Enticing Plants for Hummingbirds

  The June/July issue of Birds & Blooms is all about the hummingbird & rightfully so! For some having these flying jewels is the height of our summer months & for others a still unattainable dream. The magazine lists the Top 10 hummingbird plants. There are a couple of annuals on this list so you can have results immediately without waiting for say a vine to grow.

   One annual is flowering tobacco (nicotiana) - green. There are a variety of other colors too, the white being very fragrant. The other annual is the newer hybrid petunia black. Pair it with red petunias and you should be good to go with a gorgeous combo!

   The perennials are as follows: orange Red Hot Poker (for well-drained soil), yellow Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens is the right variety), blue Delphinium, coral Trumpet Vine (needs a trellis, fence, etc. with excellent support and room to grow), red Bee Balm (number one choice of a red plant & my personal favorite - Cardinal Flower if you have a wet sunny area is a close second), purple Salvia, pink/coral Coral Bells, and one shrub white Vibernum (Autumn Jazz is a nice choice). Other red palnt that made the runner up list are annuals salvia, geranium, dianthus & pernnial penstemon, daylily & garden phlox.

    I must include a few of my favorites on this list too: the annuals fuschia, lantana & zinnia. Make sure you plant some annuals in containers close to your outside seating. Hummers are not shy!! The added bonus is that butterflies are attracted to all of these plants too. Happy planting!