Plants for Hummingbirds
Showing 81–84 of 87 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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Vaccinium macrocarpon syn. Oxycoccus macrocarpus Cranberry Z 3-7
Creeping shrub, with tiny glossy leaves, pink flowers, and bright red berries
OUT OF STOCK
Creeping shrub, with tiny glossy leaves, pink flowers, and bright red berries
Size: 6" x spreading
Care: sun in moist well-drained acidic soil
Native: Northern east coast to northern central US & Canada, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: attracts bees, butterflies, and birds for nectar; small animals eat the fruits and nest in itSwedish botanist Peter Kalm, Swedish botanist , described this in 23 February 1749 entry in Travels in North Americ.a. Important food for Native Americans (Algonquin, Iroquois, Chippewa& Ojubwa). Pilgrims ate the wild berries. American and Canadian sailors on long voyages ate cranberries to prevent scurvy.
