What kinds of flower blossoms first pop into your mind as you think of this? If you're like me, you would immediately think of a gorgeous Hibiscus (syriacus 'Woodbridge') Rose of Sharon with its delicate blossoms of rose-pink with deep burgundy throats. Or perhaps you envisioned a Fuchsia (Fuchsia X 'Black Prince') with deep-throated blossoms of dark burgundy and pink draping gracefully over the edge of a hanging pot. Great! Because both of these blossoms are a delight to hummingbirds for three very important reasons. First, because of their bright colors; second, because the blossoms of both the hibiscus and the fuchsia contain rich nectar; and third, because of their unique tubular shape.
In a previous article, only a few flowers having tubular-type blossoms that attract hummingbirds were addressed. However, there are many other striking flowers having similar tubular blossoms that hummingbirds find very alluring. Some of these include an outstanding array of tall, stately flowers that can easily be planted as a colorful yet carefree border. Hummingbirds will adore your border flowers because their tall stalks loaded with blossoms will offer them plenty of room to whir around while sipping sweet nectar.
Tall flowering borders can be effectively planted in many garden areas. Borders add much beauty to your landscape, while also providing nectar for hummers and butterflies.
For the moment, let's assume that you have the perfect place for a brilliant array of border flowers to be planted. Quite often, colorful borders are located as a backdrop to fences or garden walls constructed of stone, wood, or perhaps brick. Maybe you already have a living hedge of hardy boxwood or a tall hedge of evergreen arborvitae situated between your yard and that of your neighbor. A dazzling array of border flowers in front of living hedges lends a very striking, colorful look to any yard. Flowering borders are also showy when planted on either side of a driveway, or perhaps flanking both sides of a flagstone pathway leading to a quiet stream. Let your imagination take over as you analyze your yard to see just where a brilliant border would fit the best. Remember--we are choosing border plants to accommodate hummingbirds. And, where there are hummers, you will without a doubt also have "flying flowers" coming for their daily nectar meal, thus bringing you a two-fold reward for your gardening efforts.
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