Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000 09:34:31
>From: Ron Rovansek
>Subject: new hummer garden

>Bill (or whoever asked about what to plant in a
new hummer garden),
>
>I think the question to answer is "are you
someone who loves to garden, or
are
>you someone who wants to attract hummers, and
is therefore willing to
garden?"
>If you are really a gardener at heart then you will
probably want to try
lots of
>different plants that attract hummingbirds. In this
case the way to go is
to try
>and visit other humnetters this fall and get
cuttings of their favorite
plants.
>You will quickly fill up any and all available place
(see list emperor for
>testimonial). On the other hand, if you want a
garden that attracts
hummers it
>is not necessary to grow 150 types of salvia. A
perfectly excellent hummer
>garden could be planted with 5 or 10 of the best
hummingbird flowers in large
>masses. I would go with salvia coccinia, salvia
guaranitica, malvaviscus
>arboreus (small turks cap, wax mallow, other
names apply) cuphea "david
verity"
>(cigar plant), ugly shrimp plant (one of several
plants lumped together as
>_justicia brandegeanna_) salvia elegans
(pineapple sage), odontonema strictum
>(firespike) and lonicera fragrantissima (winter
honeysuckle). Also plant
lots of
>evergreen cover - wax myrtle, hollies, cherry
laurel, etc. If you still
need a
>few more types of flower try salvia leucantha
(mexican bush sage), salvia
>involucrata (rosebud sage), salvia madrensis
(forsythia sage) cuphea
micropetala
>(candy corn cuphea). All of the above plants are
easily grown perennials, and
>all will grow in sun, except firespike which likes
mostly shade, or shade,
>except salvia leucantha and the cupheas, which do
best with at least some
direct
>sun. All are top-notch hummer plants. I have left
out lots of good plants,
but
>this list should get you started.
>
>Good Luck,
>Ron Rovansek
>

============================================

From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Flowers vs. feeders
To: HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Bcc: najames@lsu.edu

In a message dated 7/15/02 8:59:53 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
colibri@WEBDSI.COM writes:

Do  you have most of your flowers in one area of your yard
>where you focus most of your attention, or do the flowers surround your
>house?

I always try to plant large patches of each type of hummer plant, but try
to spread the patches out as much as possible. I think that you will
attract more hummers with spread out plants because the birds are more
likely to see them if they are spread out, and one humemr is less able to
defend the flowers from others if they are spread out. I do think that it
is possible to spread them TOO thinly, such as planting a single plant on
each side of your house. Extreme examples aside, I say spread 'em around.
Of course you will eventually end up having nothing but hummer plants,
which is probably the best arrangement of all.

Ron Rovansek
Huntington Beach, CA USDA zone 10