Time to plan your hummingbird garden!

Hi, everybody-

Today I was getting together my seed orders for wintersowing, etc., etc. and came across this rundown on "Diane's Flower Seeds" site of good (mostly annual) flowers to attract hummingbirds (and I think butterflies like many of them, too.).

http://www.dianeseeds.com/flowers/hummingbirds.html

Besides the plants and seeds I already have in the summer HB garden, I am adding nicotania, four-o-clocks (had them a few years ago and the HB's loved 'em), verbena bonarienses, and new single hollyhocks and cosmos.

Hope to have a huge show of HBs next summer. What about you?!

I am trying to get hummingbird's on a more regular basis. I see one about every other week. The mainly go to my fuschia or feeder. I have columbine,monarda and other flowers that they skip. My only guess is that I live at the outside range of their feeding. Butterfly's like a lot of what I have.
Al

Hi, Al--well, I know Hummingbirds love fuschias and of course they love the feeders so maybe yours are satisfied...

BTW Wisconsin is not too far north for them in summer---and last year I think the count was down nationally because of the hurricanes. Probably will be the same for this summer, too, I guess.

http://www.rubythroat.org/RTHURangeMapMain.html

I think to really attract Hummingbirds try planting some red four-o-clocks (in a patio pot if you don't have room in the garden.) Ours were crazy for them. Also coral honeysuckle...

I am planting butterfly weed and milk weed for the monarchs. And fennel.

I love the butterfly visitors. So much fun.

I live in the city and am not sure about their nesting habits. My parents and other people I know closer to edges of town have a lot of Ruby's.
Here's your funny story for today, I asked the guy down the street who has a H feeder if he gets any and he says " I can't see them - I'm legally blind"
Anyway I love cosmos and the butterfly's LOVE my butterfly bushes.
Al

My best success with hummers last summer were with Salvia guaranitica (mine was Black and Blue) Cuphea species, and agastache. Now, I act as one of them! LOL! By selecting flowers which seem to have a great nectar content (have to cut some flowers though) and that works!

zarcanat-- thanks for the good information about HB plants. I see on your homepage you are interested in doing research on plants that attract Hummingbirds--- I assume 'Ruby Throateds---

What have you discovered so far? Are you allowed to discuss your research?

I am curious about Hummingbirds and daylilies. I have seen "Daylily" listed on so many Hummingbird Plant lists, yet I have never seen a hummingbird visit one, except in a 'curious' moment and then move on to something 'more delicious'.

Has that been your experience, too?

Last summer I asked about this on the Daylily forum and all the daylily growers said they had HBs but that the HBs visited the salvias, honeysuckles, hollyhocks, 4 o clocks, etc...not the DLs.

This year I will have some single red daylilies blooming and I am going to watch them to see if my HBs visit them regularly (or even at all). Just a little experiment...

Normally I have about 10 or 15 HBs visiting my feeder and garden each summer, so I have a pretty good focus group to study...

Hi Tabasco! Yes indeed, we are fortunate to have the ruby troated here, actually my "research" is a personnal one so I can take a few minutes to talk about it, LOL!
Daylily, just like you said, are not really visited for feeding purpose, it might happen sometimes though that they explore the flowers just in case they find something interesting.

I didn't try much so far, there are so many flowers on the earth! But I can tell that many malvacea (hibiscus, malva, alcea etc) , Lantana, manettia luteorubra, fuchsia, cape fuchsia, purple lablab, Monarda receive their visit.
But for a real treat, Salvias, Cupheas, Mimulus, Agastache, red runner beans and ipomoea quamoclit were the bests.

I should really write this down since I could easily lose track while trying more and more variety, LOL!

You are much more lucky than I am, they are pretty agressive here, they do not tolerate intruders on feeding ground, they chase each other frequently so I only see one at a time. I had a precious moment though last summer when a baby boy flew a few minutes around a flower pot at an arm distance.

Dean husband wants the compu, will talk to you later, Ciao!

Ours will go back and forth obsessively between Monarda and orange Trumpet Vine.

I grew Mandevilla Alice Dupont on my deck last year, but my husband put out a nice glass feeder and then they just went to that all the time. I also had tons of Agastache and Salvia last year, but only saw them sporadically there.

I think a few years ago, I had a pineapple sage that they liked a lot.

I guess that flowers can have different amount of nectar depending on where they are grown, it would have to do with day lenght, temperature, humidity etc. Hummers chose among what it is offered so we can only give relative information from what we have at the same time in our garden. So flowers that have a reputation to be attractants could get different success depending from the area where the are grown, and it maybe the same for different hummingbird species . This would be interesting to verify.

While not an annual, early in the season when the hummers first start arriving here in numbers, I constantly see them working over my blooming rhododendrons.

The 2 rhodas I have are quite old, large, & always so covered with blooms you can barely see the leaves. What's nice about both is that one is directly in front of my kitchen sink window, & the other comes partway up the 2nd story window right by my computer - which gives me some wonderful close-up views of the little guys.

B. I don't think of Rhodies as HB plants, but, of course, that's right! It must be dazzling to have a big rhododendron and then HBs visiting them in spring right at your window..

Z. Good point about the humidity and environment influencing the nectar. I hadn't thought of that. I will have to factor that into my 'home experiments'.

I bought seeds for ipomea and red runner beans and must remember to order some Orange Trumpet vine...I can grow that from seed, can't I? I have coral honeysuckle, though, and maybe that serves the same purpose. I am not familiar with several you mentioned so I will have to look them up.

One of my new year's resolutions is to keep my DG diary up to date with notes on my Hummingbird "Research" (such as it is!).

Do you track your HB's 'first arrival in spring' dates? I try to do that. Another of my 'experiments'....

Oh yes - Scarlet Runner Beans are favorites as well, & you get to enjoy consuming the flowers & beans as well. Both are delicious!!!

Every year I mark my calendar with ALL the spring bird arrivals here in Culpeper, VA. In the almost 10 years we've lived here, the hummers are pretty much the 2nd to last to arrive, sandwiched inbetween the Tree Swallows & the Barn Swallows. Here, the Barn Swallows are always the last to arrive & the first to leave in the fall.

My little hummers love the skull cap, can't seem to get enough of it lol I can sit outside and repot right by it and they look at me like I'm in the way lol
Lea

Hi, LeBug---I do not know what a 'skull cap' flower is, but it sounds interesting... :-)

I was researching the best Ipomeoa (Cardinal Flower Vine?) to plant in our garden for Ruby Throateds (and I never did find an answer so I posted on the Vines and Climbers Forum for their thoughts) but I came across this Ruby Throated HB garden thread that had great pictures of the various plants HBs like and where to order the seeds...

http://canada-gardens.com/2hummingbird.html

The "Canada Gardens" list pretty much agrees with yours, zarcanat.

I am looking for a source for the fuschia 'gartenmeister', which is supposed to be the most favored fuschia, but haven't seen a source, yet....

I see you recommend ipomoea quamoclit ...and is cigar flower the same as cigar plant?...

Do you have HB bloom well into Autumn with your bloom list, Z?

Just wondering--last summer my flowers quit when it got hot and my HBs went elsewhere it seemed.

Fuschia 'gartenmeister' is a beautiful one but last summer Beacon Rosa had more success; it is pretty fun though to see the little creatures rising the 'gartenmeister's flowers to have a drink.

Cigar flower and cigar plant are the same, many species exist, I tried Cuphea llavea and C. ignea and they both do great, I also have C. eminens but my plant was too young last summer to set flowers. Commercial hybrids are good too, I had succes with .

Not sure about the last question meaning, I will hask DH tonight.

Cheers

We live in the mountains of western North Carolina, a very fudge-able zone 6B. I have also tried to plant for hummingbirds, but they have their own agendas. In spite of huge plantings of Texas hummingbird sage and Asclepius tuberosa, they seem to prefer the Buddleias and other smaller blooms around the garden. I'm trying to get a lot of Aquilegia canadensis started this year specifically for the hummers. We have large numbers of butterflies. They seem to go most enthusiastically for red zinnias.

Hi miss garney--

So interesting that ou are in NC--I just finished reading a very detailed web page about the best plants for attracting HBs in NC...

These are the four Salvias they recommended for long season salvia bloom:

"The essential hummingbird (salvia) collection:

coccinea, elegans 'Scarlet Pineapple' (the usual type), greggii, guaranitica, and splendens 'Van Houttei'"

And here's the link to the complete article--(scroll halfway down the page for Hummingbird Info)

http://www.carolinanature.com/plants4birds.html

very thorough, includes details on annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees.

(I wondered why we had hummingbirds before my garden was blooming, and then I realized we have five Buckeye Trees, which apparently are HB favorites!)

zar--I will look up fuschia 'beacon rosa' And all the cupheas. thanks.

tabasco, sorry I haven't gotten back with you, skull cap is an herb 'Sculellaria baicalensis', it a perennial, I have a feeling this is going to reseed like crazy too, I didn't collect enough seed this year for everybody on here this year, got to do more next year lol I have one more pack on my trade list if you are interested I will send it to you, 1-2' tall and the flowers look like little purple orchids.
Lea

I've found plain ole' impatiens to be a great draw for them in the shade. It was cute when they'd get confused visiting caladiums to!

Their very favorite thing in my garden is the trumpet honeysuckle. It blooms from April-November and they are there every day, many times a day (some nest in the trees above). It is a very well behaved vine that I highly recommend..
Neal.

I forgot that when my HB's were done with the Monarda and Trumpet vine, they would briefly stop for a taste of Salvia Brenthurst and Indigo Spires in the front yard. Before my oriental lilies disappeared , they used to come for them, too.

thanks, LeBug for your kind offer, but I'll pass for this year...I sort of went overboard on my seed ordering , as it is...Skullcap is a v. pretty flower though and I will want to try it someday. IIf not for the flower, for all my aches and pains.

I noticed skullcap is used a lot in Chinese herbal medicine: Scutellaria baicalensis is an Important Chinese medicinal herb "prescribed for fevers, colds, hypertension, insomnia, headaches, hepatitis, diphtheria, shingles, and other ailments. Many of its traditional uses are supported by clinical studies."

Well, gem, I never think of 'plain ole' impatiens' to be much of a hummingbird magnet, but of course, they are with their color and the flower shape and the nectar...I'll have to put a few down in my shady area...

My HB seed orders are starting to arrive and I'm wondering what I was thinking!? If they all grow as planned I will have a zillion HBs in my yard! I ordered most of what everyone's listed above and then some...

So that just means you'll have lots of babies to share....wink,wink....nudge,nudge.... LOL

Gem---

Delighted to share if I get anything to grow. Propagation is not my strong point, but am trying to learn.

My sister, who is the scientific type, is going to help me with my HB flower 'experiment'. We're doing wintersowing on some, the 'deno' method on others, etc. etc. She is pretty good at getting things to germinate (more patience) so I am looking forward to a few things to grow in the garden (and would love to share some!)

I'll share all of my butterfly plants too, (when they grow, that is!) . I'm trying to get everyone on our cul de sac to become a 'monarch way station' so I'm growing plenty.. :-)

http://www.monarchwatch.org/ws/seed_kit.html

I guess the milkweed is the key for Monarchs. I'm already growing several of the other butterfly plants--verbena, zinnia, thithonia, etc., etc.

My sis says I'm too full of anxiety and I 'over think' starting seeds. Maybe I should have accepted LeBug on the Skull cap flower seeds, after all. It sounds like it treats everything! Including shingles. LOL

Ivy--I looked up that Salvia 'Brenthurst' in the catalog--is that as pretty as it looks in the picture? Light pinkish lavender, right?

I love it when my yard is 'a buzz' with HBs and butterflies. Adds another dimension to the flowers....then next summer I want to learn to take pics of them. But I'll need a new camera with the 'anti-shake' technology!

I've stayed away from starting seeds indoors for a while now because every time I tried in the past they got spindly and withered. Germination was'nt as much of a problem as keeping them healthy afterword. But now, I'm armed with artificial light! I read a post that freed me from thinking of myself as a seedling nimrod- it said a sunny windowsill simply is not enough light for sturdy seedlings, and that's especially true in this shadowy nook I live in. So, I'm feeling empowered and hopefully I'll have plenty of lovelies to share to!
Neal.

BTW - I can't remember where I read it, but it had to do with butterflies preferring to lay eggs on hollyhock to overwinter.
Al

I got a flourescent light , too, from Home Depot. Now I'm going to Big Lots to see if I can find some cheap shelves and be organized this year. I've been following along all the propagation/seed starting/wintersowing threads, too, and gathering courage and info.

I saw that post about light, too, but last year when I used my flourescent lights, I didn't realize they should be about 6 inches or so from the plant/seedlings. Mine got tall and gangly and sad looking so will know better now.

(It seems like there are a lot more people trying seed starting this year on DG and lots of good postings with pics and links available.)

I like wintersowing the best since it keeps all my seed starting 'crap-ola' (as my kids call it) out of the kitchen...but it doesn't work for everything.

Right now my kitchen counters are loaded up with my amaryllis 'farm' (40 of them). It's driving my family crazy.

Well, please post your pics when you get your propagation going! We'll all follow along together. ;-) ...
gem, you already posted you put together a very 'chic' cold frame (Martha Stewart style) so you are well on your way! Maybe I'll pic up some straw bales and an old window too!

Yes, Brenthurst is as beautiful as it looks. It is more coral pink to my eyes, but who knows what it does in other places. I have a picture from right at the end of bloom last year. Let me see if I can find it.

Oh, yes. Here it is- not a very clear pic, it's the stalk above the coneflower, maybe I can find another:

Here is one that's better:

Here is the one I was looking for, sorry, didn't mean to waste so much space on this one little flower- this is definitely the picture I wanted:

This message was edited Jan 27, 2006 10:47 AM

The optic illusion was making the salvia look about 4' tall before - I see it's in a box now ;]

Yes, so that one would be perfect for my Hummingbird Flower window box project!!

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/570727/

From the first pic I thought it was 8 feet tall, too!

tabasco,
Your lights on your seedlings: should be about three inches above your plants, put your hand over the seedling and if you can feel the heat from the light raise it a hair ;-) gardeners.com has a great article on this, wish I knew how to do a link for you, at the top of the page on the right there is a search engine, type in articles. They have a lot of great articles.
Lea

Lea,
you right click and copy the address and then right click paste in the reply like this,
http://www.gardeners.com/
Al

I wish they were 8 feet tall, they are so pretty! I think that windowbox idea is great! the you can watch from inside as the HB's come!

I had a little trouble with tall plantings in the windowboxes last year. Something drew Katydids to my windows every night. It was a little scary at first, having about 40 Katydids buzzing right there next to you, but it was quite interesting as well. They did no damage as far as I could see.

Also, the tall plants just kept growing... so it looked a little straggly by the end of summer. It was well worth doing though. I am not much for maintaining my boxes. If I can't do it from inside the house, it doesn't get done. I fertilize and water, but trimming back is not for me. I can't reach the boxes from outside in summer because the garden is right in front of them.
Next time I will make a path behind my foundation plantings!

This message was edited Jan 27, 2006 11:13 AM

Thanks bigcityal, I'll try it on that thread that you can do things on like that first when I get the time? lol I really need to learn how to do this ;-)
You know I didn't realise that the butterflies laid eggs on the hollyhocks for the winter, will have to quit cutting mine down in the fall.
Lea

I just want to confirm that hummingbirds do indeed like impatiens. I had a coral color planted this past year, and they seemed to visit them even more than they did the salvia.

I had such fun last year watching them, because I have several things they enjoy, they browse and pick and choose. I called it the hummingbird buffet all summer.

tabasco, are you trying any nicotiana? I have tall white ones that draw night moths, and are really striking. I would think the colorful varieties would draw hummers to; anyone know?
Neal.

gem--I am planting green nicotiana to 'play up' my eremurus, allium, daylilies, etc., etc., in my 'painterly' mixed garden

....didn't think of nic. for the hummingbird garden, but seems like the right shape for the HBs, especially if they come in red or purple (can't remember)....

I bought a big big fibreglass pot at Lowes yesterday on close out (was $50 and I paid $6. so this will be my hummingbird container garden for my front yard...I am thrilled to find it! I hadn't thought of an HB 'container' garden until I saw one on P. Allen Smith's website....seems like a good idea, especially if you want to contain 'red' colors for the HBs to one area. I can just see some trailing red vines and other goodies in it.

Oooohh, I love those green nicotianas and must try them. I tried 3 of the tall white last year (from toni) and they reached 5-6'. The clusters of long, tubular, hanging blooms dancing above the rest of the garden put me in mind fireworks. Kind of made the garden look like a celebration, I loved it! The green will give you that effect to, can't wait to see pics.

Cardinal Lobelia is a magnet for hummers and swallowtails, and is great color for shade to. There are some really nice looking varieties available that are more rose, pink, and purple shades. I've found I can always find a spot for more strong pinks, scarlet red, or bright orange, and they seem pretty happy with all. Funny how they bypass the soft pink asiatics and go nuts over the orange ones. Ok, finall finished blabbing...for a little while at least, LOL
Neal