Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
eric580

Anyone know any good hummer plants that can overwinter indoors?

eric580
11 years ago

Hello! I was planning to create a small hummingbird container garden with two plants. I already have a geranium in it and I want another plant that attracts hummers in it too,but it has to be able to overwinter indoors. Any suggestions? I was considering another geranium, or a begonia.

Comments (6)

  • janalyn
    11 years ago

    Well Eric - if I were you I would hang fuschia plants - from trees or a pole. One of the problems that I have found with low growing red plants that hummers love, is CATS. They learn to stay still and then zot the little guys. :)
    I have fuschias that I overwinter in the garage.

    My hummers also go for the delphiniums, which at least grow tall, are perennial and also very pretty. So you could plant some in a container and not worry about having to overwinter it. Im assuming you dont live in the Arctic. :) There are also some honeysuckle that they love, but make sure if you buy some that they like the variety. Some honeysuckle just doesnt attract them.

  • eric580
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I was planning to put the plants on my porch. My cat doesn't hunt.

  • Edie
    11 years ago

    Eric, I think Janalyn is giving you good advice. I won't get into a debate with you over whether your cat hunts when you're not looking. Your neighbors may have cats that do hunt. I'm allergic to cats and therefore have none, but see other people's cats in my yard regularly since I started feeding birds. I've noticed the hummers spend longer at plants and perches that are higher up. I think they feel safer that way. If you give the hummingbirds a spot where they are comfortable, you will get to see them more.

    We can give you better suggestions if you're more specific. I'm glad you added that this container will be on the porch. How big is the container? Did you want to hang up the container, set it on the porch floor, or something in between? Window box on a porch railing, perhaps? How much sun does your porch get? Do you care what the plant looks like in winter? If you want a plant that looks good year round to decorate your house in winter, that will narrow your options considerably.

    I second the vote for fuchsias, with the caveat that you will need to choose the variety carefully. I think for your area you'll need to seek out heat-tolerant fuchsias. Fuchsias come in both trailing and upright shapes. I grow several different ones and have seen the hummers nectar on all of them. In my area, fuchsias are healthiest in either dappled shade all day, or morning sun followed by shade the rest of the day. Generally speaking, triphylla types can handle more sun and heat. I have heard that some people grow triphyllas in full sun but haven't tried it. For me, they fill a useful niche as a shade-tolerant hummingbird plant. I overwinter them in the garage too.

  • eric580
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The container is about the size of a large wastebasket and will be placed on a small table on the porch a few feet from the railing. I am serious that my cat doesn't hunt:) He never bothers birds. Only small mammals once every two years. My porch gets a lot of sun especially in the afternoon. I don't care what the plants look like in winter. Just as long as they don't die:) I think I have my list.

    Two geraniums superbells (I'm still deciding)

    begonia Fuschia, coleus, and basil

    gerbera daisy

  • eric580
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I am going to grow the cuttings from my geranium:) Now I don't have to spend money on more geraniums.

  • eric580
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Okay, here is my final list. Coleus,gerbera daisy,2-4 zonal geraniums,begonia,morning glory,four o' clocks, and fuschia. Well, I will update in the spring with many pictures of happy hummers enjoying a nectar buffet on my porch:)

Sponsored
FineLine Kitchens, Inc.
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars81 Reviews
Award Winning Kitchen & Bath Design Center Serving the DMV Area
More Discussions