Choosing Plants for Hanging Baskets

Even if you don’t have a lot of space in which to plant flowers, you can easily and effectively attract hummingbirds through the use of hanging baskets. This is a simple and effective way to beautify your yard and attract one of nature’s most amazing creatures. It is my hope that the information which follows will help you to discover how to effectively use hanging baskets as a way to attract and enjoy these truly amazing birds.

 

It is very important that you select the right flowers. You will want to choose flowers that will thrive in hanging baskets and that will also attract the hummingbirds.

 

You will want to select plants that have nectar-rich tubular shaped blooms on them. Plants such as penstemon, salvia and petunia are excellent choices, because the hummingbirds can easily access the nectar due to their long, narrow bills and tongues.

 

The plant form is also very important. You will want to select flowers that stick out from a plant’s foliage, by either protruding or dangling. This is important because hummingbirds normally feed while hovering, so this will provide ample air space so the birds’ beating wings easily clear any leaves.

 

The plants you select for use in your hanging baskets should offer a wide variety of color. Many people often associate the color red with helping to attract hummingbirds. Red is a color which hummingbirds can see from a great distance, so offering flowers that are nectar-rich and come in various shades of red should always attract their attention. However, flowers of almost any color, including orange, pink, purple, white and yellow will also attract hummingbirds and cause them to feed from these nectar-rich plants.

 

The quantity of blooms a plant produces will also play an important role in attracting hummingbirds. When selecting plants, you will want to choose plants with multiple flowers in open clusters. These types of plants are more appealing than plants like hibiscus that feature a small selection of large blooms.

 

You will also want to consider the bloom time of the plants you select. Choosing plants that have a long bloom time will help provide the hummingbirds with a source of nectar for an extended length of time. Another way to ensure that the hummingbirds will always have a source of nectar is to select plants that have staggered bloom times.

 

By following these very simple suggestions, you can beatify your yard and effectively attract the hummingbirds. So, don’t let a limited amount of space prevent you from beautifying your yard and attracting the hummingbirds. You will be glad that you discovered how to effectively use hanging baskets and the hummingbirds will also be thrilled with your discovery. 

 

I can tell you from personal experience just how effectively hanging baskets can be used to attract the hummingbirds, because when my mom was still alive we had them all around our yard. The flowers and plants provided our yard with an explosion of bright, vivid colors and the hummingbirds would swarm to them. Another reason my mom loved to use hanging baskets was because she could have such a wide variety of plants all around the yard. 

 

Hanging baskets are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to beautify any yard and they have the added benefit of helping to attract the hummingbird. If you want to attract the hummingbirds in a more natural way, why not give the use of hanging baskets a try?