Hummingbirds

[mountainmama]

I've been spotting a few hummingbirds around my hanging fuchsia baskets and I'm enjoying them immensely. My daughters and I are wanting to start a hummingbird garden. I was curious if anyone out there has one,and if so, what are the best plants to attract them ?

[KansasCAD]

Check out a website named High Country Gardens, Drought Tolerant Plants, Xeriscape Perennials
They have an index of their plants and show which ones draw humingbirds, butterflies, etc. and also which ones repel deer, rabbits, etc.

[NSbound]

10 Flowers Commonly Used for Attracting Hummingbirds:

1. Bee Balm
2. Red Columbine
3. Delphinium and Hollyhock
4. Butterfly Bush (unfortunately, may be invasive in some areas)
5. Catawba Rhododendron
6. Rose of Sharon
7. Trumpet Vine and Trumpet Honeysuckle
8. Cardinal Vine
9. Lantana and Fuchsia
10. Silk Tree (unfortunately, invasive)

[MaggieMay]

Attachment 2424

This isn't the best picture I have but the hummingbirds go wild over these flowers where I live. They grow on a tree and they look like pink fuzzballs. I have seen hummingbirds and butterflies feeding on these flowers, usually in late spring all the way through summer.

[Bird]

Maggie, is that a mimosa tree?

[NSbound]

Bird, thanks for asking that question. As a northerner, I'd never heard of it, so did some research to satisfy my curiosity. The picture sure looks like a mimosa tree, with the fuzzy flowers and fern-like leaves. One website says they are tropical plants and good only to Zone 9, but there are lots of stories from people in your area and as far north as Georgia where they apparently grow quite successfully. And it sounds like there is a love-hate relationship for them, as they are both very pretty and fragrant, but they spread like weeds and grow 6-8 feet in a year once they have germinated, plus the fluffy flowers can make a mess of cars and other things they land on. They sound like quite the plant!

[Bird]

Mimosas are not unusual in north Texas, but as you learned, lots of folks don't want them around.

[Roustabout]

They are quite common in Western West Virginia where I live. They are pretty and do grow quickly but I like them in spite of it. I would love to have a bunch of them but mine seems to just want to grow up and not have shoots.

[mountainmama]

Thanks KansasCAD, I checked out the website and it was very helpful. I've already put a few plants in and now we have quite a few regular visitors. As for the mimosa, the only one I know of is the beverage.