More Plants for Hummingbirds by Amy Norwood

Cuphea Photo: White Flower Farms

If you’re looking to attract hummingbirds to your outdoor space this season, this blog has an excellent post titled “Plants for Hummingbirds,” dated May 20, 2021.  It mainly talks about two perennial flowers in an in-ground flower garden, Sunset Hyssop and Red Birds in a Tree that are very attractive to hummingbirds.  But, what if you want to attract hummingbirds but you don’t have an in-ground flower garden?

What Do Our Master Gardeners Grow? Part 2

 

From Master Gardener Pam:

Plants I'll always plant:  Perennials, low water, deer and rabbit resistant, attract pollinators and hummingbirds. Butterfly weed (asclepias tuberosa,) Hyssop (hyssopus officinalis,) Caryoperis, Lavender cotton (santolina chamaecyparissus,) Kannah Creek buckwheat (eriognum umbellatum v. aureum,) Penstemon, Sedum, Yarrow (achillea,) Lavender, Tickseed (coreopsis,) Salvia, Rudebeckia, Pincushion flower, Blue fescue (Festuca glauca,) Dwarf fragrant sumac (rhus aromatic,) Lemon lace elderberry (sambucus racemosa,) Hostas, Sweet woodruff (gallum ororatum,) Roses – I usually look for zone 4 or Canadian.  Morden Sunrise and Dainty Bess from Hi Country Roses are favorites.

Plants I'm itching to try:  Salvia ‘maraschino’, Lead plant (amorpha canescens),  Englemann’s daisy (englemannia peristenia)

Forget about it:  Oregano,  New Mexican privet 

The Garden's Last Hurrah by Nancy Shepard

 

Supertunia Bordeaux - always outstanding in my yard
Photo: Nancy Shepard

I am determined to squeeze out the last possible beauty from my perennials, annuals and vegetables this season. I’ve watched all the big attractions bloom and retreat like peonies, bleeding heart, Chinese poppies, and Delphiniums.  My green beans and tomatoes are barely producing so I know those are ready to say goodbye. With only some hibiscus, roses, bee balm and hostas, I’m concentrating on just maintaining good foliage, raking and applying mulch to the beds. All of my Plant Select specimens still have noble endurance especially my Sunset hyssop (Agastache rupestris.)  My annuals, despite the heat, always seem to persevere with trimming, watering and fertilizing.

Plants for Hummingbirds by Nancy Shepard

Red Birds in a Tree Scrophularia macrantha
Photo: High Country Gardens

I had more hummingbirds visiting my garden last year than ever and I can’t help but think it was the two new perennials I put in: Red Birds in a Tree (Scrophularia macrantha) and Sunset hyssop (Agastache rupestris.)  The hummingbirds came in the spring and in the fall and rarely touched my bright red hummingbird feeder but instead went for these plants. Both of these plants have tubular flowers that hummingbirds love!