The best way of attracting Hummingbirds is to use a combination of Humming bird feeders and their favorite flowers, plants, shrubs and vines.

My favorite feeder for attracting hummingbirds is the Humzinger Ultra

 
Aspects 12oz Humzinger Ultra With Nectar Guard

 It's only $28.18 and  has several features that  makes it well worth the price.

The Humzinger has patented Nectar guard tips which are flexible membranes attached to the feed ports that prohibit entry from flying insects, but allow Hummingbirds to feed as usual. The Humzinger also has a built in ant moat that will stop crawling insects from getting to the nectar. It also has raised flower ports that divert rain.

This mid-size nectar feeder has a 12 oz. capacity and can be hung or post mounted with hardware provided. It has four feeding ports for hummingbirds and is made of unbreakable polycarbonate. Easy to clean.

For ease of cleaning and protection from bees, wasps and ants, this feeder can't be beat for attracting hummingbirds

Attracting hummingbirds with feeders

If you can, hang several Humming bird feeders in different locations around your yard. The more feeders you have for attracting hummingbirds, the better the chance that a Humming bird passing through your area will spot one of the feeders.

The best placement for attracting hummingbirds is in the open where they will be easy to spot, within 15 or 20 feet of the nearest cover such as trees, shrubs or vines, and near any flowers that you might already have growing in your yard. The Hummingbirds will spend a lot of time perched in the safety of the cover between trips to the feeder, so placing your feeders close to these types of cover will make it easier for the Hummingbirds to use them. Later, after the Humming birds have found and are using your feeders, you can move the feeders to a shady spot so that the nectar will keep longer in hot weather.   

When using flowers to attract hummingbirds to your feeder, I suggest that you place some of their favorite hummingbird flowers close to your feeder. This will provide more color for attracting hummingbirds that might be passing through your area.

A couple types of hanging flowers that attract hummingbirds, that I like to use in hanging baskets, are red Petunias and red Fuchsias. Another choice readily available in hanging baskets, that comes in red, is Impatiens. Impatiens are good for attracting hummingbirds.

If you have more space and are willing to spend more time, you might want to plant a small flowering Hummingbird garden for attracting hummingbirds into your yard.

In your garden, to attract hummingbirds, you will want plants that will be blooming continually throughout the season while the Hummingbirds are present in your area. You can make a visit to your local nursery to get suggestions on which Humming bird plants are best suited for attracting  hummingbirds in your particular area and climate.

In my garden, to attract hummingbirds, I have used a combination of annuals, perennials, shrubs and vines, to provide continuous blooms from the Spring through Fall.

For attracting  hummingbirds in the Spring, my favorite choice is a red Weigela bush. The Weigelas bloom early and are loaded with lots of color.

Here in my garden in northwestern Ohio, the Hummingbirds usually arrive in the Spring just about the time the Weigelas are about to start blooming (usually around the first part of May).

 Sometimes they might arrive a few days earlier, so I start hanging my feeders in the yard towards the end of April......to be sure of attracting those early arrivals.

Another early blooming favorite  that I use in my backyard, are Trumpet honeysuckle vines (Lonicera sempervirens). They will bloom from May to August and have orange or red flowers.

If you have a fence or trellis to grow one on, these Hummingbird vines will make an excellent addition to any  Hummingbird garden.

The final touch to complete my Hummingbird garden and make it totally irresistible to Hummingbirds is to plant some red Salvia (Salvia splendens). In cooler climates such as mine, Salvia are planted as annuals and are replanted each Spring when the danger of frost has passed. Once they are planted and get to growing well, the Salvia will provide plenty of red blooms for attracting  hummingbirds and they will provide nectar for the Hummingbirds from Spring right up until frost.

So here's what we have .....we have the Weigela with lots of colorful blooms to attract and hold those early arriving birds, then as the Weigela starts to fade, the Honeysuckle will continue to bloom, to be joined by the Beebalm. As these plants start to provide less and less blooms, the Salvia will reach it's peak blooming period and will continue to carry the load of feeding and attracting hummingbirds the remainder of the time that the Hummingbirds are in your area.

Using shade plants for attracting Hummingbirds

Just because you have shade, doesn't mean you can't attract hummingbirds with plants.

Shade hummingbird gardens can be planted if you are short on sunlight.

In the shady areas of my garden where there isn't enough sunlight to grow my favorite flowers, I like to use Day Lilies and Hostas to help attract hummingbirds.