8 Flower Laden Trees to Attract Hummingbirds

Cercis Canadensis or Eastern Redbud

Backyards and gardens naturally give a sense of relaxation and peace, especially when flowers are blooming. But people aren’t the only ones who enjoy this environment. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators love to visit nectar-rich flowers from trees, and they will repeatedly return whenever flowers abound. 

Trees create height in a garden and can provide a screen and interest in your yard. Adding a tree even to a smaller yard can have a real impact.

Here are the best trees to attract hummingbirds that you may want to start in your backyard.

1. Crab Apples

Crab Apple Trees

Crab Apples are small deciduous trees that belong to the genus Malus and the rose family, Rosaceae. Their origins may be traced to Russia and Asia, but they now inhabit temperate regions of North America. They are popular ornamental, fruit-bearing trees with colorful blossoms and great leafy foliage. 

Crabapples put on quite a display during spring when their flowers bloom. You’ll see a profusion of white, pink, magenta, and red flowers opening from darker-colored buds generally for a 4-5 week period. 

There are many varieties of crabapple trees, so their flowers also come in many different forms. There are single (five petals), semi-double (6-10 petals), and double (more than ten petals) blossoms. Hummingbirds keep coming back to these large, colorful, and bountiful flowers.

Aside from crabapple blossoms, their foliage is also a sight to behold in the fall. Ordinarily, they have green and dark green leaves, while some varieties have reddish and purplish leaves. But come fall, their leaves turn gold-yellow, red, orange, or bronze before they fall on the ground. 

Crabapple fruits are also a reason why these trees attract birds and other mammals. From fall into winter, the trees are filled with orange, bright red, yellow, and many shades or variations of fruits. They come in many sizes, too, depending on the trees.

Whether you go for a large crabapple tree or a small crabapple tree, you can look forward to many blooms and fruits that also bring hummingbirds to your backyard.

  • Growing Zones: 4 – 8
  • Sun: Full sun
  • Soil: rich, loamy, well-drained soil
  • Colors: white, pink, or red
  • Height: Small-10-15 ft, Med – 15-20 feet, Large – up to 40 feet
  • Spread: up to 12 meters wide

2. English Hawthorn

Hawthorn

The English Hawthorn (Craetaegus Laevigata), also commonly called Midland hawthorn or Woodland hawthorn is a deciduous, thorny tree that originated in Europe and North Africa. It is similar to apple, pear, and crabapple trees that bloom profusely during spring. 

English Hawthorn trees are small to medium-sized trees that can reach up to 30 feet high. They are tolerant of drought and poor soil conditions and can be confined to small spaces, which is why they are popular as street trees, in landscapes, and as bonsai trees.

In springtime, these English Hawthorn trees will flower radiant colors of white, pink, lavender, and red. They grow in flat clusters of 6 to 12 flowers, each with 5 petals, along its branches. When these flowers fade, small red or orange fruit will start to grow from summer into winter. These red and orange fruits provide a great contrast against the white tree in winter. 

When planting your English Hawthorn, make sure to plant them where fallen fruit is not an issue. They also grow slowly but will live for as long as 150 years.

  • Growing Zones: 3 – 9
  • Sun: Full sun
  • Soil:  moist, well-drained
  • Colors: white, pink, lavender, red
  • Height: 6 to 30 feet tall
  • Spread: 6 to 30 feet wide
  • Plant Type: Deciduous Flowering Fruit tree

3. Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus are a large group of 700 species of flowering trees and shrubs. Almost all species are native to Australia, but some have found their way into Hawaii, California, Arizona, western Washington, western Oregon, and southwestern British Columbia.

Eucalyptus trees are also called gum trees or stringybark trees and are considered invasive species in places like California because they are highly flammable, so do not plant them in fire risk states.

Though most eucalyptus trees grow as tall as 800 feet in the wild, there are eucalyptus varieties that you can grow in your backyard, like the Red-Flowering gum (Eucalyptus ficifolia) and the Silver dollar eucalyptus (Eucalyptus cinerea) that can reach from 20 to 50 feet tall. They provide good shade because of their height.

They’re also easy to maintain in urban areas because they can grow in any type of soil as long as it’s well-drained. However, they’re mostly suited for regions with tropical temperatures, like in zones 8-11. They don’t do well in the cold. 

What’s fascinating about eucalyptus trees is that they technically have no flowers because they have no petals. The flowers that you would see are actually the numerous stamens that are freed from their petal-like enclosure. They are usually colored white, yellow, orange, pink, or red. 

Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies love the eucalyptus trees because they produce a large amount of nectar. Bees can use it to make eucalyptus honey. Hummingbirds also love the scarlet color of the blossoms, and they even make their nests in Eucalyptus trees. 

  • Growing Zones: 7 -11
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Soil: well-drained, slightly acid soil
  • Colors: white, yellow, orange, pink, red 
  • Height: up to 120 feet tall (note: Pacific Northwest varieties) 820 feet (250 m) (Wild)
  • Spread: 25 to 57 feet wide (note: Pacific Northwest varieties) 500 feet (150 m) (Wild)
  • Plant type: Evergreen Tree

4. Northern Catalpa

Northern Catalpa

The Northern Catalpa, or Catalpa speciosa, is a medium-sized deciduous tree native to the midwestern United States. However, some trees have found their way to New England and east of the Rocky Mountains. They are mostly treated as ornamental lawn, roadside, and sidewalk trees because they’re tough and can survive a wide range of moisture conditions. 

The flowers of the Northern Catalpa are beautiful, to say the least. They bloom in late spring to early summer and are white, bell-shaped, with yellow, orange, or purple streaking on the inside. Hummingbirds are attracted to them because of the showy flowers. 

The leaves of the Northern Catalpa are an attraction themselves. They’re huge, around a foot long, heart-shaped, bright green on the topside and dark green on the underside. They turn yellow before dropping down to the ground in the fall. 

The Northern Catalpa also has seed pods, which look like cigars, that’s why they’re sometimes called cigar trees. These pods are about 2 feet long, like a green bean, but they turn dark brown in the fall when they split open to let the seeds free to fall on the ground. 

When growing the Northern Catalpa, you have to consider that its flowers, leaves, seedpods, and seeds naturally fall down from spring until winter. It understandably makes a mess on the ground, and its twigs and branches are brittle and easily break and fall from wind and ice damage. 

  • Growing Zones: 4 – 8
  • Sun: Full sun (4 hours) and partial shade
  • Soil: wide range of moisture conditions, even hot and dry
  • Colors: white 
  • Height: 40 – 60 feet tall
  • Spread: 20 – 40 feet in diameter
  • Plant Type: Deciduous tree

5. Red Buckeye

Red buckeye flowers

Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) is a large shrub or a small tree that’s native to the Southeastern United States. Its other names include Scarlet Buckeye and Firecracker plant. They can be a single-trunked tree or shrub or a multi-trunked tree, depending on your pruning behavior. 

The attraction of the Red Buckeye are numerous red, tubular flowers that bloom in the spring. These red flowers belong to the typical Red Buckeye, but there are also yellow flowers that are the flavescens variety of the Aesculus pavia.

These red flowers are extremely attractive to hummingbirds and bees because they rise upright from the leaves.

The leaves of the Red Buckeye are a good contrast to the bright red flowers. They are composed of 5 leaflets connected to a central point. They’re shiny and glossy, dark green above and whitish on the underside. 

Red Buckeyes are easy to grow and maintain because they can be grown in any soil texture, but they thrive when in moist and well-drained soil. You can grow them in the shade, but you may stunt their growth, and they will remain as small shrubs.

While the Red Buckeye looks brilliant when it is in full bloom, caution must be exercised as almost all their parts, bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, seeds, and stems, are poisonous and toxic to humans. 

  • Growing Zones: 4 – 8
  • Sun: Full sun or partial shade
  • Soil: all soil textures
  • Colors: red or yellow
  • Height: 15 – 20 feet tall
  • Spread: 15 – 25 feet wide
  • Plant Type:  Deciduous flowering tree

6. Mimosa

Flowering silk tree

The Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin) is a deciduous tree that is native to southwestern and eastern Asia. In these areas, it was called “sleeping tree” because its leaves droop and close off at night like they were sleeping. It was brought to the United States by botanist Andre Michaux in 1745 as an ornamental plant and has also been referred to as “Mimosa” since then.

The bright, colorful, and fragrant flowers of the Silk Tree are a sure magnet to hummingbirds. The flowers are pink, wispy, and kind of look like pom-poms. They aren’t petals but individual stamens, around 2-3 centimeters long, and look like silky threads, hence the name. The flowers bloom all summer long.

The leaves of the Silk Tree are also interesting. They’re actually a compound of leaves, with each compound having about 20 to 60 leaflets among them. They resemble ferns or feathers, with the leaflets alternating on a stem.

Silk trees germinate via seed pods. They’re not hard to spot since they’re green, long, flat, and hang from the branches. They begin to ripen by late summer to early fall.

While Silk Trees are a beautiful addition to your landscape, it is on the list of invasive species in the US. They have an extremely high survival rate – having seeds that grow fast and remain viable for 50 years, can re-sprout even after damage, and can grow in most soil conditions. Since it’s a very hardy tree, it can displace native trees and shrubs.

Grow in a container to limit their growth and ensure to clean up any seed pods.

  • Growing Zones: 6 – 9
  • Sun: Full sun or partial shade
  • Soil: Moist but well-drained
  • Colors: pink
  • Height: 20 – 40 ft tall
  • Spread: 20 – 50 feet wide
  • Plant Type: Deciduous tree

7. Tulip Tree

Flowering tulip tree (Liriodendron Tulipifera, Tulip Tree,

The Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is the North American counterpart of the Chinese genus, Liriodendron chinense. The yellow-poplar, as it is commonly called, is fast-growing, strong, and known to be the tallest eastern hardwood tree.

Its bright yellow flowers, rich with nectar, are a feast for hummingbirds.

In the spring, the tulip tree showcases 2 inches long and 2-inches wide, tulip-shaped flowers with six greenish-yellow petals, and an orange band near the bottom part of the flower. This orange band, when seen from the top, appears to highlight the stamens in the middle, which probably makes it attractive to hummingbirds and other pollinators. 

The leaves of the Tulip tree are also quite pretty. They’re star-shaped, smooth, and shiny, about 3 to 6 inches long. Though they’re bright green like most trees, they turn to gold or vibrant yellow in the fall. Their stems have a certain fragrance, too. 

Not many people often see these beauties because they’re usually high up, at around 50 feet or even higher. It may be daunting to plant a tree that grows as high as 90 feet, but it can be maintained to stay small by pruning. The Tulip tree prefers moist, well-drained soil and doesn’t do well with drought. But it does need a maximum of 6 hours of sunlight to grow fast. 

  • Growing Zones: 4 – 9
  • Sun: Full sun
  • Soil: moist, well-drained soil 
  • Colors: green-yellow, orange
  • Height:70 to 90 feet
  • Spread: 40 feet
  • Plant Type: Deciduous tree

8. Eastern Redbud

Cercis Canadensis or Eastern Redbud

The Eastern Redbud, Cercis Canadensis, is a large deciduous shrub or small tree native to eastern North America. It is grown as an ornamental specimen plant for its twisted trunk, zigzag branches, beautiful flowers, and large, heart-shaped leaves. It is also just the right size for a small to medium backyard. 

What makes the Eastern Redbud interesting is that its flowers appear before the leaves when they bloom in early spring. So, they’re really the focal point of the tree once they start flowering. The half-inch wide flowers grow in clusters on the branches, each with 4-8 flowers. Only hummingbirds and long-tongued bees, like blueberry bees and carpenter bees, can reach the nectaries. 

Eastern Redbud flower colors range from light pink to deep magenta, and some even have a purplish tinge. With their bright colors against the dark branches and trunk, the flowers appear to be just floating in the air in the right kind of light. You can enjoy this display for 2 to 3 weeks before the fruits appear. 

Once the flowers disappear in mid-summer, their fruits or legumes appear. They look like bean pods that start out green when they first come out but will, later on, turn brown as winter approaches. 

Leaves then appear as winter buds, initially bright green with a tinge of red, and when they unfurl and expand, they are heart-shaped. They are bright green, glossy, and have prominent veins. 

Eastern redbuds can be grown in full sun and partial shade, but if you want them to bloom profusely, it’s better to give them 6 hours of sunlight. While they may tolerate drought, it’s still better to keep them watered regularly. You may also prune them while young to give them shape and structure.

  • Growing Zones: 4 – 9
  • Sun: Full sun, partial shade
  • Soil: moist, well-drained soil 
  • Colors: pink, reddish, purple
  • Height: 20 to 30 feet tall 
  • Spread: 25 to 35 feet wide
  • Plant Type: Deciduous tree