Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: The Last Hummer, 1 by hummer_girl

hummer_girl wrote:
Leaving feeders out will not stop hummers from migrating south when it is time. I leave one feeder out until the end of November in case any stragglers pass through and they need an energy drink.

Ipomopsis rubra, Gilia rubra, Standing Cypress, Texas Wildflower, Texas Plume: hardy in zones 6-10, but I haven't tried to overwinter in the ground, yet. Hardy in zone 5 with heavy mulch added for protection over winter. Full sun is best, plant blooms red trumpet flowers May or June through October and blooms first year when grown from seed. Plant is 36"-48" tall and is a narrow upright stalk, so I plant a lot of them close together for fullness and to help support each other. Average water needs. I use Miracle Gro Potting Mix with traction sand (gravel sized sand) added. I plant in a 14" terracotta container. I sow the seeds where I want the plant to grow, usually the first week of May. I heavily scatter the seeds on the surface, finger sift some potting mix over the seeds, water in, and water once each morning afterwards until they sprout, which doesn't take too long. You can start seeds indoors in March or April and transplant outside after danger of frost has passed. You'll have blooms earlier that way. I also put a 10" fence around the edge of the pot to keep the squirrels from jumping inside and digging in the soil. When the plants start to fade, collect seeds for the next year.

Last year I was able to sow seeds the first week of May and had blooms for the hummers in July. This year I didn't sow seeds until mid June so there weren't any buds until late August. My hummers couldn't understand why there weren't any flowers where there were supposed to be flowers.

This picture of a hummer at my Standing Cypress was taken on September 8th. I do not take very good pictures, and she is almost lost in the background foilage, but I enjoyed the moment anyway.