My blooming tomatoes were full of hummers today......

UrbanWild said:I saw some YouTube videos today on an Australian plant and a number of cultivars of (kangaroo paw) . Wow! Does anyone grow them in a place with an actual winter?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...
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I'm curious as well. These would be great here...IF they could tolerate a little cold. Anyone?

I must add stokes aster to the list. I have many plants for the pollinators but they get ignored when Stokes is in bloom. They simply love it.

UrbanWild said:

I'm curious as well. These would be great here...IF they could tolerate a little cold. Anyone?

I saw them at an exhibition last year.
They can be grown outside no problem in USDA zones 10-11, they require a sheltered position and/or being covered when temperatures drop in USDA 9 and are better grown as container plants and taken inside in the Fall elsewhere.

They are very interesting plants due to their drought resistance and tolerance of poor soils but they are very frost tender.

Re; kangaroo paw. They grow great in zone 10 if the gophers don't get to them,.

I'd like to add a couple of other plants:

Echinops ritro (Globethistle)
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage)

They are both great for any pollinator, butterflies particularly like the former and bees the latter (sorry, no hummingbirds here).

I've been reading up on hummingbirds. We have a few visitors but I would like to have more (as well as native bees & butterflies). I've been slowly adding more pollinators friendly plants. I read that hummingbirds also need sources of protein & get it from spiders, mosquitoes, bugs, etc. They will snatch bugs caught in spider webs which makes me cringe thinking how easily they could become entangled themselves. I read that one of their favorite protein sources is fruit flies. There is a feeder you can buy for $20 or $30. Or, if you are cheap like I am, you can make your own. I haven't made one yet but plan to in the next few days. I'll try to remember to post pictures.

You take a plastic jar with a screw on lid. Drill a hole somewhere on the side. This will be where the fruit flies come out & the hummers can eat them. You will need to hang it somewhere so drill two holes near the top. You will use these holes to thread wire or ribbon through so you can hang from a limb. From what I've read, hummingbirds don't smell but they can see bright colors like red. So hang with red ribbon or paint lid or jar with some red. Place banana peels and/or apple peels in the bottom & close the lid. Fruit flies will come, lay eggs, & more flies will hatch.

Something else I read is to put an old CD above your feeder to keep other birds from sitting over the feeder.

I took a ceramic pie plate and drilled holes in the edges to accommodate s-hooks for the chains to hang it. During season I use bananas, peaches, other fruits, and sometimes add a tablespoon of molasses. I sprinkle in a very small pinch of salt or Epsom salts. I first did it for the butterflies and moths. It gets used. But then the vinegar flies (a.k.a. fruit flies) find it. I noticed online there were hummingbird fruit fly feeders. I started watching the feeder and low and behold, it got hummingbird attention. Didn't even need the baffle over the fruit. So, my butterfly & moth feeder doubles as a vinegar fly feeder for hummingbirds. I do have to drain the water after a storm but no problem. It hangs over a garden bed and the worms get what runs off.

I read not to include molasses, honey, syrup, etc. I'm not sure why.

Here is my homemade bug trap:






I tried to find a solid red ribbon because I read that hummingbirds see red, purple, etc. best. This was as close to solid red as I could find. Thrn I got home & found this container....with a red top .

I read through the comments but didn't see anyone mention Grevillea. At the University of California, in Santa Cruz, they have a public Arboretum which includes an area for native Australian plants. There are large patches (like the size of a bus or bigger) of this plant around the grounds and the hummingbirds go nuts over it. I set up several cameras on tripods prefocused and composed on a bloom I want to photograph with a hummer feeding. Then I wait for one to show up.

Stellar shots!
What are the plants they go nuts for?

Kathy547 said:I read not to include molasses, honey, syrup, etc. I'm not sure why.

I'm not certain how these sweets are used or dispensed, but in case of leaking, a hungry hummingbird will draw from it thinking that it's food for them. It's disastrous for their digestive tract, and can make them very ill and/or die.

I have the yard ringed by hummingbird feeders with frequently changed, good quality sugar water. The solids hold some moisture but my trays don't really have much in the way of fluids that might attract a hummingbird. In our sun and heat, it's a trick just keeping them moist.

Last summer I cleared a 2' wide path along the fence that gets full sun and planted a lot of hummingbird favorites... bee balm, various salvias, butterfly bush, around existing common daylilies and hydrangeas, so I'm hoping I'll see them sooner than usual this summer.

During fall migration starting mid-August I always have them on my container plants of Cigar Plant Vermillionaire, and Wendy's Wish Salvia. I make sure I have those every year and they just flock to them both. Last fall I also put up a hummingbird feeder there and will put it back early spring in the same place, so hopefully I catch some during the spring migration that will stick around all summer.

I never tire of seeing hummingbirds.

I have amalgamated everything mentioned so far into a single list for easier copy/paste/reference, and added more common names.

Acanthus spinosus, bear's breeches
Achillea, yarrow
Aeschynanthus, lipstick plant
Agapanthus. Lily of the Nile
Agastache, anise hyssop
Aguilegia formosa, western columbine
Alcea rosea, hollyhock
Allium, onion, garlic, leek
Aloe
Alstroemeria, Peruvian lily
Anethum graveolens, dill
Angelonia, summer snapdragon
Anigozanthos, kangaroo paw
Antirrhinum, snapdragon
Asclepias, various, any = milkweed* also see Calotropis
Asimina triloba, pawpaw
Aster
Begonia
Bletilla, ground orchid
Buddleia, butterfly bush
Calibrachoa, million bells
Calotropis, milkweed* also see Asclepias
Calllicarpa americana, American beautyberry bush
Callistemon, bottlebrush tree/shrub
Campsis radicans, trumpet creeper
Cannas
Catharanthus, Madagascar periwinkle, often called Vinca
Ceanothus americanus, New Jersey tea, CA lilac
Celtis occidentalis, hackberry tree
Centranthus ruber, Jupiter's beard
Cephalanthus occidentalis, buttonbush
Chrysothemis pulchella, sunset bells
Cleistocactus, golden rat tail
Clematis heracleifolia
Clematis virginiana, virgin bower
Cleome
Clerodendrum ugandense blooms look like butterflies & attract them
Clerodendrum paniculata, pagoda flower
Coleus
Coreopsis, tickseed
Cosmos
Crassula, Jade
Crocosmia, cardinal flower
Cuphea, cigar flower
Dahlia
Delphinium
Delphinium, larkspur
Dianthus, pinks, sweet William
Dicentra spectabilis, bleeding heart
Digitalis, foxglove
Echeveria
Echinacea, coneflower
Echinops ritro, globe thistle
Echium candicans, Pride of Madeira
Eriobotrya japonica, loquat
Eupatorium, Joe pye
Flaveria linearis, yellowtop
Foeniculum vulgare, fennel
Fuchsia
Gladiolus
Grevillea, spider flower
Hamelia patens, firecracker shrub
Heliathus annus, sunflower
Heliconia, lobster claws
Heliotrope
Hemerocallis, daylily
Hesperaloe parviflora, false yucca
Hesperis, dame's rocket
Heuchera sanguinea, coral bells
Hibiscus syriacus, rose of Sharon
Hibiscus rosa sinensis, tropical Hibiscus
Hosta
Hoya
Impatiens balsamina, jewelweed
Impatiens capensis, jewelweed
Ipomoea coccinea, red morning glory
Ipomoea multifida, cardinal climber
Ipomoea purpurea, morning glory
Ipomoea quamoclit, cypress vine
Ipomopsis rubra, standing cypress
Jasminum, Jasmine
Justicia brandegeeana, shrimp plant
Koelreuteria elegans, golden rain tree
Kohleria, gesneriad
Kniphofia, red hot poker
Lantana
Lavendula, lavender
Lewisia, bitterroot
Liatris, gayfeather, blazing star
Lilium, Lilies
Lobelia cardinalis, cardinal flower
Lobelia siphilitica, blue lobelia
Lonicera sempervirens, honeysuckle
Lupinus, lupine
Lychnis, rose campion
Malva, rose mallow
Manzanita
Maranta, prayer plant
Medicago, clover, alfalfa
Mentha, mint
Mimosa, invasive tree in certain spots, but good to know it has this quality
Mirabilis jalapa , 4'o'clocks
Monarda, beebalm
Nepeta, catmint
Nicotania silvestris
Nicotiana alata, flowering tobacco
Ocimum basilicum, basil
Odontonema strictum, firespike
Oxalis, sorrel, shamrock
Passiflora, passion flower, passionfruit
Pelargonium, annual geraniums
Penstemon, beardstongue
Pentas
Perovskia atriplicifolia, Russian sage
Petunia, petunia
Petroselinum crispum, parsley
Phaseolus coccineus, scarlet runner bean
Phlox
Phygelius, cape figwort
Physostegia, obedient plant
Plectranthus, 'Mona lavender'
Plumbago auriculata
Prunus caroliniana, cherry laurel
Prunus serotina, wild black cherry
Rhipsalis
Rhododendron, azalea
Rudbeckia, black-eyed Susans
Ruellia, Mexican petunia
Salix, willow
Salvia, sage
Saponaria, soapwort
Saponaria officinalis, bouncing bet
Sassafras albidum
Scabiosa, pin cushion flower
Schlumbergera truncata, Christmas cactus, holiday cactus
Sedum, stonecrop
Senna bicapsularis, Christmas Senna
Sidalcea, prairie mallow
Silene, campoin, catchfly
Solanum lycopersicum, tomato
Spaghneticolia trilobata, creeping daisy
Stokesia laevis, Stoke's aster
Streptocarpus saxorum, Streptocarpella
Tecoma stans, yellow bells
Trachelospermum jasminoides, confederate Jasmine
Tropaeolum majus, nasturtium
Tropaeolum peregrinum, canary creeper vine
Urtica dioica, nettle, stinging nettle
Verbena, vervain
Veronica, speedwell
Viburnum odoratissimum, sweet Viburnum
Vitex, wild grape
Weigela
Wisteria frutescens, American Wisteria
Zinnia

You can search the database for plants that attract hummingbirds or butterflies (either or both) and that will generally give you lots of plants (more plants than the server will display), but you can combine something else with that search (like your zone) and reduce the number significantly.

I realize that doesn't generate the kind of list that Tiffany is assembling (just another option, more tools available)... a few plants not already on her list that attract the most hummingbirds in my garden:

Agave
Gasteria
Pachyphytum, xPachyveria, xPachysedum
Dudleya
Euphorbia milii (probably many others)

Thank you! I started the list in the last century, before internet facilities were robust and comprehensive enough to be satisfying, and all I could find were fru-fru magazine articles about 10-12 fru-fru-flowers that I could never find anyway or afford if I did.

It might be easier to make what would probably be a much shorter list of plants that don't serve butterflies, hummers and/or bees in some way. : + )

And yes, I still use folding printed maps and pre-determined directions, like that "how to not turn into your parents" commercial. That's hilarious because my dad and I once got in an epic argument in someone's driveway in Tampa because he insisted I follow the GPS directions. Instead of arriving at our beach condo rental, which I already knew how to get to and so did he, GPS led us to someone's driveway.

Do y'all get much happening at yarrow blossoms?

Tiffany, that is too funny!!!

Just wanted to add flaming Katy (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana.) A lot of the country will have these plants inside while they are blooming, but for those who can have them outside when they have blooms, I wanted to report that I've seen hummers visiting the blooms on mine in the way that's not just checking - visiting every bloom, day after day.