In this guide, you’ll find some of the best native and hummingbird‑friendly plants for the Northeast, including favorites like Bee Balm, Cardinal Flower, Eastern Red Columbine, Jewelweed, and Butterfly Weed. Each plant profile highlights growing zones, light and soil needs, and bloom time so you can design a garden that works for your yard, balcony, or larger property.
Key takeaways:
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Focus on nectar‑rich native flowers with tubular blooms and bright colors (especially reds, pinks, and oranges).
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Choose a mix of early, mid‑season, and late bloomers so hummingbirds always have something to feed on from spring through fall migration.
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Group plants in patches rather than single specimens to make it easier for hummingbirds to find and use them.
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Avoid pesticides, which reduce insect prey and can harm hummingbirds and other pollinators.
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Plant Season & Light What It Does in Your Garden Eastern Red Columbine Spring; part shade Early nectar for returning Ruby‑throats Wild Blue Phlox Spring; shade/part shade Carpets woodland edges with soft color Bee Balm Summer; full sun Big nectar hit and bold color Cardinal Flower Late summer; moist part shade One of the strongest red nectar magnets Jewelweed Late summer–fall; shade Critical migration fuel in damp spots Butterfly Weed Summer; full sun, dry Heat‑tolerant orange blooms and pollinators Great Blue Lobelia Late summer–fall; part shade Blue spikes that support late birds Buttonbush Summer; sun to part shade, wet Shrub layer, insects, and nectar balls Highbush Blueberry Spring; sun/part shade Early bloom + caterpillars + fruit Trumpet Honeysuckle Late spring–summer; sun Long‑blooming vine with classic red tubes
Best Hummingbird Plants for Northeastern United States –The Northeastern United States is rich in native plants that provide nectar and habitat for hummingbirds, particularly the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. These plants thrive in the region’s temperate climate and are perfect for creating hummingbird-friendly gardens.
Eastern Red Columbine: A Native Gem for Your Garden – Known for its striking red and yellow nodding flowers, this plant is a favorite among gardeners and pollinators alike.
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) – frequently ranked among the very best hummingbird plants.
Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), also known as Spotted Touch-Me-Not, is a vibrant native wildflower that thrives in moist, shaded areas across the Eastern United States
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) – Known for its striking red, pink, or purple flowers, this plant is a magnet for hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees.
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) – orange milkweed with nectar that hummers will use in sunny, drier areas.
Fire Pink (Silene virginica) is a striking native wildflower that brings vibrant color and ecological value to gardens and natural landscapes. Known for its brilliant red, star-shaped flowers, this perennial plant is a favorite among hummingbirds
Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) – lavender “frizzy” blooms; great in meadows and drier spots.
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is a beautiful, hard‑working native perennial that turns wet or low spots into butterfly and hummingbird habitat. It offers lush pink flower clusters, supports monarch caterpillars, and provides nectar for a wide range of pollinators while staying well‑behaved in garden beds.
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana) is a native perennial prized for its tall spikes of tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. With its pink, purple, or white blooms and sturdy, upright habit, this plant adds both structure and ecological value to gardens across much of the United States and Canada.
Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is a classic cottage garden plant known for its dense clusters of richly colored flowers and spicy, clove-like fragrance. The flowers of Sweet William are nectar rich and favored by hummingbirds.
Wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata) is a graceful woodland perennial treasured for its soft, fragrant flowers that blanket shady spaces in spring.
Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) is a sturdy native perennial prized for its spires of white, tubular flowers and upright, architectural form. This plant brings a clean vertical accent to meadows, borders, and prairie-style plantings while offering rich nectar to hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
Rough blazing star (Liatris aspera) is a striking native perennial known for its bold spikes of fluffy purple flowers that light up sunny gardens from late summer into fall.
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a classic North American wildflower beloved for its daisy-like purple petals and bold, spiky central cones
Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata), also called summer phlox, is a classic perennial known for its tall stems topped with large, fragrant flower clusters in mid to late summer.
Royal catchfly (Silene regia) is a stunning native wildflower famous for its brilliant, scarlet-red blooms that look like tiny stars held high on slender stems. In full flower, it’s one of the most dramatic plants in a summer garden, standing 3–4 feet tall and drawing the eye from across a yard or prairie planting.
Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica) – Indian pink is consistently ranked as one of the top hummingbird plants for shade and woodland gardens. Its flowers combine all the classic features of a hummingbird-adapted bloom:
Fringeleaf wild petunia (Ruellia humilis) – is a charming, low-growing native perennial that brings soft, lavender to purple blooms to hot, dry areas of the garden.
Great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) – late‑season blue spikes; valuable for migrating ruby‑throats.
Hummingbird-Attracting Bushes for Northeastern United States
Shrubs add structure, nesting cover, and insect life around your flower beds, turning a flower patch into a true hummingbird habitat.
Shrubs for Hummingbirds in the Northeast: Building a Layered Garden – In the Northeast, a true hummingbird garden is more than a patch of flowers—it’s a layered habitat. Native shrubs and shrubby vines give Ruby‑throated Hummingbirds nectar, perches, nesting cover, insects for protein, and protection from wind and predators.
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) – Moist‑soil shrub with round white “powder‑puff” flower balls in summer that draw many pollinators, including hummingbirds.
New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)-Hummingbirds are drawn to New Jersey tea indirectly. The shrub itself produces small, white, non-tubular flowers—not classic hummingbird blooms—but the dense insect activity around the flowers provides a reliable hunting ground. Hummingbirds will work the shrub both for its small nectar resources and, more importantly, for the tiny insects gathered among the blossoms.
Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) – is one of the best native shrubs you can add to a Northeastern hummingbird garden, because it supports pollinators, hosts hundreds of caterpillars, feeds birds and mammals, and still gives you edible fruit and blazing fall color.
Native azaleas / deciduous rhododendrons (such as Rhododendron viscosum, R. periclymenoides, R. canadense) – Tubular, often fragrant blooms in spring–early summer that hummingbirds readily use. Native azaleas are not the very top tier of hummingbird magnets like trumpet honeysuckle or cardinal flower, but they provide meaningful support and play an important supporting role in a hummingbird garden.
Chokeberry’s Place in a Hummingbird Garden-Chokeberry doesn’t function like a trumpet vine or salvia—its flowers are open, not tubular—but it still supports hummingbirds in several important ways. Find out how they help overall in attracting hummingbirds.
Serviceberry: Shrubs for Pollinator and Hummingbird Gardens– Serviceberries are four-season native shrubs or small trees with spring bloom and wildlife-loved berries. Learn how to grow and use them in hummingbird gardens.
Witch Hazel in Hummingbird Gardens – (Hamamelis virginiana) – If you’re building a full shrub framework for hummingbirds and other wildlife in the Northeast, witch hazel can slot right into the design, adding late-season bloom, cover, and insect support.to your hummingbird garden.
Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) won’t replace your showiest red, tubular flowers, but it’s an excellent supporting shrub in a Northeastern hummingbird garden, adding structure, cover, and insect life around your true nectar magnets
Why American Hazelnut Belongs in a Hummingbird Garden – American hazelnut (Corylus americana) doesn’t feed hummingbirds with nectar, but it’s a powerhouse “habitat shrub” that supports the insects, cover, and overall structure your hummingbird garden needs.
Weigela: A Showy Shrub for Hummingbird Fans in the Northeast– Weigela (most commonly Weigela florida and its hybrids) is a deciduous shrub originally from East Asia. In spring, it produces clusters of funnel‑shaped flowers along the previous year’s stems. Those flowers are the main reason hummingbird gardeners plant it.
Hummingbird-Attracting Vines for Northeastern United States
Native vines like trumpet honeysuckle and trumpet creeper give hummingbirds vertical feeding stations and sheltered perches without taking much ground space.
Trumpet honeysuckle / coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) – Native to the eastern U.S.; produces long, coral‑red tubular flowers from late spring through summer that are classic hummingbird magnets.
Trumpet vine / trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) – Vigorous woody vine with large orange‑red trumpet‑shaped flowers in summer that hummingbirds flock to. (Best for bigger spaces or wild edges because it spreads strongly.)
Crossvine: A Native Powerhouse Vine for Hummingbirds – Wildlife and horticulture sources repeatedly call crossvine one of the best native vines for hummingbirds, and observers note Ruby‑throated Hummingbirds working the blooms intensively when the vine is in flower.
Virginia Creeper’s Importance in Hummingbird Gardens – When gardeners think about vines for hummingbirds in the Northeastern United States, they usually picture bold, tubular blooms like trumpet honeysuckle / coral honeysuckle or trumpet creeper. Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) looks different—five‑leaf clusters, small greenish flowers, and blue berries—but it quietly supports an enormous amount of wildlife
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What are the best native hummingbird plants for the Northeast?
Some of the best Northeast hummingbird plants include Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Bee Balm and Wild Bergamot (Monarda didyma and M. fistulosa), Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), and Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica).
Q2: Do hummingbirds prefer native plants over garden hybrids?
Hummingbirds will use both, but native plants often provide better nectar quality and support more insects, which hummingbirds also eat for protein.
Q3: How can I provide nectar for hummingbirds all season in the Northeast?
Combine early bloomers like Eastern Red Columbine, Wild Blue Phlox, and Foxglove Beardtongue with summer stalwarts such as Bee Balm, Butterfly Weed, and Garden Phlox, then add late‑season plants like Rough Blazing Star, Jewelweed, and Great Blue Lobelia to support migrating birds.
Q4: Can I attract hummingbirds if I only have a small yard or patio?
Yes. A few containers planted with nectar‑rich favorites like Bee Balm, Salvia, and Fuchsia, plus one or two feeders, can still bring in hummingbirds, even in tight spaces.
Q5: Are feeders still useful if I plant a lot of flowers?
Feeders are a helpful supplement, especially early in spring and during migration, but a garden rich in native flowers is the most natural and sustainable food source.
