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40
Blooms Hummingbirds
Can't Refuse! |
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You'll love the traffic these
flowers provide.
by Joe
Kegley, Birds & Blooms
Imagine several gorgeous hummingbirds hovering
around your garden, each vying for a dining
spot. Once they've found your flowers, it's
likely they'll come back all season long. That
was the case in Joe Kegley's Charlotte, North
Carolina yard, when he snapped this picture
(below) of a hummingbird at his bee balm. |
Planting a hummingbird garden is no different
than creating a perennial border, mixed
container, or any other garden. There are dozens
of annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs from
which hummingbirds feed. Which ones should you
choose? It's easier than you think! Here are our
top 40 picks, spotlighting 10 favorites, to get
you started...
Red Flowers
People often associate hummingbirds with the
color red, and for good reason. These
inquisitive birds can see red from a great
distance, so offering a patch of red flowers to
hummingbirds is like a neon "EAT" sign on a
lonely highway.
Mix in Annuals
Annuals ensure long-blooming flowers that
immediately produce nectar. From the time the
migratory hummingbirds return north from their
tropical winter grounds until they leave in the
fall, the birds are sure to stay well fed.
Plant in Clusters
To get the attention of hummingbirds, cluster
blooms together so they shout, "Dinnertime!"
Combining plants with staggered heights will
bring depth to your garden, as well as providing
hummers with a nectar buffet.
Cascading Blooms
Hummingbirds have the ability to fly forward,
backward, and even upside down! Some nectar
flowers have adapted specifically to accommodate
the agile fliers. The blooms hang downward, so
only hummingbirds can reach the sweet treat.
Tube-Shaped Blooms
These flowers provide large amounts of nectar
deep at the base of their blooms. Hummingbirds
can easily reach this food with their long,
tubular tongues, while bees and most other
nectar-loving insects are left out.
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TOP TEN! |
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1. Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
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Perennial; Zones 4 to 10.
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Color: Red.
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Blooms: Summer.
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Size: 3 to 5 feet tall; spreads 18 to 36
inches.
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Care: Moist, moderately fertile soil; light
shade to full sun. Deadhead flowers to keep
them blooming and to limit reseeding.
2.
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
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Perennial; Zones 2 to 8.
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Color: Red.
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Blooms: Summer.
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Size: 3 to 4 feet tall; 2 feet wide.
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Care: Fertile and moist soil,
partial shade to full sun. Works beautifully
with other native plantings.
3.
Butterfly Bush (Buddleja species)
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Shrub; Zones 4
to 9.
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Color: Purple, pink, and white.
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Blooms: Summer to fall.
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Size: 6 to 15 feet tall; 4 to 10 feet wide.
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Care: Grow in sun to light shade. Considered
invasive in some regions.
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4. Trumpet
Vine (Campsis radicans)
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Perennial; Zones 4 to 9.
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Color: Orange-red.
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Blooms: Summer.
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Size: Climbs to 40 feet.
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Care: Grow in full sun in moist to dry soil.
Tolerates poor soil. Blooms better with
little or no fertilizer.
5.
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum)
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Annual.
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Color: Varies with variety.
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Blooms: Until frost.
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Size: 6 inches to 4 feet tall; 6 inches to 2
feet wide.
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Care: Grows in full sun to part shade in
moist soil. Regular deadheading needed.
6.
Salvia (Salvia spledens)
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Annual.
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Color: Red, purple.
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Blooms: Until frost.
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Size: 1 to 3 inches tall; 9 to 14 inches
wide.
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Care: Keep soil at roots cool
and moist; grow in full sun or part shade in
southern regions. Deadhead flowers to keep
blooming.
7.
Fuchsia (Fuchsia species)
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Perennial; Zones 10 and 11; annual to north.
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Color: Red, pinks, purple, white.
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Blooms: Until frost.
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Size: Trailing to 3 feet or available in
shrub form.
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Care: Requires moist soil: check pots twice
a day in hot weather. Pinch back flowers.
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8.
Columbine (Aquilegia species)
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Perennial; Zones 3 to 9.
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Color: Red, pink, blue, purple.
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Blooms: Spring to early summer.
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Size: 1 to 3 feet tall; 6 to 24 inches wide.
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Care: Low-maintenance plants that prefer
moist, but not wet, soil. Reseeds itself.
9.
Phlox (Phlox species)
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Perennial; Zones 3 to 8.
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Color: Pink, red, blue, and purple.
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Blooms: Spring to fall.
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Size: Up to 3 feet tall; 12 to 24 inches
wide.
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Care: Needs well-draining soil in full sun.
Deadhead to extend their bloom time.
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10.
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
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Perennial; Zones 4 to 9.
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Color: Orange.
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Blooms: Summer to fall.
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Size: 1-1/2 to 3 feet tall; spreads 12
inches wide.
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Care: Well-drained soil; full
sun. These plants will wander to where
they're best suited in your garden.
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More Sure-Fire Hummingbird Flowers
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Shrubs, Trees, and Vines
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Dropmore scarlet honeysuckle
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Lilac
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Mimosa
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Morning glory
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Rhododendron
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Scarlet runner bean
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Weigela
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Annuals
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Cleome
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Flowering tobacco
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Geranium
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Hollyhock*
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Impatiens
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Lantana*
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Nasturtium
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Petunia
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Zinnia
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Perennials
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Gayfeather
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Gladiola*
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Hosta
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Penstemon
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Primrose
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Yucca
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*In
some climates |
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