by Genevieve on March 21, 2009
Finishing off our series on planting to attract birds, here’s my love poem to container gardeners – some of my favorite plants to attract birds and hummingbirds to your urban or patio garden.
Fuchsia thymifolia or Fairy Fuchsia
This is the fuchsia that makes me go starry-eyed with love. Blooming all year long on the coast, this delicate thyme-leaved beauty is a huge favorite with the hummingbirds. If you’re used to the hybrids with honkin’ big flowers, re-adjust your view to this all-natural beauty. The simple, tiny flowers are just gorgeous, and the benefit of less breeding is that they are sturdy and strong. No Fuchsia gall mite here.
People in colder climes may need to protect it in winter, as it’s only hardy to 20 degrees, but if you are a fan of Fuchsias, your garden won’t be complete without this one. I’ve had them get to 3’ in containers, and their arching, upright habit makes them a perfect centerpiece.
There’s also a white-variegated version called ‘Lottie Hobbie’, which has a smaller, more creeping habit to about 2’. Since the variegated foliage sunburns easily, I set them in part to full shade and let them fill in around a more upright plant.
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by Genevieve on March 5, 2009
If you’ve been following my series on Planting to Attract Birds, you may already have a few plants in mind to attract hummingbirds to your garden. Who wouldn’t want to bring that energy and life into their garden?
Even though I’m a landscaper and get to see hummingbirds every day, they never lose their magic for me. I love to see them guarding “their” sage or Buddleia and tweeting irritably at me to get lost already (sorry guys! The weeds don’t stop for anyone!), nesting safely in shrubs and small trees, and zooming about in search of their next meal.
While planting is the best way to attract them, both for providing food and shelter, during the lean winter months a feeder can be a very kind gift. Feeders take more work than most plants, but your hummingbirds will be very grateful to have a nectar backup in case the neighborhood shrubs fail them.
Using a hummingbird feeder
No need to buy fancy food packets for your feeder; instead, make a simple sugar solution by boiling 4 parts water, removing the water from the stove, and stirring in 1 part sugar until dissolved. You can keep your prepared sugar water in the fridge for one-two weeks.
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People in colder climes may need to protect it in winter, as it’s only hardy to 20 degrees, but if you are a fan of Fuchsias, your garden won’t be complete without this one. I’ve had them get to 3’ in containers, and their arching, upright habit makes them a perfect centerpiece.
There’s also a white-variegated version called ‘Lottie Hobbie’, which has a smaller, more creeping habit to about 2’. Since the variegated foliage sunburns easily, I set them in part to full shade and let them fill in around a more upright plant.
