Hummingbird Haven

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Wildlife Gardening

CREATING Color and scent

Hummingbird Bush, Flame Acanthus begins blooming in late June

My west fence row is covered with flame acanthus, turk's cap and abelia, The hummingbird visits at about 11:30 every day. The abelias are fountain shaped and are lovely underneath native oaks (post oak and Black Jack oak). They produce a beautiful scent throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

softly scented abelia flowers

Other pollinators can be found throughout the day.

Turk's cap

Ruellia and butterfly or moth
Sometimes you don't know what you will find until you take a closer look.

                                                                              





































                                          

Grassroots Horticulture

2006-2019

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Hummingbird Bush

Texas Native

Flame Acanthus                

Hummingbird bush, flame acanthus (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii) begins blooming in late June through October and is used in dry, sunny climates of the southwestern United States and is beneficial to wildlife and insects

     My west fence row is covered with flame acanthus, turk's cap and further back, in the shade, abelia (for scent and pollinators). The hummingbirds visits the red flowers at about 8:00 - 11:30 every day. The shrub receives morning sun. They are semi-deciduous in hardiness zone 7b/8a.  They lose the majority of their leaves in the winter, but not all the way to te ground. I do not cut back any branches until it has leafed out in the spring. 

I use wire fencing to keep it upright. I use a second wire fence to support the turk's cap, used as a bedding plant lining the front of the flame acanthus. This provides a va-va-voom of red flowers along the fence row in the summer and fall. The flame acanthus is included in TAMU Earth Kind Plant Selector.

Pollinators can be found throughout the day.

Hummingbird bush, flame acanthus

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii

Sulfur butterfly

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    Hummingbird bush, flame acanthus 

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii

                                                      

PROPAGATION__________________________________

The hummingbird bush flower ceases budding in mid-October and completes it's life cycle by  going to seed.  The fruit is an ovoid capsule containing two to four large flat seeds. The dispersal of seeds is by the wind.  Several plants have propagated in situ at the the base of the current plantings.

As the dehiscent capsule seed pod dries it pops open, revealing two flat, disc-shaped seeds.

hummingbird bush seeds
ID seeds

Bibliography____________________________________

• Hagen, Stanley H. "A Revision of the North American Species of the Genus Anisacanthus." Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 28 (1941): 385-408. Print.
• HENRICKSON, JAMES. "Anisacanthus Quadrifidus Sensu Lato (acanthaceae)."Sida, Contributions to Botany. 11.3 (1986): 286-299. Print.
• McCaffrey, Rachel E, and Susan M. Wethington. "How the Presence of Feeders Affects the Use of Local Floral Resources by Hummingbirds: a Case Study from Southern Arizona." The Condor. 110.4 (2008): 786-791. Print.
• Anisacanthus Quadrifidus Var. Wrightii (cultivated). , 2011. Available electronically from http : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /99331.

All material © 2019 by Jeanette Hyden for 

~Grassroots Horticulture~

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Pollinator Habitats | Hummingbirds

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Shades of red dominate, flame acanthus, turks cap.....

Hummingbird Bush, Flame Acanthus

 (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii)

Here are a few plant selections for hardiness zones 7 and 8.

Table 1:  Plants to attract Hummingbirds

It is difficult to find sunny locations in my backyard. Abundant native oaks and shade from the house and fence reduce the area I have to plant sun loving plants. On the west side of the house I have planted an area of red trumpets next to my herb garden.

Turk's cap (Malvaviscus drummondii)

Batface Cuphea

Cuphea Cigar Plant

Cypress Vine, Star Glory, Hummingbird Vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)

Habit: Annuals, Vine
Zones 5-11

Height: 15-20 ft. (4.7-6 m)

Spacing: 9-12 in. (22-30 cm)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Sun to Partial Shade

Bloom Color: Pink, Red, White/Near White

Bloom Time: warm season

Foliage: Lace-textured, Smooth-textured

Other details: May be a noxious weed or invasive

This plant is attractive to hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and birds

Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater

Self-sows freely; deadhead if you do not want volunteer seedlings next season

Soil pH requirements:  6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)

Propagation Methods: From seed; direct sow after last frost

Seed Collecting: Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds

Texas sage

Penta

2021 Hyden Photography 

for

Grassroots Horticulture

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Family | Bignoniaceae

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Many of the flowers in this family include conspicuous, tubular flowers.  The Bignonia family, is named for Louis XIV of France's Abbe, Jean Paul Bignon. His protégé, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, named the genus Bignonia (Virginia jasmine) after him in 1694.

Bells of Fire trumpet vine 

The trumpet vine will attract hummingbirds with it's bright orange color and trumpet shaped flower.                                                                                         

Desert willow, Chilopsis linearis

      

Chilopsis linearis is considered a very large shrub to small tree, 15-40 ft., slender-twigged, often with leaning, twisting trunk and open, spreading crown found naturally in the streambanks and watercourses.  The leaves are linear, many times longer than wide, with a strong central vein. Leaves are deciduous and willow-like. 

Jacaranda tree,  (Jacaranda mimosifolia)      

Jacaranda mimosifolia is a sub-tropical tree native to south-central South America that has been widely planted elsewhere because of its attractive and long-lasting violet-colored flowers. Jacaranda can be found throughout most of Southern California, where they were imported by the horticulturist, Kate Sessions.

Cigar Plant | Hummingbird Love

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Quick Reference
Common name: Cigar plant or firecracker plant

Latin name: Cuphea 
Flowers: Orange tubular flowers ideal for hummingbird gardens
Hardiness: Summer annual
Soil Requirements: Well drained
Exposure: Full sun

Cuphea

 is an abundant bloomer. One inch, tubular flowers, each painted in orange and red hues are tipped with white. Each plant creates a mass of slender branches with lance-shaped leaves. It's mature height is approximately 3 feet. 

Lythraceae family (loosestrife)

© 2021 Hyden Photography 

for

Grassroots Horticulture

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