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Hummingbird Plants
These 13 nectar-rich flowers are enticing backyard entrees for visiting flying jewels.
Cardinal flower
Botanical Name:
Lobelia cardinalis
.
Hardiness:
Zones 3 to 9.
Bloom Time:
Summer.
Size:
3 to 4 feet high, 2 feet wide.
Flower:
Traditionally scarlet red.
Light Needs:
Partial shade to full sun.
Growing Advice:
Plant in fertile, moist soil.
Prize Picks:
Ruby Slippers, Twilight Zone.
Red hot poker
Also Known As:
Torch flower.
Botanical Name:
Kniphofia
.
Hardiness:
Zones 5 to 9, depending on cultivar.
Bloom Time:
Late spring to autumn, depending on cultivar.
Size:
2 to 6 feet high, 1 to 3 feet wide.
Flower:
Red, orange, yellow, white, greenish-white or bicolored.
Light Needs:
Full sun to partial shade.
Growing Advice:
Prefers sandy soil. Mulch plants for first winter.
Prize Picks:
Little Maid, Royal Standard.
Foxglove
Botanical Name:
Digitalis
.
Hardiness:
Biennial or short-lived perennial, Zones 3 to 10.
Bloom Time:
Spring through summer.
Size:
18 inches to 6 feet high.
Flower:
Tubular, bell-shaped blooms in white, cream, yellow, apricot, pink, purple, red, golden brown and coppery rose.
Light Needs:
Partial shade.
Growing Advice:
In spring, plant seeds or transplants for blooms the following season.
Prize Picks:
Excelsior Hybrids, Foxy.
Geranium
Botanical Name:
Pelargonium x hortorum
.
Hardiness:
Zone 10; grown as annual in most areas.
Bloom Time:
Summer until frost.
Size:
12 to 20 inches high and wide.
Flower:
Large, round clusters of white, pink, red or purple individual blooms.
Light Needs:
Full sun.
Growing Advice:
Can be propagated from cuttings or seeds, but more commonly grown from flowering pot-grown plants.
Prize Picks:
Black Magic Rose, Orbit series.
Columbine
Botanical Name:
Aquilegia
.
Hardiness:
Zones 3 or 9.
Bloom Time:
Late spring to early summer.
Size:
1 to 3 feet high, 6 to 24 inches wide.
Flower:
Yellow, red, pink, blue, purple, and white, single or bicolored; bell-shaped blooms with spurs on petals.
Light Needs:
Shade to full sun.
Growing Advice:
Sow seeds in early spring or summer (2 to 3 months before first fall frost). Reseeds easily, but offspring may produce less-showy flowers.
Prize Picks:
Rocky Mountain columbine (also called Colorado or blue columbine), golden columbine.
Flowering tobacco
Botanical Name:
Nicotiana alata
.
Hardiness:
Annual.
Bloom Time:
Summer to first frost.
Size:
10 inches to 5 feet high, 6 to 24 inches wide.
Flower:
White, red, pink, lavender, green and yellow.
Light Needs:
Partial shade to full sun.
Growing Advice:
Prefers rich, moist, well-draining soil.
Prize Picks:
Nicki Red, Nicki White and Nicki Lime; Avalon Bright Pink is a dwarf cultivar.
Bee balm
Botanical Name:
Monarda didyma
.
Hardiness:
Zones 4 to 9.
Bloom Time:
Summer.
Size:
3 to 4 feet high, 18 to 26 inches wide. Flower Clusters of tubular blooms. Commonly red, but also come in violet, purple, pink and white.
Light Needs:
Full sun; tolerates afternoon shade.
Growing Advice:
Space plants at least 18 inches apart and water liberally. Plants spread quickly and will appear as one large mass of blooms.
Prize Picks:
Jacob Cline, Violet Queen, Blue Stocking, Snow White and Snow Queen.
Fuchsia
Botanical Name:
Fuchsia
.
Hardiness:
8 to 10; grow as annual elsewhere.
Bloom Time:
Summer to first frost.
Size:
Trailing varieties: 6 to 24 inches high; shrubs: 8 inches to 10 feet high.
Flower:
Pink, white, red, purple, and orange tubular and pendulous single or double blossoms.
Light Needs:
Full to partial shade.
Growing Advice:
Pinch back stems back of young plants to encourage side-branch growth. Stop pinching 8 to 10 weeks before you want it to flower.
Prize Picks:
Swingtime.
Trumpet honeysuckle
Also Known As:
Coral honeysuckle.
Botanical Name:
Lonicera sempervirens
.
Hardiness:
Zones 4 or 9.
Bloom Time:
Summer.
Size:
Up to 12 feet high.
Flower:
Deep-red with yellow throats.
Light Needs:
Full sun or partial shade.
Growing Advice:
Space plants 3 to 4 feet apart in holes the same depth as the rootballs. Plant container-grown honeysuckle throughout the growing season or transplant in spring before growth begins.
Prize Picks:
Sulfurea, Dropmore Scarlet.
English primrose
Botanical Name:
Primula vulgaris
.
Hardiness:
Zones 4 to 8.
Bloom Time:
Early spring to summer.
Size:
Up to 8 inches high and 15 inches wide.
Flower:
Fragrant clusters.
Light Needs:
Partial shade; can tolerate full sun if soil is moist.
Growing Advice:
Plant in compost-rich soil; water well. Partial shade produces better blooms.
Prize Picks:
Commonly sold in mixes such as Orient Star, Pageant Mix and Spectrum Series.
Scarlet runner bean
Botanical Name:
Phaseolus coccineus
.
Hardiness:
Annual.
Bloom Time:
Spring to summer.
Size:
Up to 8 feet high.
Flower:
Bright red.
Light Needs:
Full sun, but can tolerate some shade.
Growing Advice:
Sow seeds outdoors when soil is at least 50°.
Prize Picks:
White Dutch.
Sweet pea
Botanical Name:
Lathyrus odoratus
.
Hardiness:
Annual.
Bloom Time:
Spring and summer through early autumn; varies by region.
Size:
4 to 12 feet high.
Flower:
Pink, purple, salmon, blue, red and white.
Light Needs:
Full sun to partial shade.
Growing Advice:
Plant presoaked seeds 1 inch deep and 6 inches apart, or start seeds indoors and transplant outside after about 6 weeks.
Prize Picks:
Royal Family Mix, Old Spice Mix, Captain of the Blues.
Trumpet vine
Botanical Name:
Campsis radicans
.
Hardiness:
Zones 4 to 9.
Bloom Time:
Summer.
Size:
Up to 40 feet tall.
Flower:
Orange-red.
Light Needs:
Full sun.
Growing Advice:
Plant in moist to dry soil; will tolerate poor soil and needs little to no fertilizer. Provide adequate support, as vine will pull down weak structures.
Prize Picks:
Yellow trumpet (
Campsis radicans flava
).
All photos RDA, Inc./GID
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