Guide to Cultivating a Suspension Basket Laden with Blooms Favorable to Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are tiny, vibrant creatures that bring a touch of magic to any garden. These brilliantly colored birds, often a delight to observe, can be attracted to your outdoor space with just a few simple steps.
Creating a hummingbird-friendly hanging basket is an effective way to provide these pollinating birds with the energy they need, while keeping them safe from stray cats. A hanging basket filled with their favorite plants becomes a veritable nectar buffet for these avian visitors.
To attract hummingbirds, one can create hanging baskets filled with plants they adore. These baskets are simply hanging planters filled with plants that offer funnel-shaped blossoms in colors such as red, orange, and pink - their preferred choices.
Ideal options for these hanging baskets include Bee Balm, with its small, tubular red flowers, and Cardinal Flower, which produces eye-catching bright red tubular spikes. Hummingbird Sage, with clusters of tubular red or pink flowers, is another excellent choice. Salvias, such as Salvia nemorosa 'May Night', are notable for their long-lasting tubular blooms and deep purple spikes that are highly attractive to hummingbirds.
Angelonia, a popular annual, produces continuous flower spikes throughout the growing season and works well in baskets. Trailing plants with tiny red or purple flowers, like trailing petunias, are also great because their position in hanging baskets keeps flowers at hummingbird eye-level and encourages visitation.
For best results, focus on plants with tubular blooms, vibrant colors such as red or purple, and trailing or compact growth habits suited for baskets. This combination maximizes nectar availability and visibility to hummingbirds, creating an inviting display.
Both trailing verbena and lantana offer generous clusters of small flowers, rich in nectar, in a crazy selection of brilliant colors. Other options include Trumpet vines, with their long, bright red trumpet flowers, and native vines like Virginia creeper and crossvine.
Morning glories, Coral honeysuckles, and Nasturtiums, with their brilliant orange or orange-red blossoms, are also popular with hummingbirds. Million bells, or Calibrachoa, have flowers similar to petunias, are smaller, but produce a large number of vividly colored flowers.
By planting a garden full of hummingbirds' favorite flowers, you can attract these enchanting creatures to your window or patio. Remember, hummingbirds eat up to eight times their weight in nectar every day, so the more nectar-rich blooms you offer, the more hummingbirds you're likely to see.
Whether you choose to create a hanging basket or a flower bed, providing a nectar-rich habitat for hummingbirds will bring a touch of magic to your outdoor space. Happy gardening!
To create a hummingbird-attracting habitat, consider filling hanging baskets with plants like Bee Balm, Hummingbird Sage, Salvia nemorosa 'May Night', Angelonia, and trailing petunias, all boasting tubular blossoms in vibrant colors preferred by hummingbirds. Include plants with generous clusters of small flowers, such as trailing verbena and lantana, to maximize nectar availability and visibility, encouraging hummingbird visits.
