What succulents attract hummingbirds? There are so many succulents which attract the hummingbirds specially when they are in full blossom during spring and summer. Hummingbirds want food for their survival and when you grow succulents which are attractive for the hummingbirds, it would be so pleasing to see them hanging around in your garden. You can learn about succulents that attract hummingbirds in this article.
What succulents attract hummingbirds?
There are succulents which would bloom with bright colored tubular shaped flowers, and they will arise on top of the tall stems. Once the hummingbirds land in the flowers they would end up pollinating the plants as well. Plants such as an echeveria. Agave, aloe, dudleyas, gasteria, opuntia, pachyphytum, sinningia and schlumbergera produce some attractive flowers and the humming birds would find them very fascinating.
01. Agave
Agave plants are somewhat equal to aeoniums. They would usually blossom with one or two flowers when they are mature. Agaves would form in different sizes. There could be some agaves which would thrive well in pots as small plants where there could be some plants which could grow massively up to 11 feet.
hey would usually grow in USDA zones 5 through 11. However, they blossom once in a lifetime and you should not miss watching them when they are in full blossom. Agave usually develop flowers in green and in white and the hummingbirds are quite attractive for those. Additionally, agaves come up with bell tubes and the Hummingbirds can easily feed from those using their long beaks when they go in search of nectar.
It is noteworthy that despite being attractive for the hummingbirds, you need to secure yourself and your pets from the plant’s sap as chances are that it could be toxic. So, I don’t recommend growing them indoors if you have kids and pets hanging around in your home. If you want to grow them indoors, you need to make sure that you don’t let anyone come in close contact with the plants.
02. Aeonium
Aeoniums are rosette forming plants which are active in spring. Further they may produce flowers in winter as well. So, this literally means you can grow these plants to welcome the hummingbirds which come back from their seasonal migration. You may commonly come across these plants in Africa. However, the most fitting growing conditions for them would be in USDA zones 9,10 and 11.
The flower blossoms of the aeoniums would be so pleasing to watch. However, you could spot only the matured plants blooming with flowers.
03. Aloe
Hummingbirds are big fans of Aloe plants as well. These are low maintenance plants which you can easily care for. They can withstand low lighting levels. Besides, they can also survive well in hot and arid drought conditions as well. The flowers of the aloes would come up from the inflorescence and those inflorescence would arise right from the center of the lead rosettes.
Aloes plants need to be at least four years mature to emerge with flowers. So, if your aloes are not flowering yet , it could be most probably due to the immaturity of the plants. The inflorescence of the aloes would tend to take a tubular shape. Further you could spot them either in orange or in yellow as well. Those flowers would arise in clusters. When the flowers fade away, you can trim off the flower stalk as well.
04. Kalanchoe
Kalanchoes are yet another set of plants which are quite attractive towards the hummingbirds. They are excellent choices for freshers in gardening. In addition to that Kalanchoe flowers would attract the hummingbirds as well.
05. Echeveria
Hummingbirds are great lovers of Echeverias too. Echeverias would consist of flower stalks which are tall. You could spot those flower blossoms in numerous colors such as red, white yellow , orange or even pink. Echeveria inferences would develop from the center of the plants and they can reach a height of one foot too. The echeveria inflorescence would produce ten small minimums.
They would open one after the other. Their flowering seasons would usually be spring or early summer. That said, chances are that there could be certain Echeveria which can produce flowers in fall too. They will bloom annually if you provide the right growing conditions.
06. Opuntia
You may come across over 200 species of opuntia plants which are endemic to North America and to South America. Opuntias are unique looking plants as they develop large green segments which tend to look like leaves. Those segments are what conserve water, and you may call them cladodes.
The leaves would become spines as those spines would refrain the animals from consuming the plants. Opuntia plants would produce flower blossoms in yellow. Those flowers would tend to take a cup shape and hummingbirds are quite fond of landing on them.
In fact, hummingbirds love the sizes of these flowers as they are relatively larger when compared with the other flowers. Needless to mention, the bright colors of the plants also attract the hummingbirds.
07. Pachyphytum
Pachyphytum is a slow growing genus which you may come across in the succulent’s world. These plants are originating from Mexico. If I briefly explain about the plants, their leaves would be plump and fleshy. Those leaves would form a loose rosette which you could spot either in purple or in green.
Pachyphytum plants would tend to take a look of a grape and they may further consist of a powdery coating called farina too. You could witness these plants bearing flowers in greenish white or in deep red. Further those flowers would be bell shaped. They would bloom in spring and in summer. Furthermore, those blooms would arise from the spike inflorescence.
08. Schlumbergera
Schlumbergera which go by the common name called Christmas cactus are yet another hummingbird attracting a set of plants. They would produce stem segments which are small and flat. Furthermore, you can spot serrations on both edges of those stem segments as well.
You may expect them to produce flowers when they are about 12 weeks old. Schlumbergera plants may blossom with blooms in pink. Further they may also carry a stamen which contains pollen. Hummingbirds are big fans of these as they would tend to feed on the flower through this. Ultimately, they will end up pollinating the plants as well.
09. Dudleya
Dudleya flower producing plants are quite attractive for hummingbirds. They would in fact make an excellent choice for the hummingbird’s friendly gardens. For example, the Dudleya species called chalk Dudleya is quite attractive for the hummingbirds. These are native plants to the USA.
You could expect the matured Dudleyas to produce one to five flower stalks which would grow from the base leaves. The stalks would be covered from leafy bracts, and it would give them the look of basal leaves. Hummingbirds would be excellent for the bisexual flowers on the chalk Dudleya plants.
10. Gasteria
Gasteria plants are endemic plants to South Africa. They would make dry rocky areas as their natural habitats. Hummingbirds are mainly attracted to the flower entrance of the Gasteria plants. They would come up with white tubes. Furthermore, hummingbirds will pollinate the plants by sucking the nectar hidden in it using its spout.
11. Sinningia
Sinningia plants are renowned for their fragrances and hummingbirds feel welcome towards those fragrances. However, you need to be little more patient when you grow them compared to other succulents. The flowers these plants produce are so glamorous. You could spot them flowering in yellow and in pink color. Further occasionally they may produce white blooms as well. There may be certain Sinningia plants which may produce flowers which tend to take a very long tube-like appearance. The hummingbirds which have long beaks tend to land in these plants a lot.
Why do you need hummingbirds in the garden?
You need hummingbirds in your garden as they make your garden look aesthetically more beautiful. Further they can be quite fascinating towards the different tropical plants as well as for other shrubs too.
Many succulent enthusiasts tend to attract them due to their local climate. Above all, hummingbirds are crucial for the pollination process as well. Not only that but also, they would tend to eat the small insects, beetles, ants, aphids’ gnats and other wasps as well. So, to sum up, hummingbirds are quite useful to have in your garden.
Conclusion
To wind up “What succulents attract hummingbirds”, I like to mention hummingbirds are an essential creature to have in your garden as they are very effective in pollinating. They would fulfill their dietary requirements from the flower’s nectar and they will carry the pollen to other flowers as well.
So, if you wish to have these friendly visitors in your garden I encourage you to grow more succulents which are mentioned aforesaid as they would appeal for more hummingbirds. If you grow a few of these plants in your garden, it would be a quite common site to spot the humming birds in your garden.
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