I want to plant a Hummingbird Garden next year with annuals. Could you suggest one or several that you would go with? Thanks, in advance, for your help.
Could use some help on the best annuals for Hummingbirds
Any Salvia, any plant that has no lower lip on the flower. Hummers prefer flowers that only hovering birds can eat from trumpet-type flowers. Don;t look just for annuals, in your zone most things are. Get some grown plants have them during the season and rotate them out for fall and winter-spring. Anything that fits the category of the hummers body-beak eating habit will work. They don;t smell their food they see it. Red means food You could grow Dropmore honey suckle (Lonicera brownii) and Goldflame honeysuckle (Lonicera heckrottii) They can take cold to 10 or 20 below and come back. This is Salvia Navajo Rose.
dwdruley,
If you can find garden meister fuschia next year get it. It is not hardy, but here in Mi. it is the top hummer plant. Monarda is also a favorite, and easy to grow. Butterflies, I have found out do love the butteryfly bush.
Sandy I have been wanting to get one of those. I always get side-tracked and end up with a Salvia or the like . Today is the day!
Did a google (buuterfly annuals):
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columngw/grbtrhm.html
This is just the first one on the result page. There were many other sites.
monterey,
Your hummers are going to love you for getting them that nectar rich plant. Pinch one off and feel how much is them. Than go in the house and wash your sticky hands. I have 8 of them. I over wintered one last year and it is just now blooming. They are worth every penny I spend on them.
See how fat it makes them.
FAT hummer!
this guy
is this guy too!
Its an obesity epidemic!
This is the slimed down guy. Same guy 15 minutes later. It's really a girl!
"Slimed?" Ha, ha.
This is great for getting them to come to your garden. Goldflame Honeysuckle. Lonicera heckrottii
I thought this summary for planting a hummingbird garden was interesting because it recommended HB plants for different parts of the country...
http://www.portalproductions.com/h/gardens.htm#midwestI
I wonder if when they say 'plants that 'work' in an area' they mean plants easy to grow, or plants that attract the particular hummingbird common to the area...
Well, the salvias and the fuschia mentioned in your posts sound very interesting, and so do the honeysuckles...I'm putting them on my list for next year. Thanks.
Added that link to my favorites tobasco. Thanks.
Thanks everyone. I'm new to DG and you've proven what a great resource it is!
Monardo and also zinnias. I have plenty of seeds from both dw if you want to try them.
This was an odd yr. Didn't see one hummer til July. I had just hung up my $3.99 special hanging torenia. There they were. Quickly hung out my feeder. The even weirder thing is I've seen them approach the plant many times, but never drink from it. Of course , my cat does like to snooze under that plant and maybe they've spent so much time checking her out, they haven't "partaken" from it. Have yet to figure them out but was really glad to see them.
Jay
Dw go to hummer garden must in this forum and check the camera forum. Your new camera post.
Welcome to Dave's Garden dwdruley!! :D
Welcome to DG, dwdruely!!! Have your hummers headed south yet? I still see them at the feeders and flowers.
Believe it or not I still have a female Ruby or immature male Ruby getting fat on my Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle. And it's getting cool up here in South Bend, IN.
Thanks for your warm welcome!
Perhaps it will make a pit stop here on its way south. :-)