Melinda’s Garden Moments is heard Mon.-Fri. at 7:45 and 10:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. on 97.9 WHAV.
Help attract hummingbirds to your feeders with a few flower-filled hanging baskets.
One of my favorites is Cuphea. You often find it sold under common names of cigar, firecracker, tiny mice or bat plant. It is a real hummingbird magnet.
Petunias are another favorite of hummingbirds. Many of the new varieties require much less deadheading than those of the past.
Another longtime favorite, geranium, will help attract hummingbirds to your garden. The trailing ivy geranium is less heat tolerant and benefits from some afternoon shade.
Bidens and lantana have lovely flowers and are very heat tolerant, attract hummingbirds and look good in hanging baskets.
Create attractive hummingbird-friendly combinations. Use salvia for vertical interest and verbena and lobelia to fill the pot and cascade over the edge.
Use fuchsias, begonias and impatiens for those shady spots in the landscape.
A bit more information: Include hummingbird favorites in nearby containers and gardens. Black and Blue salvia, Verbena bonariensis, blue horizon ageratum and cardinal vine are just a few of their favorites.
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