Hummingbirds are most attracted to red, pink, yellow, and orange blooms, and flowers may have solid colors or patterns of those colors to attract attention. Because birds see color along a greater spectrum than humans, ultraviolet shades can also play a part in attracting hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds are pollinators. This means that when a hummingbird comes to a flower to get a meal, it brushes against the male parts of the flower and gets pollen grains all over itself. In this way, hummingbirds help flowers make new seeds and the next generation of flowers.

Hummingbird flower mites feed and reproduce in flowers of host plants pollinated by hummingbirds, and use the nostrils and bill of the hummingbird to move from plant to plant. These mites compete with the pollinator for the nectar produced by flowers.

Choose nectar and pollen-rich plants like wildflowers and old-fashioned varieties of flowers. A succession of blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs is best so nectar and pollen will be available throughout the growing season. Also, include plants like dill, fennel and milkweed that butterfly larvae feed on.

Butterfly Garden Flowers

• Phlox. Phlox is a low-growing, spreading plant that forms a blanket of blooms all summer.
• Coneflower (Echinacea) Coneflower is one of the best flowers for attracting butterflies.
• Lantana.
• Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii)
• Pot Marigolds.
• Black-Eyed Susan.
• Blazing Star Flowers (Liatris spicata)
• Heliotrope.

The soft foliage and delicate flowers of bleeding heart contrast nicely with the bold, dappled leaves of lungwort (Pulmonaria) and tall sweeps of Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum). Bleeding heart is resistant to deer and rabbits. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, as well as other beneficial pollinators.

Although some types of Clerodendrum are extremely invasive, Clerodendrum bleeding heart is a well-behaved, non-aggressive plant that reaches lengths of about 15 feet (4.5 m.) at maturity.