These easy-to-grow annuals are filled with the sweet stuff hummingbirds and butterflies can’t resist.
1 Salvia
SALVI
Also commonly known as firecracker plant, this annual variety of salvia pops in any sunny garden, producing season-long color. Depending on the cultivar, this annual reaches 8 inches to 2 feet, though newer varieties are on the compact side.
Why we love it: Tons of nectar-rich tubular blooms cover the short or long stalks. Flowers may be red, orange, white, blue, pink or purple.
2 Impatiens
IMPATIENS
Invite winged creatures into your shady spaces with impatiens, which come in a rainbow of hues. Once planted, they don’t need much care.
Even deadheading isn’t necessary! Avoid downy mildew with disease resistant SunPatiens and New Guinea impatiens.
Why we love it: Reaching 6 inches to 2 feet high, it forms mounds, making it a good choice for borders and foundation beds, as well as containers.
3 Fuchsia
FUCHSIA
These showy, pendulous blooms in red, white, pink and purple will capture your heart. There are more than 100 kinds, from low-growing dwarfs and trailing plants to upright shrubs. Fertilize weekly for best results.
Why we love it: Fuchsia grows best in moist soil and partial shade, so it’s ideal for attracting hummingbirds to less-than-sunny yards.
4 Calibrachoa
CALIBRACHOA
Small petunia-like flowers steal the show all season, making fast-growing calibrachoa a hot choice for beds and containers—especially those that are geared toward hummingbirds and butterflies. Use it as a nicely textured filler plant or as a bold stand-alone. Plants reach about 8 inches tall and spread out.
This story is from the June/July 2018 edition of Birds & Bloom.
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This story is from the June/July 2018 edition of Birds & Bloom.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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