingbirds. The flowers’ tubular shape is perfect for the bird’s long, slender bill, and the sweet nectar provides a much-needed energy boost.
Why Hummingbirds Love It: The bright red blooms of bee balm attract hummingbirds, and its aromatic leaves are a bonus, attracting other pollinators like bees and butterflies.
How to Use It in Your Garden: Bee balm thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-drained soil. It’s a great plant to use at the back or middle of a border, where its tall, showy flowers can stand out. It also makes an excellent companion plant to other flowering perennials like coneflowers.
2. Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)
Trumpet vine is a vigorous, fast-growing climbing plant with large, trumpet-shaped orange or red flowers. This plant is a hummingbird magnet, and its striking blossoms can often be seen in gardens throughout Kentucky during the summer months. Be careful as this vine can grow large and sprawl in a small garden. It will also send runners underground, so it is best to plant it in an area where you don’t mind it doing so.
Why Hummingbirds Love It: The large, tubular flowers of trumpet vine are designed to be an ideal fit for a hummingbird’s long bill. The rich nectar it provides is an important food source for these birds during their breeding season.
How to Use It in Your Garden: Plant trumpet vine near a trellis, fence, or arbor, where it can climb and spread. It’s perfect for adding vertical interest to your garden. Just be sure to give it enough space, as it can grow quite large and requires pruning to keep it under control.
3. Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
Coral honeysuckle is a beautiful, native vine that produces clusters of tubular flowers in shades of red, orange, and yellow. It’s another favorite of hummingbirds due to its abundant nectar and long blooming period.
Why Hummingbirds Love It: The flowers’ tubular shape and sweet nectar are highly attractive to ruby-throated hummingbirds. Additionally, the plant blooms from late spring through summer, providing a long season of nectar.
How to Use It in Your Garden: Coral honeysuckle is ideal for trellises, fences, and arbors. It can also be used as a ground cover. Plant it in a sunny spot with well-drained soil.
4. Red Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
With its bright red flowers, the cardinal flower is a showstopper in any garden, but it’s particularly beloved by hummingbirds. This perennial plant can thrive in Kentucky’s wetland areas, making it perfect for planting near ponds or water features.
You can also plant Blue Lobelia as well!
Why Hummingbirds Love It: The vibrant red blooms are an irresistible draw for ruby-throated hummingbirds, and the plant’s tubular flowers are a perfect match for their long bills.
How to Use It in Your Garden: Plant red cardinal flower in moist, well-drained soil, especially near a water feature or in a rain garden. It thrives in full sun to partial shade and can add a dramatic touch to a garden with its tall, spiky flowers. Cardinal flower can be difficult to return in the garden, as it likes disturbed soils that go under some type of erosion with no mulch.
5. Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Columbine is a graceful, perennial plant with unique, bell-shaped flowers in shades of red, yellow, and orange. It’s a wonderful addition to a hummingbird garden because it blooms early in the season, providing much-needed nectar when other sources may be scarce.
Why Hummingbirds Love It: Columbine flowers are tubular and hold nectar that hummingbirds can easily access with their long tongues. The flowers’ bright colors make them easy for hummingbirds to spot from afar.
How to Use It in Your Garden: Columbine is perfect for shaded or woodland gardens, as it prefers dappled sunlight and moist, well-drained soil. Plant it near the front of the border or in containers to showcase its delicate beauty. Columbine will reseed itself. If you find that it looks ratty after blooming, cut the foliage to the ground and it will regrow with fresh new foliage to show for the rest of the season.
6. Beardtongue (Penstemon spp.)
Beardtongue is a stunning perennial with tall spires of tubular flowers that come in a range of colors, including pink, purple, and white. This plant is highly attractive to hummingbirds and blooms during the late spring to early summer, providing a much-needed nectar source when hummingbirds are most active.
Why Hummingbirds Love It: The tubular shape of beardtongue’s flowers is perfect for the ruby-throated hummingbird’s long, slender bill. The flowers produce abundant nectar, which hummingbirds eagerly drink while hovering in mid-air. The plant’s bright, vibrant colors, especially red and pink varieties, make it easy for hummingbirds to spot from afar.
How to Use It in Your Garden: Beardtongue thrives in full sun to partial shade. It works beautifully in a native meadow-style garden. Plant beardtongue in groups to create a striking visual impact, and consider pairing it with other native perennials like coneflowers or black-eyed Susans to create a colorful, hummingbird-friendly display. It’s a low-maintenance plant that will attract pollinators throughout its bloom period.
7. Hoary Skullcap (Scutellaria incana)
Hoary skullcap is a native wildflower that features spiky clusters of small, tubular flowers in shades of blue and purple. This plant is perfect for gardeners looking to add a touch of color and texture to their hummingbird garden, as it thrives in Kentucky’s climate and provides nectar during late summer and early fall when other blooms begin to fade.
Why Hummingbirds Love It: The delicate, tubular flowers of hoary skullcap are a favorite of hummingbirds because they are easy to access with their long bills. The nectar is a great energy source, and the plants bloom during a time when hummingbirds are migrating through Kentucky, making it an important stopover for these tiny travelers. The plant’s striking blue purple flowers also attract bees and butterflies, adding additional pollinators to your garden.
How to Use It in Your Garden: Hoary skullcap prefers dry to medium, well-drained soil and thrives in full sun to partial shade. It’s perfect for planting in areas where you want to attract both hummingbirds and pollinators while adding a touch of texture to your garden. Consider planting it in a naturalized garden setting or along a woodland edge. Hoary skullcap also works well in a rain garden or at the front of a border, where its delicate flowers can be appreciated up close. Pair it with other late-blooming perennials to extend the nectar supply into the cooler months.
8. Royal Catchfly (Silene regia)
Royal catchfly is a striking perennial that produces brilliant, deep red flowers in clusters atop tall stems. Known for its bold color and unique flower shape, it’s an excellent choice for attracting ruby-throated hummingbirds to your garden. This plant is native to Kentucky and adds a touch of drama to any landscape, especially during its blooming period in mid to late summer.
Why Hummingbirds Love It: The royal catchfly’s tubular, red flowers are a perfect match for the ruby-throated hummingbird’s long bill, making it easy for them to access the nectar deep within the blossoms. The bright red color of the flowers is highly visible to hummingbirds, drawing them in from a distance. Its abundant nectar provides a vital food source, especially for hummingbirds during the height of summer when they need energy for migration.
How to Use It in Your Garden: Royal catchfly thrives in well-drained, moderately dry soil and prefers full sun. It’s perfect for planting in a sunny border or meadow garden, where its bright red flowers can stand out and attract hummingbirds from afar. The plant grows tall, so it works well in the middle or back of a garden bed. To create a striking effect, consider pairing it with other native perennials like purple coneflower or black-eyed Susan for a vibrant, hummingbird-friendly display. Royal catchfly is relatively low-maintenance.
Designing a Native Plant Hummingbird Sitting Garden
Imagine stepping into your garden and sitting on a comfortable bench while ruby-throated hummingbirds dart from flower to flower, their iridescent feathers glowing in the sun. This is the peaceful experience you can create with a native plant hummingbird sitting garden. I’ve designed a stunning hummingbird garden design plan that you can purchase directly from my online store and install in your garden!
This design features a selection of native plants carefully chosen to attract hummingbirds while also offering a tranquil space for you to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. The plants included in the design are perfect for The Eastern and Midwest, specifically Kentucky’s climate and provide a seasonally-round source of nectar for hummingbirds.
The design comes with an easy-to-follow planting guide, and each plant has accompanying informational sheets to help you care for it. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, this plan will help you create a stunning, wildlife-friendly garden that not only attracts hummingbirds but also enhances the overall beauty of your outdoor space.
Design Plan: Hummingbird Native Plant Garden
Do you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden this year? If you plant the right plants, you won’t even need to provide nectar through a bird feeder, as the plants will provide them nectar all summer long!
I am a professional landscape designer that focuses on using native plants, and I love hummingbirds! I have chosen the best hummingbird attracting plants that also do well in gardens b…
Conclusion
Creating a hummingbird-friendly garden is a rewarding experience that offers both beauty and ecological benefits. By choosing the right native plants and designing a space that attracts these tiny pollinators, you can transform your garden into a vibrant sanctuary for ruby-throated hummingbirds. Whether you’re starting small with a few well-placed plants or designing a full-scale garden, the right plants can turn your outdoor space into a hummingbird haven.
If you’re ready to create your own hummingbird garden, check out the native plant hummingbird sitting garden design available in my online store. It’s the perfect starting point for anyone looking to bring the joy of hummingbirds to their garden while supporting local wildlife. Happy gardening, and may your garden be filled with the fluttering wings of these magical creatures!
