I'm not a landscaper or gardener, so I'm asking your advice on a shrub for my front yard that will attact ruby-throated hummingbirds. I live in Virginia Beach. The shrub will be planted on either side of my west facing front entrance and possibly, eventually, extend along the entire front of the house. I'd prefer that it doesn't grow more than 4 feet so it doesn't block the windows and so I don't have to trim it often. FWIW, the lower half of my house is red brick, the upper half is painted yellowish-tan.
Thanks.

@CaptObvious — I know you mentioned west facing, but how much sun does that actually get? Like 8 hours? 4 hours? Or??
And are you hoping for something evergreen?
What zone is Virginia Beach in?
And one more question. Are there hummers that live in your general area? (sorry, but I had to ask.)

tx_flower_child said:@CaptObvious — I know you mentioned west facing, but how much sun does that actually get? Like 8 hours? 4 hours? Or??
And are you hoping for something evergreen?
What zone is Virginia Beach in?
And one more question. Are there hummers that live in your general area? (sorry, but I had to ask.)

Well, I guess the amount of light shining on the west side of my house varies with the seasons. More in the summer when the days are longer. Currently, it's 11am and it's still in the shadows.
I wouldn't expect hummers to be attracted to evergreens, would you? Hummers like red flowers. I figured a landscaper would know this.
Zone?

I'll speak to a local nursery.

I was merely trying to narrow down some suggestions.

One of my favorites is Turks Cap. It is really easy to grow and hummers love it. Will grow in sun or shade and is not fussy about water, soil, etc. Butterflies are also attracted to it. Check it out on our Plants Database. There are a number of pictures of it as well as other information.

Another suggestion is Flame Acanthus. Again, you can see pictures of it in our Plants Database.

Maybe someone else will hop in with more suggestions.

tx_flower_child said:I was merely trying to narrow down some suggestions.

One of my favorites is Turks Cap. It is really easy to grow and hummers love it. Will grow in sun or shade and is not fussy about water, soil, etc. Butterflies are also attracted to it. Check it out on our Plants Database. There are a number of pictures of it as well as other information.

Another suggestion is Flame Acanthus. Again, you can see pictures of it in our Plants Database.

Maybe someone else will hop in with more suggestions.

Thanks for the suggestions. Turks cap looks promising. I’ll look into it further.
I learned that I’m in hardiness zone 7b. Didn’t know what your question was referring to at first.

Sorry that I wasn't clear about 'zone'. And that I was too lazy to look it up.

Don't know if the pictures of the Turks Cap show any that have either pink or white flowers. I'd stick with red as it's the most common as well as I don't know if the hummers would go for the others.

I'm thinking that there's probably some sages or salvias that you could consider but not sure. I know that there are vines that would work but most are pretty aggressive growers and will take over everything.

Definitely look for a plant with kind of 'tubular' shaped flowers. That makes it easier for the hummers to get at the nectar.