We ’re here to help!Wild Yards is a completely detached website that is 100 % consecrate to help you create a wildlife - favorable , sustainable chiliad . Read more
WildYards is reader - supported . When you buy a mathematical product through a link on our website , we may earn a comission . Every product is independently selected by our ( obsessive ) editors and our reviews are unbiassed and documentary .
Read missionor ourprivacy policy .
Get a Landscaping or Gardening Quote
Enter your zip code
Most gardeners want to pull more pollinator to their gardens , and few pollinators are more delicious than hummingbirds . These unique , ambrosia - drinking , bulk large birds make for a joyous mess to any nature lover . But many gardeners find themselves wondering just what flowers and shrubs they can plant that might pull in hummingbirds to their yards . For example , do hummingbirds like azalea ?
Hummingbirds love azalea , particularlyRhododendron arborescens , or mellisonant azalea . These shrubs not only render abundant nectar for hummingbird , but they also shield pests like cat that hummingbirds love to eat . They ’re not just gamy protein snack for grownup hummingbird , but also a favored food for small fry .
Sweet Azaleas
Why are hummingbirds attracted to Azaleas?
azalea are shrubs in the rhododendron genus and hold both deciduous and evergreen species . They have been favour garden flora and selectively cultivated for century , result in over 10,000 dissimilar variety .
Azaleas have become symbols of the return of spring in the southeastern US , and many localities in North America and Asia have one-year azalea festivals celebrating the beautiful , fragrant flowers .
One of the reasons they have been so care for by gardeners is that the flowers last for weeks at a sentence , resulting in a colorful garden throughout the summertime . The blossoms come in varying shades of red , pinkish , orange , purple , white , or yellowed , and cover almost the totality of the bush .
Sweet Azaleas
All of these characteristic make azaleaflowers loved by hummingbirdsas well as nurseryman !
azalea get in the exact colours that hummingbirds make love to investigate ( in the first place ruddy , but empurpled , orange , pink , and white-livered will do just fine ) . The prospicient florescence time of year and the abundant amount of efflorescence mean azalea George H.W. Bush provide abundant and reliable food for thought author throughout the efflorescence time of year . The funnel shape - similar shape of the flower allow perfect access for the thin , curved bills and long tongues of hummingbirds .
Sweet azalea , also ring legato azalea , is a particularlyattractive shrub for hummingbirds . This particular species is native to the eastern United States and is known for the delicious fragrance of its blossom , which is compared to sweet cinnamon .
The shrub bloom from April through to September , and the bloom are whitened or pink with blood-red stamen . The attractive foliage will also turn deep red or purpleness come the fall .
fresh azalea are also attractive to multiple dirt ball species , including many butterflies which wish to lie their eggs on the leave of absence . This may not sound like nifty news , but the result cat are a favorite high - protein intellectual nourishment reservoir for many species of bird to eat their young , and this includes hummingbird !
All of these feature make a sweet azalea bush a great choice toattract hummingbirds to your one thousand . In fact , the Audubon Society has diagnose fresh azalea as one ofAmerica ’s most hummingbird - friendly native plants .
How do I grow azaleas?
Azaleas are a delectation to many gardeners in part because they wish to grow in conditions many other industrial plant do not enjoy . They prefer sandy , acidic grease and take very little in the way of fertilizer . Their antecedent are very shallow , and so while they favor moist grime they can be prostrate to water tenseness .
Many species favor funny , more wooded areas , though some of the deciduous miscellany ( include seraphic azalea ) will also flourish in full sun . If planted in a sunny part of your yard , however , they will need veritable watering , but a greater number of heyday will be your payoff .
Do n’t can the idea of planting your azalea in the shade , however ; the bush will be tall and fuller , and its blossoms will last even longer . And it ’s far from the onlyshade flora that hummingbirds love .
Also , make certain you ’ve got place for your new garden inhabitant . Native azalea can farm up to twenty foundation in height given the veracious conditions , though in most gardens they will not get above six human foot . There are also dwarf diversity of azalea available in most nursery , and they will stay a much more doable two or three feet in meridian .
Are azaleas dangerous?
While azalea are great for hummingbirds and other pollinator , all parts of this plant are toxic to most mammals . This include dogs , computed tomography , man , and stock . If you keep horses , goats , sheep , or cattle , you will require to keep azaleas well off from where insouciant skimming or browse might pick up a leaf or flower . This is a shrub you will want to teach pocket-size children to avoid .
If you are a apiculturist , you also might want to think twice about planting an azalea . Azaleas are so toxic that evenhoney made from their nectarcan grounds living - threatening symptom in humankind . It ’s even been claimed that sending a corsage of azaleas in a pitch-black vasewas view a last scourge . So maybe beak another efflorescence to place to your sweetie !
However , if you do n’t have small Kid , working honeybees , or grazing animals , and desire masses of colorful flowers that will appeal pollinators like hummingbird to your yard , an azalea might be just the bush you ’re look for .
If the toxic label is too intimidating , do n’t despair ; many other hummingbird - friendly bush might accommodate your garden . hummingbird make love butterfly stroke President Bush , for example , although some areas reckon them an invading specie .
Another invasive George H.W. Bush , rose of sharon may coax hummingbirdsinto your yard , but as with butterfly bush , you should consult your local law .
If you survive in a more tropic surface area , Dipladenia might be just the matter for your hummingbird garden .
Finally , if you desire a native , non - toxic ( even edible ) bush to lure local hummingbirds , acrepe myrtlewill not disappoint .
Is it worth growing azaleas?
An azalea President George W. Bush will bring wonderful semblance and aroma to your garden but is likely to take up a heap of blank space . They will develop an abundance of flowers , and an copiousness of efflorescence will mean more chances of an abundance of hummingbirds .
Just remember that while these beautiful George Walker Bush are loved by hummingbird and other pollinators , they can be dangerous to people and other animals !
