Planting hummingbird vines to attract hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are attracted to large, brightly colored flowers with lots of nectar.
Planting hummingbird vine can be one of the most effective ways to provide a tasty food source that will attract hummingbirds to your garden.
Vines are fast-growing, hardy, and produce abundant flowers that are irresistible to hummingbirds.
This post will cover three main species of hummingbird vine:
- Trumpet vine
- Honeysuckle vine
- Cypress vine
It will discuss their appearance, attributes, and give planting instructions for each type of vine.
Trumpet vine
Trumpet vine is a fast-growing perennial that produces magnificent orange, red, or yellow flowers. This plant is hardy and grows easily in USDA plant hardiness zones 4-9.
Some gardeners believe that this plant is invasive because it grows so quickly. With proper pruning and attention to growth patterns these plants can be contained and enjoyed by any gardener.
The trumpet vine gets its name because its flowers are trumpet shaped. They grow in tight clusters and bloom during the summer months. The flowers reach 1 to 3 inches in length and are heavy producers of nectar.
The bright colors, short distance between flowers, and abundant nectar make them irresistible to hummingbirds.
Trumpet vine care
These plants grow very quickly, are resilient to weather and pests, and do not require much fertilization. They are happy in quick draining soil and require minimal aid once they take root.
That does not mean these are a low maintenance garden plant.
Trumpet vines expand very quickly and will cover walls, fences, buildings, and trees if left unattended. While the flowers are great for drawing hummingbirds to your garden, you will have to be very diligent in pruning back this vine otherwise it may take over a larger patch of your garden than you would like.
Pruning back the growing vines is the most important way to control the spread of this hummingbird vine. Pulling up new shoots as they spread through the soil will be necessary to keep the trumpet vine where you want it. It will also be necessary to collect the seed pods before they open at the end of the season, otherwise the seeds will germinate in the soil and come back next season.
Trumpet vines, like most hummingbird vines, are adaptable to many lighting conditions. They grow in both full sun and partial shade. The best flowers are produced when the vine is given full sun, which is at least six hours per day.
These plants grow across most of the United States and are found in USDA zones 4 to 9. That means in summer trumpet vines can handle heat and humidity across the country – they do the best in very humid weather. In winter, the plants drop their leaves and flowers. The woody vine itself will make it through winter and the foliage will grow back in springtime.
This beautiful vine is easy to keep in the proper zones and will provide a much-appreciated food source for hummingbirds.
Since trumpet vines spread so easily, they require persistent pruning and management but add a colorful splash to any garden.
Honeysuckle vine
Honeysuckle vine is beautiful and fragrant.
Its flowers come in wide range of colors and grow in tight clusters at the end of branches. The flowers of most varieties are heavily scented which makes them a draw for hummingbirds and other important pollinators.
The plant is fast growing, hardy, and adaptable to USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. Like the trumpet vine, honeysuckle vine can be found across the United States.
Honeysuckle vine is very popular in garden design because it is aesthetically pleasing and fills out very well in any space. It will easily engulf arbors, trellises, archways, and fences and will produce its beautiful flowers all throughout the summer months.
This plant grows easily in most conditions. It does well in full sunlight or partial shade, is adaptable to most soil conditions, and resistant to most pests. Like most hummingbird vines, it is very important to prune this plant back consistently.
Diligent pruning also helps to encourage flowering for honeysuckle vines. They produce the most flowers on new growth from the current season so heavy pruning encourages the plant to produce more flowers.
Overtime, these plants tend to become woody near their base and produce fewer leaves and flowers. Cutting some of these branches down to the ground will encourage new growth that bring fresh leaves and flowers with it.
Honeysuckle flowers produce a lot of nectar and are a magnet for pollinators. Hummingbirds love them and are attracted to the abundant nectar provided by their flowers.
By adding this plant to your garden, you greatly increase your chances of drawing in beautiful hummingbird visitors.
Cypress vine
Morning Glory Cypress vines are well known hummingbird vines because they produce flowers late into the fall. The flowers are star-shaped and bloom from early summer right through to late fall. The flowers are typically red, pink, or white.
This gives hummingbirds a feeding sources towards the end of the season as they are building their fat stores for their migrations south.
Cypress vines are found through USDA hardiness zones 4 through 10, but they are more sensitive to cold temperatures than the Trumpet vine or Honeysuckle vine. Cypress vines are planted as annuals in most parts of their range but can be perennial plants in the warm, humid part of their southern range. They regrow year after year in zones 4 through 9 because of seeds left behind from the previous season.
Cypress vines are known as true climber. The plant naturally grows upwards by twining around objects. This makes it a great foliage plant and means that they require a structure to grow on. Make sure to provide this plant with something sturdy to climb up as it grows.
These hummingbird vines are sensitive to frost early in the season and prefer soil that is warm and moist. If you are planting cypress vines from seedling a layer of mulch will help reach their preferred soil conditions.
Like most vines, Cypress vines require aggressive pruning and will grow wildly if left unchecked. It is important to monitor these plants for shoots that pop up beyond where you want it to grow. Flowers appear most often on new growth so heavily pruning back the vines will also promote new flowers.
Hummingbird vines will attract hummingbirds to your garden
Hummingbirds have expanded their natural range across the United States because they have benefited from ornamental flowers being planted by humans.
Adding these hummingbird vines to your garden will provide you the double benefit of attracting more hummingbirds while adding beautiful and fragrant flowers.
Planting colorful flowers alongside hummingbird vines will turn your garden into an irresistible oasis for these pleasing pollinators.
What did you think of this article about different types of hummingbird vines? Let us know in the comments.
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