Top Five Hummingbird Plants for Central North Carolina

Hummingbirds are one of the true wonders of the natural world. For residents in and around Lee County, the return of these tiny visitors is the ultimate sign that summer is on the way. When the first ruby-throated hummingbirds arrive in our yards, it's usually the males leading the charge, returning from their overwintering habitats in Central America ahead of the females. These remarkable birds fly thousands of miles twice a year just to enjoy spring and summer in our neck of the woods before heading south to escape the winter cold.

While the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences notes that 12 additional hummingbird species have been spotted in the state, these are rare visitors usually blown off course by hurricanes or unusual weather patterns. For the most part, we are styling our gardens specifically for the ruby-throated hummingbird.

Hummingbirds are specialist pollinators with incredibly high caloric needs due to their rapid heartbeats and lightning-fast wing beats. To fuel their flight and reproduction, they seek out bright, tubular flowers that accommodate their long beaks and pump out massive amounts of nectar.

If you want to support these amazing flyers, here are five fantastic, easy-to-grow plants you can add to your Central North Carolina garden right now:

**Scarlet Bee Balm (*Monarda didyma***)

A standout native to Eastern North America, this perennial thrives in everything from full sun to part shade. While the straight species is wonderful, the cultivar 'Jacob Cline' is a massive favorite among local gardeners. The downside of this plant is that it is highly prone to powdery mildew in our humid summers. Thankfully, the hummingbirds don’t care about the mildew at all! Simply cut the plant back hard once the first flush of flowers fades. It handles pruning beautifully and will often reward you with a second flush of blooms. Aside from hummers, you can expect to see large swallowtail butterflies and bumblebees fighting over it.

**Cardinal Flower (*Lobelia cardinalis***)

If you have a spot in your yard that stays damp, this is the plant for you. While it loves having "wet feet," it can tolerate standard garden soil once established. It is a short-lived perennial, but it gently self-seeds to keep the colony going. It grows as an understated, low-profile green rosette before shooting up a dramatic rocket of brilliant red flowers from late June through August. Keep an eye out for its rosettes in the spring—don't accidentally weed them out if they pop up in the cracks of your pathways or wetter areas of the yard! You can expect to see butterflies and large bumblebees at this plant too!

**Coral Honeysuckle (*Lonicera sempervirens***)

Our native vining honeysuckle is an absolute powerhouse. Unlike its invasive Asian counterpart, this behavior is vigorous but manageable. It does need a sturdy arbor, trellis, or wall to climb, otherwise, it will clamber over neighboring shrubs. In our Pollinator Haven Garden at the Lee County Extension Office, a single 1-gallon plant exploded into a 10-foot-tall, 6-foot-wide mass of vines in just two years. It boasts an incredibly long blooming season, occasionally pushing bright red tubes from February all the way into November. Hummingbirds will actively squabble over territory on this vine all summer long. Popular named varieties include 'Major Wheeler' as well as various yellow and orange cultivars. Small bees have also been observed going in and out of the tubes!

**'Hot Lips' Sage (*Salvia microphylla***)

While this salvia is native to Mexico and the American Southwest rather than Eastern North America, it has made a very happy home in North Carolina landscapes. It is a staple of local horticulture because it shrugs off our summer heat and thrives in dry, well-draining soil. It flowers reliably from May until October. The name 'Hot Lips' comes from its unique bi-color red and white flowers. Depending on the temperature and day length, the flowers might change to completely white or completely red. Cut it back hard in March, and give it a light trim in mid-summer to encourage a fresh flush of growth and heavy blooming.

**Eastern Red Columbine (*Aquilegia canadensis***)

To round out the top five, this native spring perennial is essential for a complete hummingbird garden. Because it blooms heavily from April to May, it provides a vital, high-energy food source the exact week the exhausted male hummingbirds first arrive in North Carolina from their long migration. It loves the dappled shade of woodland edges, but can also tolerate full sun!. It needs well-draining soil and can tolerate an amazing amount of dry soil. Its nodding, bell-like red and yellow flowers hang perfectly for a hovering hummingbird, making it the ultimate welcome-home mat for our favorite seasonal guests.

Sourcing Plants

We highly recommend sourcing plants from local nurseries! There are many wonderful native and diverse plant nurseries in North Carolina! The closer the genetics are to your ecoregion the better. Many of these plants divide well or can be easily propagated from seed to make more.

Connect with the Author

Amanda Bratcher is the horticulture agent with N.C. Cooperative Extension- Lee County Center. You can reach out to the office at 919-775-5624 for more information or questions regarding this article, but also any other questions about your garden, farm, land or plants! We’re here to help! You can check out our website's events page for more information and to register for upcoming programs.