The Best Flowers for Attracting Hummingbirds
You can liven up the lazy days of summer by planting flowers that will attract hummingbirds in your garden. With the right flowers, you'll have these tiny birds zipping around your lawn giving you hours of enjoyment until the cool weather returns.
Planting the best flowers to attract hummingbirds can serve a dual purpose. The flowers themselves can provide nutrients to the hummingbirds but, in addition, they can also provide a better opportunity for the hummers to spot the garden and then return over and over to any feeders that you have there, ensuring visits even when the flowers are no longer blooming. Hummingbirds feed along regular routes and are naturally inquisitive, so the more chances to catch their attention the more likely they are to place the yard on their list of regular activities.
Flowers to attract hummingbirds can be planted in either pots, hanging baskets, or in the landscaping of the yard. It is generally agreed that the color red seems to be the best at catching their attention.
Hanging Baskets
One advantage of hanging baskets is that if they are failing to attract the birds, they can be easily moved to another area of the yard and, in addition, the nectar feeders can be hung close by. Three type so flowers well suited for hanging baskets are fuchsias, impatiens, and petunias, all in red of course.
Potted Plants
The use of pots allows taller varieties of flowering plants to be used. The pots also have the advantage of being easy to move, although the use of taller plants makes it a little less mobile than the hanging baskets. A type of plant particularly well suited to pots is red Salvias, some of which can reach three feet in height.
Landscape Plants in a Hummingbird Garden
A variety of plants will be needed to develop a hummingbird garden so that it blooms throughout the warm weather. These plants can be spread throughout the yard to take advantage of their sun and shade needs. Some of the most popular and most successful plants are the Trumpet Honeysuckle Vines, Bee Balm, Cardinal Flowers, Coral Bells, Pineapple Sage, and the Butterfly Bush.
