Habitat gardens attract songbirds, hummingbirds, & butterflies
Let’s talk about “habitat gardens”. There are so many outstanding plants that are not only beautiful and low care but they also attract songbirds, hummingbirds, butterflies, and perhaps even beneficial insects. These are wonderful additions to our backyard habitat gardens. Here are just a few of the ones I’ll talk about with Lisa Smith and Nancy Reid on Garden Gossip, Blend Radio, March 3, 2009 online at www.bigblendmagazine.com . Join us for this fun and informative program.
Photos by Tracy DiSabato-Aust (c) 2009
Giant Coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima) yellow flowers on 6’ stems followed by seedheads that are great for attracting various insects and Golden Finch (photo) ‘Blue Fortune’ anise hyssop (Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’) long lasting blue flowers on this “Trophy” plant act as a butterfly and bee haven!! ‘Gateway’ Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum ‘Gateway’) towering clouds of rose-colored flowers attract butterflies in the summer and then are great food/cover for the Juncos and Tufted Titmouse in winter. (photo) ‘Graham Thomas’ woodbine honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum ‘Graham Thomas’) lovely fragrant pure yellow flowers on this vining plant are hummingbird magnets!! Crocosmia (Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’) gorgeous bright red tubular flowers have hummingbirds and gardeners loving it!! And here is just one more… Korean Angelica (Angelica gigas) this is a great habitat garden plant because it attracts beneficial parasitic wasps that feed on soft bodied “bad” insects like spider mites & aphids. It also attracts bees.
