- Hummingbirds are some
of our favorite animals here at the homestead
but sometimes it's challenging to get them in your garden.
So in today's video, Chris is gonna go over some
of the absolute best plants to attract hummingbirds.
- If you're a gardener in the western hemisphere,
then you have likely seen or heard hummingbirds
while working in your garden.
Now for me, I normally see hummingbird a few times a day
but every encounter, I still find quite special
because these little birds are zippy, they're vocal,
very curious, and just so beautiful.
(bird chirping)
So if you're like me and you want to build a garden
that welcomes and supports
these amazing little pollinator birds,
then we're gonna go over some great perennials
that you can incorporate into your garden really easily so
that you can have not only a long stretch of beauty,
but also nectar, no matter where you garden.
Most species of hummingbirds are migratory.
So if you live in a northern climate,
you're only gonna see these birds
around during the warmer months
because they fly south when it gets colder here.
But there are some resident hummingbirds
like the Anna's hummingbird
that likes to fly around my garden year round.
So we're also gonna talk about some plants
that you can have in your garden
to have a year round planting.
Many of the plants that attract hummingbirds
have flowers that are bright in vibrant
usually in the shades of oranges and reds,
although they do visit pinks and purples as well.
And in terms of the flower shape,
they're usually long and tubular,
and that allows for the hummingbird's beak
to go up and access the nectar.
And I actually have a friend who lives close by
who has a fantastic garden that features hummingbird plants
and I hear they're currently in bloom.
So let's head over there and gets some inspiration.
This is Aloe Aristata or the Lace Aloe.
Very beautiful, but the flowers are just finishing up.
That's okay because down here,
we've got Agastache, which has a very similar coloration,
so beautiful, it's drought tolerant,
both the bees and the hummingbirds love it.
I have a few in my garden
and it goes really well with this peachy salvia.
We have Eccremocarpus or the Chilean Glory Flower
and these ones are really easy to start from seed.
I started them a couple years ago
and this may be one of 'em.
And then let's swing around here, go onto to the patio.
Got Petunias that are very familiar.
Towards the back there we've got some Kufiya
and then by the chair that is Abutilon.
There's a Fuchsia here, I believe.
And then those Petunias, again.
There's a really small Firecracker plant.
And then this one, I have been told,
is the place where the hummingbirds
really like to hang out.
This stunning red Salvia.
So all of those plants are perennials.
But then if we look up here towards the veggie garden,
we've got the annual favorite, Nasturtium.
After taking a look at my friend's garden,
I'm feeling really inspired to incorporate more plants
into the garden that support these little birds.
Anyway, there are a lot of plants here that are hardy
to many zones and can be started from seeds.
So don't feel disappointed
that your nursery doesn't carry some of these plants.
Something like this,
which is the Bolivian Fuchsia.
Isn't that beautiful?
Look at that.
And I think the fruit is edible too.
Something like this can be grown from seeds
so it is worth the time researching to see
what is suitable for your garden
and what could be hardy or just be planted
in a container and brought indoors for protection.
I actually brought back a few plants from the visit.
This one is the Eccremocarpus, which is the climber,
the Chilean Glory Flower.
And then there's another climber here.
This is Ipomoea Lobata or the firecracker vine.
So this one, although it's not hardy in my zone 8B,
it's a great and really showy climber
if you live in a hotter climate.
But if you want more options,
there's also Trumpet Vine, Honeysuckle
and one of my oddball favorites, Mashua,
which actually flowers in the winter.
I also brought this odd plant home.
So this is a cultivar of Lion's Ear or Leonotis,
which is in the Lamiaceae or mint family.
Now in the past, I've grown a species
that got to be about six feet tall.
This one is clearly something that's a bit more dwarfing,
but I know it's going to attract a lot of hummingbirds
because it has these long tubular orange flowers
and I've seen hummingbirds visit these plants
well into the fall.
So I've had them flower straight into October before.
Where I live, most Salvias will flower
sometime during spring straight through into fall
except for this plant.
It's quite large, but I actually grew it
from a cutting that I got from my friend
that we just visited.
This monster of a Salvia is Salvia Gesneriflora
and it's supposed to be a winter flowering Salvia
so it's quite interesting
and also quite unique with this one
is that it prefers a more dappled sunlight
as opposed to full sun, which most Salvias enjoy.
So this one, it's gonna be a bit more challenging
to coax red flowers out of it during the colder months.
But if I can get it to flower, then I know
my resident hummingbirds are gonna be really happy.
If you're looking for a later blooming Salvia
and don't have space for something like this,
and you want those red flowers,
then Salvia elegance or pineapple sage
is a wonderful option.
So I have it growing in a container and it looks beautiful.
It's gonna keep blooming straight into fall
with those lovely red flowers that are edible
and actually the leaves are quite tasty as well.
Another stunning mint family plant is Agastache
or hummingbird mint.
So I grew my Agastache Aurantiaca,
which is orange flowered from seed a few years ago
and it's still my favorite in the garden
and I've been adding other ones
with a lot of more peachy colored flowers to my space,
including Agastache Rupestris,
which has a bit more frilly or finer leaves.
And there are so many different ones,
different cultivars available through the nurseries
if you're looking for things with lots and lots of flowers.
Now, what's great with these plants is that
they do well in dry, well draining soils in full sun
and they're really easy to take care of.
Also, in the mint family is the genus Stachys,
which offers a lot of options.
And if your soil is a little bit more moist,
then Monardas or bee balms are really showy
and very beautiful.
They come in different colors
and they not only attract hummingbirds,
they are adored by bees and butterflies.
Other hummingbird magnets that do well in the sun include
Crocosmia, all sorts of Penstemons.
We've got Lobelias, probably Lobelia Tupa
for the dryer soils and Lobelia Cardinalis
for moist soils.
And there's also Cape Fuchsia or Phygelius,
which also likes that full sun and moist soil combo.
If your garden has some shadier spots,
you can still offer some beautiful blooms
to the hummingbirds.
So one plant that is oftentimes overlooked
is to Toad Lily or Tricyrtis.
Now, this is a later blooming flower
and the flowers are actually quite interesting.
They look like tiny orchids, very tropical looking
for not so tropical settings, and they do like moist soils.
Most of the plants that we talked
about are herbaceous perennials,
meaning they don't have much woody stalk.
So in most climates, they die back at the end of the year
and then they come back when it's spring again.
But if you're looking for a plant
that has a bit more substance,
more presence throughout the year,
then there are some great flowering shrubs
that the hummingbirds really enjoy.
This beautiful plant right here is an evergreen shrub
called Grevillea.
This one specifically is the royal Grevillea,
which flowers with beautiful red flowers
during the winter months, but I do have some buds here
so I think the hummingbirds are in for a treat.
It's gonna flower
with a lot of pendulous red flowers very soon.
And actually, there are a number of winter flowering shrubs
that you can incorporate into your garden
to add a lot of color and nectar during those colder months
when, especially northern growers
don't really see much going on in the garden.
Other great shrub options
that also flower throughout the winter
include a whole bunch of Manzanitas,
their relative Arbutus Unedo,
which is called the strawberry tree,
and one of my favorite native shrubs,
tall Oregon grape, and one of those hybrids related to it,
which is Berberis Charity,
which has these wonderful yellow flowers
that actually appear during the dead of winter where I live.
Although I personally like to explore the world
by growing different plants, I do have a number
of native plants that serve not just the hummingbirds,
but also the native pollinators just up the road.
So in addition to this current,
I've got Western Columbine, Pacific Bleeding Heart,
Salal and also Evergreen Huckleberry
to add some edible components and some year round interest.
With so many perennial plant options nowadays
to add color and nectar to your garden,
I highly encourage you to explore
some longer lived options to really easily
and naturally support your hummingbird friends.
- One of my recommendations would be Hollyhock.
It's worked really well for bringing in
actually all three species of hummingbirds
that exist here in San Diego.
So hopefully you got a suggestion from this video.
Good luck in the garden, subscribe and keep on growing.
(upbeat music)