In recent months, I've become quite interested and amused by the hummingbirds coming up to my second story window for a sip of sugar syrup from the feeder. The feeder is stuck on the window with a suction cup right behind my computer, they can't see me but I can watch them closely. They are amazing.

This has lead me on a search to find out what flowers they like and make sure I have those in my garden for them. Variety is a good thing in any garden but certainly a good move when planting particular flowers for attracting hummingbirds. We wouldn't like to eat the same thing all summer long, and I bet neither do they. So keep it interesting and provide many varieties and types of flowers. Your garden will be diverse and beautiful too and that's never a bad thing.

Lobelia Cardinalis is a beautiful and striking lily-type plant structure that grows quickly with deep dark purple foliage. Rising from the center are tall, thick stalks of delicate electric red flowers. They start out at a couple of feet tall, and by the end of the season they can reach 5' tall.

Lupine is a favorite as well. Plant small plants in various colors and you will end up growing a rainbow of tall striking flower stalks that will naturalize or fill the container they are in easily. They have brightly colored flower spears emerging from a nest of very distinctly shaped green leaves. Each leaf is formed almost in a perfect star pattern and very easy to recognize. They grow wild in a lot of areas and easily naturalize, meaning they will grow and spread without our help.

Centurea is beautiful and unique as you can see in the picture. The hummingbirds love this one too, they will usually love most flowers that have a tube like bloom. They have such a long slender beak that they can get right into it and drink the sweet nectar inside.

Crocosmia almost guarantees that hummingbirds will find your garden. If you are interested in helping them, then definitely include this plant in your garden. It's tall with flat spears of green usually about two to three feet in height with long arching bright colored flower sprays. You can choose red, orange, yellow or a combination of them all for a terrific array of color. But be careful with it, it will continue to grow and sprout up everywhere. After a while it will need a bit of control, but that's easy to do by pulling out the ones that are spreading too far. I recommend using a container and you won't have a problem. Crocosmia is the only plant, besides weeds that I have ever seen happily grow under a cedar hedge.

Monarda (Bee Balm) will attract hummingbirds as well as bees and butterflies. This one can grow up to four feet tall with somewhat narrow, heart shaped pointy leaves. The flowers rise out of the clump of leaves on tall, slim but very strong daisy like stems. Many beautiful colors are available to suit your taste. Each plant presents dozens of compact heads of tiny tube like flowers that the little birds love.

There are many other types of flowers that hummingbirds love, these are just a few of them. I encourage planting several hummingbird attracting plants, for beauty and practicality.

When the flowers are gone for the season use this hummingbird food recipe for winter time feeding.