Hummingbird Plants That Do Well in Shade

Hummingbirds are attracted by bright colors but have no sense of smell.

Hummingbirds are fun to watch, but the colorful little fliers are also an important member of the ecosystem as they feed on insects and pollinate plants. Although attracting hummingbirds is easier with the wide variety of plants that thrive in bright sunshine, it's also possible to attract hummingbirds to a shady garden. Hummingbirds are attracted to many colorful plants will bloom best with about four hours of sunlight per day or less.

Perennial Flowers

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), which does well in partial shade, is an old-fashioned wildflower that will attract hummingbirds in spring and early summer. Hummingbirds are attracted to fire pink (Silene virginica), which sports red blooms in spring and summer. Also known as Indian pink, fire pink is a good choice for partial shade. The bright red blooms of the cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) will attract hummingbirds with bright red blooms in August. Cardinal flower prefers partial shade.

Annual Flowers

The pink, red and lavender, funnel-shaped blooms of the fuchsia are the ideal shape for hummingbirds and will attract the miniature acrobats all spring and summer. Fuchsia is a cool weather, shade-loving plant. Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana) is a shade-loving plant available in a range of colors, including pink, lavender, red, violet and salmon. With their succulent stems and colorful flowers -- from pale pink to deep red and bright yellow -- begonias are shade-tolerant bloomers that are a hummingbird favorite.

Shrubs

Red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) does well in partial shade and will attract hummingbirds with showy red blooms in early to mid-spring. Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), which tolerates partial shade, sports clusters of bright pink, magenta and dark red flowers in spring to early summer. Hummingbirds love the pale pink, funnel-shaped blooms of glossy abelia (Abelia grandiflora), an evergreen shrub that will do well in sun or partial shade. The sweet nectar of night blooming jasmine's showy white blooms will attract hummingbirds to your garden. Night blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) blooms best in full sun but will adapt to filtered light or partial shade.

Vines

Cross vine (Bignonia capreolata) is a high-climbing vine that will tolerate a variety of conditions, including full sun, light shade or partial shade. Cross vine will attract hummingbirds with its bright orange or reddish orange, trumpet-shaped flowers in late winter and early spring. Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a vigorous climber that likes sun but also does well in shade, attracting flocks of hummingbirds with its purple-tinged white blossoms throughout the growing season.

References

• Oregon State University Extension; Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden: J. Olson, et al; 2002
• Birds-N-Garden; Gardening to Attract Wild Birds, Butterflies & Hummingbirds
• Floridata; Plants That Attract Hummingbirds
• "Fine Gardening"; Hummingbird Favorites; Sally Roth; 2011