Since the pandemic I have been working from home, and I often look out the window at my garden. Recently I have noticed hummingbirds visiting the salvia plants. I have always seen goldfinches in the fall, but hummingbirds were new. Or maybe it was that I was finally able to see them during the day now that I was home. Inspired, I decided to attract more this summer. I purposedly selected three plants to put in a container on the deck so I could watch them through the bay window from the dining room table.
Plants That Attract Hummingbirds and Goldfinches
There are many plants that attract hummingbirds and easy to purchase the annuals or perennials they prefer from your local nursery. Lately, I have been interested in Agastache plants and have a few in my garden already. I have several stands of anise hyssop, Agastache foeniculum, which is a hardy perennial (Zone 4). This grows 3 feet tall with 3 to 4 inches long spikes of blue-purple small flowers. I also have licorice mint, Agastache rupestris, another hardy perennial (Zone 5) but only about 1 to 2 feet tall with salmon colored, tubular flowers and very thin leaves.
In May, I dug up a young anise hyssop and took a division of the licorice mint and planted them in a 22-inch Crescent Garden Rim container with the TruDrop self-watering system. The Rim has a very sleek, modern design and comes in a variety of sizes from 18 to 30 inches tall and wide. I knew I would have to use at least a 22-inch as these plants grow quite tall.
I then spied a “hummingbird mint,” Agastache aurantiaca, at a local nursery so I had to plant that as well. The hummingbird mint produces the orange tubular flowers like the licorice mint, but is a tender perennial, hardy to Zone 6. Fortunately, I live in Virginia, Zone 7. I thought the hummingbird and licorice mint flowers would complement the anise hyssop’s blue/purple flowers.
Growing Agastache in Planters
During the summer, I fertilized the plants to keep them healthy and to encourage blooms. It was easy to fill the container with water, but I did not have to do it often. These plants are full sun, drought resistant natives, making them perfect for containers.
By July, the hummingbird mint and anise hyssop flowered and yes, the hummingbirds came! These were small ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilocus colubris) which were more interested in the hummingbird mint than the anise hyssop, but the shapes and colors of the flowers worked well with each other. There was always something to watch: hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and beneficial insects. It was a happening place!
The Sips and Seeds of Agastache Provide a Feast
In late summer, as the hummingbird mint was flowering less, the licorice mint started to flower, thus extending the bloom time. The hummingbirds liked the licorice mint as well. While they feasted on the licorice mint flowers, the goldfinches plucked the seeds out of the anise hyssop. By planting these different types of Agastache plants, I was able to attract both hummingbirds and goldfinches.
By September, the goldfinches had picked the anise hyssop clean, and the hummingbirds were not visiting anymore so I assumed they started their migration down south. Still there was a lovely combination of orange flowers and dark purple seedheads.
Because these are perennial plants, I pulled them out of the container in October and planted them in the garden, in full sun, in the warmest spot. Next year, I will plant divisions of these in the Rim and wait for the hummingbirds and goldfinches to visit again.
