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August 3, 2009 · 3 Comments

Attract Hummingbirds with Yvonne’s Giant Salvia

Plants

Yvonne's Giant salvia bloom

Yvonne’s Giant salvia has a bright read bloom

I planted Yvonne’s Giant Salvia on the recommendation of Donald Mitchell, a speaker at the Rice County Horticulture Day in March. This annual salvia with prolific, bright red flowers is said to be a hummingbird magnet. The original plants seem to have been a natural variation on salvia and they often reach 5 feet tall. Mine have barely hit 3 feet so far this summer, but they are certainly living up to their reputation for attracting hummingbirds. I’ve very rarely seen hummingbirds in our yard, but this year, I’ve seen them several times, usually hoovering around the salvia. No luck getting a picture of the bird yet — but I’ll post one if I succeed.

Why are my plants so short? My guess–and that’s all it is–is that the plants do not receive enough sun. The spot they are in gets several hours a day, but most of it is in late afternoon. Since these seeds are not available through retailers, I plan to save a few and try again next year in a sunnier spot.

Other plants that attract hummingbirds are vines such as cardinal climber and honeysuckle. If you plant the right plants, hummingbirds will flock to your yard.

border with Yvonne's giant salvia

The bright red blooms in this border are Yvonne’s Giant Salvia

Related posts:

  1. Red-Twig Dogwood: Winter Wonder-Shrub In summer, gardeners rely on flowers and foliage for color....
  2. A Peony in Bloom Yesterday I noticed my tree peony has started to bloom...
  3. A Sea of Geraniums and Other Sights at Donahue’s This weekend is one of the biggest plant shopping weekends...
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Comments

  1. Colleen says

    August 4, 2009 at 10:17 pm

    I planted giant salvia the last few years, and yes, they are huge hummingbird attractors. I tried to find them this year without success so purchased regular ones at, of all places, Fleet Farm. Will NEVER do that again! About half died and the others are just wimpy looking.

  2. Pat Cortner says

    January 25, 2011 at 2:26 pm

    Is anyone out there who would allow me to purchase a few seeds of Yvonne’s giant red salvia? It is a MUST HAVE!!!! Thank you for your consideration.

Trackbacks

  1. My Northern Garden » Blog Archive » Fall Blooming says:
    September 26, 2010 at 11:55 am

    […] what’s blooming? The Yvonne’s Giant Salvia I grew from seeds saved last year is blooming in several spots around the garden and attracts […]

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Peonies are a huge part of Minnesota’s horticultural heritage. They aren’t native but our cold climate is perfect for peonies. They’ve been hybridized in Minnesota for over 150 years, and the state still has several peony breeders based here. If you ever get a chance to go to a peony open day in June, jump on it. Seeing rows and rows of peonies all blooming at once is a northern gardener’s joy. 

Peonies will last forever, too. Plant one in the right place and it will outlive you by decades. What’s your favorite plant? 
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