Plants to Attract Hummingbirds and Other Pollinators

We love pollinators! As gardeners, we witness firsthand the crucial role pollinating insects, butterflies, and hummingbirds play in the life cycle on earth, so it’s vital that we provide the green spaces and gardens they need to stay healthy and thriving. If you’re looking for some great plants to add to your garden this year to help attract hummingbirds and other pollinators, we’ve got you covered with this quick and easy guide!

Here in BC, we’re lucky enough to have hummingbirds fluttering around all year, meaning it’s easy to entice these little flying gems to your Abbotsford garden. During the winter months, the best you can do is to supply overwintering species, like the Anna’s Hummingbird, with a clean, fresh supply of sugar water. During the growing season, however, there are several species of flowers you can plant that will attract hummingbirds like magnets and are great ways to ensure they stick around. Here are our top picks!

• -‘Hummingbird Falls’ Salvia: An herbaceous perennial, this salvia species has been called a “nectar nirvana” for hummingbirds. With deep purple blooms, this compact flower is fast-growing, does exceptionally well in containers, and will attract hummingbirds all summer.

• –‘Vermillionaire’ Cuphea: This firecracker of a plant looks like it was created just for hummingbirds, with long tubular red-orange flowers that they simply can’t resist! A sun and heat-loving plant, use it in containers as a filler or let it grow in your garden’s borders. 
• –Fuchsia: Although it’s native to Central and South America, where it grows abundantly in places like Peru, the fuchsia is one of the most popular hummingbird-attracting plants right here in Abbotsford! These superior hummingbird plants look great in hanging baskets, but they’ll also grow bushy and vining if trellised.

• –Foxglove: Scientists believe that hummingbirds actually helped change the evolution of foxgloves through pollination, making their beautiful flowers longer over time. These tubular perennial flowers are the perfect addition to your hummingbird garden!
• –Catmint: This frost-tolerant perennial is a top choice for attracting hummingbirds and other pollinators, with small purple-bluish flowers growing on spiky stems. A member of the mint family, catmint gives off a faint floral scent and blooms from summer to fall. 
• –Lupine: This stunningly tall herbaceous perennial is sure to add some pizzazz to your pollinator garden! With spikes of coloured flowers, this plant attracts hummingbirds all summer long and is an important food source for bees and other pollinators, too. 

• –Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’: This super-red species of crocosmia is another plant that is simply irresistible to hummingbirds; we’ve never seen a hummingbird pass it by! This perennial grows quite tall, and if you get in the habit of hummingbird watching, you’ll spot them taking a bath on their broad, sword-shaped leaves. 

Of course, hummingbirds aren’t the only pollinators you’ll want to attract to your garden; the presence of bees and butterflies is also immensely important for an eco-friendly greenspace. These are some of the best bee forage flowers to plant for attracting even more pollinators to your Abbotsford garden this year:

• –Yarrow: Your bees and butterflies are going to love yarrow, and so will you! With a beautiful flowery landing pad, yarrow makes a great lunch spot for many pollinators during the spring and summer months. 
• –Showy Milkweed: A host plant for monarch butterflies in BC, plant this pink beauty to keep butterflies coming back all summer. Adult monarchs love its rich nectar, while its leaves provide much-needed nutrients for their caterpillars! Milkweed is also a favourite of bees, so it’s a win-win.

• –Lavender: If you’ve ever walked past a lavender bush in Abbotsford, the buzzing chorus is hard to miss! Planting lavender is one of the best ways to get bumblebees to your yard, providing them with a continual feast all the growing season. 
• –Borage (Starflower): This self-seeding annual herb is much-loved by pollinators. Its beautiful star-shaped flowers provide continual nectar for bees and other pollinators, and it makes an excellent companion plant for any vegetable garden.  

If you’re on the hunt for plants to attract hummingbirds to your Abbotsford garden this season, we’ve got plenty in stock in our garden centre. Stop by and visit us at Windsor Greenhouse today, and we’ll help you pick the best plants to get your garden buzzing with excitement!