Cardinal Flower for Hummingbirds

The other day, I was in the pool floating around and glanced over at the garden right next to the pool. There I saw a Hummingbird not 2 feet away, feeding on the Cardinal Flower.

It’s tiny beak going inside the tube of the flowers to get some delicious nectar. There is no more beautiful sight in my opinion. 

Mine are red. I did not know that they come in pink and white also. I will have to keep my eye out for them as I love to plant things that attract Hummingbirds.

I have never had any luck with those feeders, but do have luck seeing them at my Honeysuckle and Cardinal flowers.

If you have a chance and its the right conditions, plant some next to where you see them up close, but be careful they also attract bees, so not too close! They are truly a beautiful sight.


Cardinal Flowers (also known as Lobelia cardinalis) are perfect for Zones 3-9. Attracts Butterflies, Hummingbirds and Bees. Prefer partial shade but grows in full sun with moist soil. Grows 2 to 4 feet high and 2 feet wide. It will re-bloom throughout the summer, especially when spent spikes are trimmed back to encourage new growth. Cardinal flower is a short-lived perennial. It spreads by basal rosettes at the base of the plant, which can be divided every few years, and also by seed.

Cardinal flowers can bloom until frost if deadheaded. So cut off those spent blooms so they will rebloom.

Here are some other flowers Hummingbirds love: bee balms, columbines, daylilies, and lupines; biennials such as foxgloves and hollyhocks; and many annuals, including cleomes, impatiens, and petunias.


The vine Trumpet Honeysuckle is also a favorite for Hummingbirds. They also love
Mandevilla, Cup and Saucer Vine, Scarlet Runner Bean, Canary Creeper, Purple Passionflower and Trumpet Vine.

 

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