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Photo by Rick Weatherbee |
Hanging baskets
for hummingbirds
Attract hummingbirds to your deck, patio or entryway with a colorful floating garden of nectar-rich blooms.
If you love watching hummingbirds flit, hover and zoom, then you’ll really enjoy the show when they swoop in to nectar at colorful flowers. Hanging baskets suspended at varying heights are a simple and space-saving way to provide an instant explosion of nectar-rich blooms. Imagine these iridescent beauties hovering around your hanging baskets, each vying for a dining spot.
Basket basics
Hanging baskets are available in a wide variety of materials, including plastic, wood, metal, pottery or wire baskets fitted with flexible liners, coco-fiber mats or sphagnum moss. For that matter, even an old kettle-style barbecue or a retired birdcage can be transformed into a novelty hanging planter.
Lightweight pots or smaller containers are easier to handle, but larger containers hold more plants, make for a more eye-catching display, and offer the advantage of keeping roots moist for longer periods. Keep in mind that a heavy pot or large container can easily weigh 50 pounds or more when filled with damp soil and plants. So, they need larger hooks and require stronger supports to carry their weight.
Hummingbird Plants for Hanging Baskets
While the following list of plants for hanging baskets is by no means inclusive, it offers a lot of colorful choices for putting together a winning display.
Annuals: begonias, cigar plant (Cuphea) cosmos, four-o-clocks, fuchsias, geraniums (Pelargonium), impatiens, lantana, nasturtiums, nicotiana, parrot’s beak (Lotus berthelotii), petunias, annual phlox, salvia, scaevola, shrimp plant (Justicia), zinnias
Perennials: agastache, bee balm, dwarf delphinium, four-o-clocks, heuchera, penstemon, phlox, salvia, verbena, veronica
Vines: canary creeper, cardinal climber, clematis, morning glory (below)
Care and Watering Tips
Nothing kills plants in a hanging basket faster than insufficient water. Keep the soil slightly moist, like a damp sponge. When you water, be sure to thoroughly soak the soil until water spills out the drainage holes.
Hanging baskets that have dried out need special watering to rehydrate the soil. Dunk the entire basket in a large saucer or tub of water until the soil is saturated (this may take from 10 minutes to a couple hours), then lift the basket out and allow the water to drain before hanging.
Fertilize hanging baskets during the growing season — about every three weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer, or several times a year with a time-released fertilizer.
As the season progresses, pinch back leggy stems and faded flowers to encourage more blooms and extend the flowering period. — K.W.
Nectar drinkers
Hummingbirds seek out nectar from tubular-shaped flowers, such as fuchsias, salvias and petunias. The amount of blooms a plant produces also plays a big role in attracting these tiny birds. Plants with multiple flowers in open clusters are more appealing than plants like hibiscus that feature a small selection of big blooms.
Nectar flowers in shades of red always get their attention. However, they also will take nectar from flowers in almost any hue, including orange, pink, purple, blue, white and even yellow. And since hummers feed while hovering, flowers that protrude, dangle from a plant, or rise above the leaves provide ample air space so their beating wings easily clear any foliage.
You can always count on traditional hummingbird favorites — geraniums, pelargoniums, fuchsias, nasturtiums, petunias, lantanas and impatiens, for instance — for creating a spectacular hanging display. But even vines and upright or spiky perennials, like summer phlox, veronica, or penstemon, can be just as appealing to the human eye as to a hummingbird’s appetite.
Plants with a long flowering season will provide nectar for an extended period of time. Another way to achieve this is to choose flowers with staggered bloom times — whether in one basket or by offering several hanging baskets.
Composing your display
Bring depth and visual interest to your hanging garden by combining plants with staggered heights and habits for a burst of bloom. For example, place mounding or upright plants, such as salvia, penstemon or zinnias, toward the center of the pot. Then accent with trailing plants, such as verbena, parrot’s beak or trailing petunias, positioned along the outer edges to spill over the sides. Just be sure that plants destined to share the same basket also share similar needs for water and light.
Putting it together
A good lightweight potting mix is a must, preferably one that includes peat moss, forest products and perlite or vermiculite to provide aeration and drainage. Spacing depends on the plants and the container you select, whether the plants are annuals or perennials, and the nature of their growth habits and characteristics. Smaller plants can be spaced closer together than larger plants, so the total number will vary. But as a general rule, a 12-inch container will house about five to seven plants. Wire baskets in which you also plant the sides will naturally require more plants to provide complete coverage.
Once you’ve determined your plant arrangement, fill the pot two-thirds full with potting mix. Plant the largest plants and those in the center first, followed by smaller plants and those around the outer edges of your container. Be sure to place the plants at the original depth as they were in their containers. Then firm the plants in with additional soil and water.
Hanging with the hummers
When hanging your basket, choose a sunny, sheltered location within easy viewing so you can watch the happy hummers at close range.
Add pizzazz to boring entrance areas by hanging several baskets near the front door, bring new dimension to walls and doorways, or add colorful charm to a courtyard. You can even expand your hanging garden to a balcony, arbor or gazebo. Just be sure to include a cozy place to sit nearby so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the view. — Kris Wetherbee