Goldflame honeysuckle. Takes heat to 110f survives 0-f Lonicera heckrottii.
A hummer garden must
This is Salvia greggii "Dark Dancer"
Salvia coccinea "Forest Fire"
Monterey-
I agree! The gold flame honeysuckle is sterile(so no spreading by seeds), evergreen, very fragrant, and attracts a HOST of insects, butterflies, etc.
What more could you ask for? A must!
-seedpicker_TX
Dropmore Scarlet is pretty sweet too. Lonicera brownii. Same temps as Goldflame.
I have that one, too, but it isn't wonderfully fragrant like the gold flame...
-seedpicker_TX
Salvia greggii "Navajo Rose"
Taking notes.
Salvia coccinea "Lady in Red"
Just ordered a flat of 48 starts of Salvia coccinea "Lady in Red" based on monterey's pic to plant in early '05. Talk about a pic that hits home!
48!?!?!?! Wow! You must have some huge garden!
salvia_lover
Hummingbirds are hard to come by in South Bend, IN so a big splash of red helps draw them to my yard. I have one bed that's just dedicated to that.
If I lived in Florida, Texas or maybe even in Israel where you are that might not be needed. What kind of Hummers do you see there? Here, 95% of mine are Ruby Throats
No hummers here at all I'm sad to report. We do have a similar bird - Sunbird (Nectarina osea) which also hovers to get nectar and it seems that he likes many of the same things the American hummers like. I have one pair that has started visiting my garden, but have never seen both of them at the same time. I did recently see 3 of them enjoying a sweet drink on a Chorisia speciosa tree near my supermarket though LOL. On the wildlife forum you can see lots of pics of the sunbird (in threads titled "more sunbird pics", "this time I checked the camera settings" and "yeehaw I've got bird pics" LOL). You can also see a very nice close-up photo of the male at: http://www.birdingisrael.com/birdNews/inFocus/psb/psb2.jpg
I can tell you though that Tecoma alata is a really great draw. One tree (or large bush depending on how you let it grow) with a shocking display of bright orange (or yellow) flowers can really bring the hummers around....they see that big splash from up high and just zoom down to get it! :-) Then once they are in the garden, they'll enjoy taking a tour and seeing what else you have on the menu :-) At least it works wonders on the Sunbird! :-)
I would LOVE to see your 48 Ladies in bloom next season! PLEASE remember to post a photo!
-Julie
Beautiful pic of the bird. Congrats! I'll remember you next season.
dwdruley I wish I had room for that many plants, like you I am always looking for something to attract the hummers. this year I only had 1 would the Goldflame thrive in our zone, and where did you purchase your Lady in Red
Goldflame and Dropmore Scarlet would both grow in your zone . Salvias work as annuals also. Salvias flower almost all season from last to first frost where as the honeysuckles bloom on and off. Salvia "Black and Blue"
Plant it and they will come!! It takes awhile sometimes. Same goes for the feeders. In fact in the past I have moved feeders to a new spot only to find the returning hummers going to the old location repeatedly. Talk about getting dirty looks!!! Hummingbirds have no sense of humor!
The "Lady in Red" I ordered thru a local nursery that I use for all my plants. It's up to them to track them down.
I planted a mature Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle this spring and it was the favorite of the hummers that I did get. Even today I still have a female Ruby (or immature male) getting fat on it. I'm sure that hummer will be gone in a matter of days.
It worked so well that I have also ordered two more smaller Dropmore Scarlets (one to two feet tall) that I intend to train to grow around one corner of the railing of my large deck.
When I learn to use the digital camera that I just bought, I will post some pictures although it's too late in the year for the "nice" shots.
By the way, monterey, do you have a policy to not answer emails? If so, just let me know and I want bug you again. I've had one in your private mail for several days now. You may remember, that earlier I sent you one direct under the old system that was never answered.
From what I see about you, you keep busy as heck tending all your beautiful plants and maybe just don't wnat to take the time to respond to emails. You probably get a ton of them. Maybe you could send me a reply that just said "test". That way I won't have to look at that big 0 every time I check my mail. Under the old system we could both just delete it and "what's out of sight is out of mind". Not now, every time I check it I'm forced to think of you (and you me)!
Thanks, again, for all your help (although, my last email to you gets into details of your help that I won't post in a public forum).
monterey;
Since this is a public forum, I wanted to quickly post that not only did I get an email from you but I got a completely clear and reasonable explanation. If I was in your shoes, I would be doing the same thing.
Regards.
I love multi-blended-colored flowers, I *must* have that Goldflame honeysuckle... Monterey, how big would you say it gets (in our zone)? I am thinking it would make a nice balance for my Leonotis, i.e. on the other side of the kitchen-window niche, when we take the floribunda roses out next spring...
Last spring, Blooms and I put in two 6-paks of Lady-in-Red at the front of the sidewalk flowerbed at my MIL's house -- the most successful plant I maybe have ever seen! The only care is to nip off (clippers not needed, like many salvias they are quite brittle) the spent spikes, just below the last ex-flower, and they will send up two more from there, almost ad infinitum apparently... have seen hummers on them, but also a pair of lesser goldfinches adopted that bed as their private dining room... every day for >month, then one day at least 5 birds there, then none... Blooms figured out the two had been raising a brood somewhere nearby: when the nestlings fledged, Mom&Dad brought the offspring by to show them what food to look for, then they all went off on their own ways! A month or two later (recently now), I saw a few of the same type bird visiting and guessed it must be a migrating pit-stop -- maybe the same fledglings remembering what parents told them!
~'spin!~
Goldflame will get big. I have mine kind of trained to be a tree bush. It keeps getting bigger though. Check out the database page . If it freezes it will lose it's leaves but I will go to zero or less . Then come back in the spring. The smaller the pot you have it in the less it will grow. Put it in the ground and step back!
Here's another shot of it. I drives my hummers wild. It doesn't bloom all the time like Salvia but it does bloom repeatedly and for all season.
My DH is in the process of killing out poison ivy that has grown all up our back fence. Since he's not allergic, he didn't even know he had it until he married me. I break out repeatedly since moving here.
Anyway, this will leave the fence bare, and I like having plants that cover it for privacy. We were thinking of planting jasmine, but now that I see this...Wow! I love this. I'm assuming that it will grow in NE Texas. I know the plain yellow honeysuckles will.
It has been in full sun here all summer and it may lose it's leaves when it freezes but once it's in it will grow. It likes Miracle-Gro plant food . The Dropmore Scarlet is good too.
Close-up These two plants in a large bush-type planting will bring you more hummers then you have ever seen!
I may not can get it if it's a full sun plant. We have a pecan tree that shades part of the fence where I wanted to plant it.
No my point is that it can take or leave the sun it is a very healthy plant under almost any conditions.
monterey, do you keep your honeysuckles in pots to keep them from becoming invasive?
-Julie
Wow the first picture on top so pretty colors that Idid not know it has pink.
Yes Julie but I have some crummy bushes I am getting rid of and I think they will replace them. They cut back very easy. At the this time everything is in a container, kind of an experiment.
This message was edited Sep 27, 2004 11:50 AM
Ok. Thanks. I'll show these pictures to my husband and see what he thinks. I'm sure he'll love them if we can find them.
This guy was in this almost as fast as I put it down. This is Waverly Salvia
This is called Berzerkeley. Salvia microphylla
Maraschino Salvia greggii x S. microphylla
Monterey, could you do me a favor and post a pic of the S. microphylla leaves? I think I have this one (another GC "Salvia" only lable) but I'm not quite sure. Yours is very pretty! :-)
-Julie
Here you go.
Bush view Salvia coccinea "Forest Fire"
Bush view Salvia "Maraschino"
Well now I'm totally confused abotu my Salvia. I'll hafta bring it to the ID forum for help :-)
-Julie
Good idea Crystalspin or somebody can figure it out.