Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Garden - Part 4

Top 5 shrubs to attract hummingbirds (plus one tree):



#1. Azalea - Azaleas make up part of the genus Rhododendron. Azaleas grow best in a cool, shady spot with acidic, well-drained soil. They are easily damaged by excessive soil moisture with a few exceptions - the swamp azalea, Rhododendron viscosum, which can grow in - you guessed it - swampy conditions, has fragrant flowers, and bright red fall foliage. (Pictured above.)

#2. Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)- Beautiful flowering shrub, makes good cut flowers. Butterfly bush flowers from June-July to fall and colors vary from white, pink, lavender, purple and to near red, depending on the variety. Butterfly bush prefers a well-drained, moist, loamy type soil and tolerates heat and drought after it becomes well established. Butterfly bush can grow 5 to 10 feet high and wide, but can be trimmed to 4 to 6 feet. The more you trim, the more it blooms. Cold hardy in zones 5 through 9.



#3. Honeysuckle shrub - A species of the genus Lonicera, there are more than one hundred varieties of honeysuckle shrub, which grow from three to six feet high and wide. Most of the varieties of honeysuckle shrub have very fragrant flowers that bloom throughout the entire summer, some well into autumn.

Honeysuckle prefer full sun to partial shade, and most types of honeysuckle prefer a moderate amount of moisture in order to thrive. Pruning encourages a bushier growth.



#4. Flowering Quince Chaenomeles




#5. Weigela - Cold hardy to zone 4 Weigela can be cut and used very effectively in floral arrangements. The colorful foliage of the burgundy varieties adds long lasting color to any garden.



Plus a tree suggestion: Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia)- If ever a tree was a femme fatale, this one definitely is. Big, amazing upright blooms later in summer. A petite tree, growing only about 18' tall, cold hardy to zone 4, and poisonous if any of the plant is digested!




Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden - Part 1


Attract Hummingbirds to Your Gardens - Part 2


Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden - Part 3


Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden - Part 4