Oh look! There’s a hummingbird on the flowers! Anyone with a heart feels delight when one of these tiny, brilliantly colored birds zips by. This is nature’s magic at its best: the jewel tones, the fluttering wings, the speed, the purpose!
But hummingbirds are not just ornaments in the garden; they are pollinating birds with important work to do. Those slender beaks dip deep into funnel-shaped flowers for nectar but give back by pollinating the very plants that give them nectar.
Attract hummingbirds and keep them in your garden by putting together hanging baskets for hummingbirds. These are simply hanging planters filled with plants the hummers love.
Why Plant a Hanging Basket for Hummingbirds
Who doesn’t want the flash of hummingbirds in the garden? These hungry little birds eat up to eight times their weight in nectar every single day, zipping from flower to flower, from bush to bush.
You can attract hummingbirds to your garden by planting flower beds full of their favorite flowers. Or you can hang a feeder filled with sugar water from a tree branch. This provides energy without putting the birds in the range of stray cats. It also allows you to bring the hummers closer to your window or patio.
A third creative option is to create hanging baskets that attract hummingbirds. You fill these hanging planters with the same colorful flowers that hummingbirds love in your garden beds, then hang them from tree branches near your front window or patio. The hummingbird hanging basket plants will attract the birds, and you can enjoy the show without worrying about refilling the feeder every few days.
Best Plants for a Hummingbird Hanging Basket
The best plants to install in a hummingbird hanging basket are the bright, nectar-rich blossoms that the birds prefer.
Don’t worry about fragrance – the hummers don’t really have a sense of smell! Rather, pick plants that have funnel-shaped blossoms in bright colors, including the birds’ favorites: red, orange and pink. Be sure that the plants flower during the birds’ stay in your area, and native plants are always the best choice.
A few favorites for hummingbird hanging plants are:
- Trumpet vines for their long, bright red trumpet flowers;
- Native vines like Virginia creeper and crossvine.
- Bright and beautiful morning glories.
- Coral honeysuckles – they won’t appreciate the fragrance, but you will!
- Trailing petunias offer rich colors, big blossoms, and an evening fragrance.
- Million bells (aka Calibrachoa) have flowers rather like petunias. They are smaller, but the number produced is totally astounding, and they come in vivid shades.
- Nasturtiums are easy sneezy to grow, brilliant orange or orange-red, and they’re prolific.
- Both trailing verbena and lantana offer generous clusters of small flowers, rich in nectar, in a crazy selection of brilliant colors.
This trumpet vine from Green Promise Farms is an aggressive grower - keep yours in a hanging basket to rein it in.
Use this list to inspire, not limit yourself. If you see hummers around certain plants in the garden, go right ahead and add those species to your hummingbird hanging baskets!
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