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tom123_gw

Shade-loving, hummer-attracting?

Tom
13 years ago

I'm looing for salvias that do well in shade and attract hummingbirds. I am in zone 9--Central Florida. Our soil is sandy and the weather, of course, tends to be hot and humid.

Comments (6)

  • hybridsage
    13 years ago

    Tom:
    S. miniata,coccinea(Reseeds profusely),subrotuntda,praeclara,chiapensis,microphylla
    "Hotlips".guarantica. Most of these will do well under
    tall pine tree canopy. If you have pine vols they will eat the tubers of guarantica. There are others but don't come to mind right now.
    Art

  • rich_dufresne
    13 years ago

    Salvia miniata loves shade, blooms all summer, and produces ample seed. It can almost become a seed in southern Florida. You might also try S. buchananii, S. chiapensis, and various forms of S. blepharophylla.

  • wardda
    13 years ago

    No one mentioned Pineapple Sage. Since your main hummingbird season is fall into spring Pineapple Sage seems ideal. Up here in the great white north it blooms too late to be of much use, but for you it seems perfect. I wonder if leucantha would grow in shade, it is another good short daylight bloomer. And what about mexicana?

  • karen__w z7 NC
    13 years ago

    Salvia van houttei is another good one for central FL.

  • voodoobrew
    13 years ago

    My hummingbirds don't really go for S. vanhouttei... but I have so many hummer plants, that they have become picky. LOL. I have been pushing Salvia karwinskii quite a bit... my year round Anna's adore it. It's a winter bloomer, so not for everyone, but does well in shade, so I imagine that in FL it would definitely want shade. It's still blooming in my garden, and has been for many months! If you have winter hummers, speak up, as I can suggest more salvias & plants that should bloom for you in winter (I am also in zone 9).

    Actually, I have found that most of the salvias do fine in part shade in my CA sun (I am not right on the coast any longer...). You can always leave it in the pot for a little while, in the area you intend to plant it, to see if it thrives. That's what I've been doing now, because I am getting tired of digging up and moving plants that aren't happy where I put them!

  • Tom
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Voodoo, I have some plants that do well in the winter here, in particular the red firespike, the Turks Cap hibiscus and the dwarf red powderpuff (which seems to bloom all the time it isn't freezing). I can't recall any salvia that did very well in the late winter, other than perhaps Salvia Miniata, which seems to do well all the time unless there is a freeze.

    I'd love to hear about some plants that do well for you in the winter months. I do have hummers at that time--at least sometimes I do.

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