Plants for Hummingbirds
Showing 81–88 of 88 results
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Sporobolus heterolepsis Prairie dropseed Zone 3 – 9
Mound of graceful thinnest of grass blades
The description in the Chiltern Seeds catalog cannot be improved: “This is the most elegant and refined of the North American prairie grasses …the finest texture composed of the thinnest of thin, thread-like, glossy green blades,.. in autumn turning deep orange before fading to a light copper for the winter. In late summer the plants bear, on very slender stalks high above the foliage, unbelievably delicate, graceful flower panicles, excellent for cutting.”
Size: 2’ x 2’
Care: Full sun in well-drained soil
Native: from Canada in the north to Texas in the south, Wisconsin nativeSporobolos is Greek from sporo meaning seed and ballein meaning to cast forth because the seed readily falls from the flower (or dropseed, the common name). Ojibwa “Medicine Society” used roots to cure sores & “remove bile.”
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Stachys minima syn. Stachys spathulata Dwarf betony Z 5-9
Emerging from a rosette of charming crinkly leaves, spikes of pink-purple trumpets bloom generously from June – July.
Emerging from a rosette of charming crinkly leaves, spikes of pink-purple trumpets bloom generously from June – July.
Size: 2-6” x 15-18”
Care: sun to part shade in well-drained to moist well-drained soil
Native: South Africa
Wildlife Value: Walnut tolerant, deer resistant, hummingbird plantStachys is an old Greek word meaning “spike.” This species collected from the wild before 1834.
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Stachys officinalis syn. Betonica officinalis syn. Stachys betonica Bishop’s wort, Betony Z 4-8
Showy reddish-purple spikes of two-lipped tubes in May and June
Showy reddish-purple spikes of two-lipped tubes in May and June
Size: 18-24” x 12-18” slowly spreading
Care: sun in moist well-drained soil
Native: Europe and Asia
Wildlife Value: deer & walnut tolerant, attracts hummingbirdsOnce one of the most honored herbal medicines. Medicines were good if they had “as many virtues as Betony.” John Sauer, Colonial herbalist claimed “there is no illness brought on by cold in which Betony cannot be administered effectively.”
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Symphoricarpos albus Snowberry Z 3-7
Clustered spikes of tiny, bell-shaped, watermelon-pink buds open to blush-toned flowers in the leaf axils of arching stems in early to mid-summer. Flowers are followed by clustered spikes of round berries (drupes) that start pale green, ripen to clean snow white with a waxy skin by late summer looking like big pearls. Fruits remain on the leafless winter stems showing off until spring.
OUT OF STOCK
Clustered spikes of tiny, bell-shaped, watermelon-pink buds open to blush-toned flowers in the leaf axils of arching stems in early to mid-summer. Flowers are followed by clustered spikes of round berries (drupes) that start pale green, ripen to clean snow white with a waxy skin by late summer looking like big pearls. Fruits remain on the leafless winter stems showing off until spring.
Size: 3-6’ x 3-6’
Care: sun to part shade in moist well-drained to well-drained soil
Native: Novia Scotia to British Columbia south to New Mexico on the west, Virginia on the east, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Deer resistant, flowers attract hummingbirds, numerous bee species and moths. The shrub is habitat for several bird species. The drupes provide food for Grouse, Pheasant, Prairie chicken, Quail, Robins, Cedar waxwing, and Grosbeak.Many Native Americans put the Snowberry to numerous uses. The largest number of tribes made preparations of different plant parts for skin such as a wash for injuries, burns, chapped skin, cuts, sores, “truthfulness” (Nitinaht of British Columbia), deodorant, itch, rash, sores and antiseptic. Next most common use, Natives remedied sore eyes. Several groups used it to counteract difficulty urinating for people and horses. Uses for Snowberry contradict one another. Several tribes considered eating the drupes as poison while others ate the drupes as food, an antidote to poisoning, and to “clean out” a new mother after giving birth.
**LISTED AS OUT OF STOCK BECAUSE WE DO NOT SHIP THIS ITEM. IT IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT OUR RETAIL LOCATION.
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Verbena bonariensis Perennial Z 7-10, colder zones-reseeding annual
Small purple flowers atop tall leafless stems from July to October. Great see-through blooms for growing in back, middle or front of the garden.
Small purple flowers atop tall leafless stems from July to October. Great see-through blooms for growing in back, middle or front of the garden.
Size: 3-4’ x 8”
Care: full sun in moist, well-drained, fertile soil - self-seeder
Native: South America
Awards: Royal Horticultural Society Award of Merit & Missouri Botanic Garden Plant of Merit.Introduced to garden cultivation from its native Buenos Aires in 1726 by the Sherard brothers.
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Vernonia fasciculata Prairie Ironweed Z 3-7
Dense clusters of true royal purple August-September
Dense clusters of true royal purple August-September
Size: 3-4’ x 2-3’
Care: sun to part shade in moist to moist well drained soil
Native: so central Canada to central & eastern US
Wildlife Value: Attracts butterflies. Deer resistantCollected by André Michau (1746-1802) by 1803. Named to honor Wm. Vernon, an English botanist who collected plants in late 1600’s.
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Xerophyllum tenax Turkey beard, Indian basket grass Z 5-8
Plume of fragrant white flowers May-August on naked stalks rising from mound of grassy foliage, actually a lily.
OUT OF STOCK
Plume of fragrant white flowers May-August on naked stalks rising from mound of grassy foliage, actually a lily.
Size: 3-5’ x 24-30”
Care: sun to part shade in well-drained soil
Native: British Columbia, to Montana & WYSeveral western Indian tribes wove baskets & hats from the leaves & roasted the roots for food. Blackfoot applied the plant to wounds to stop bleeding and repair breaks & sprains. Collected by Meriwether Lewis June 15, 1806 just east of Weippe Prairie and west of Bitterroot Mountains in Idaho.
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Zauschneria garetii syn Epilobium canum ssp. garrettii Hummingbird trumpet, California fuchsia, Garrett’s Firechalice Z 5-9
Fiery orange trumpets float above a loose mat of green foliage, evergreen in warm climates. Blooms July-first frost
Fiery orange trumpets float above a loose mat of green foliage, evergreen in warm climates. Blooms July-first frost
Size: 4-6” x 15-18”
Care: Sun to shade in well-drained soil. Prefers afternoon shade in hot climates
Native: CA, UT, WY, ID, AZ
Wildlife Value: Attracts hummingbirds, birds and butterflies, Deer and rabbit resistantNamed for Johann Baptista Josef Zauschner (1737-1799) botanist and professor of medicine at the University of Prague. Beautiful planted with Nepeta, Agastache and Perovskia atriplicifolia. Published by Aven Nelson (1859-1952) Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 20(7): 36–37. 1907. Collected by A. O. Garrett (1870-1948), August 28, 1906 in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake City, UT.
