Last Updated on January 20, 2022 by
Do hummingbirds like petunias or what type of flowers do they love to hang around, suck pollen, and build a home around?
There is nothing more fun than watching a hummingbird suspended midair dipping its long beak into a flower. It’s a sight you cannot get tired of watching.
Sometimes you hear these tiny birds sing before you can see them flap their wings making a distinctive whirring sound. When two of these birds come together, you may hear a sharp chattering as they swoop and fly in an aggressive aerial maneuver.
Each bird lover understands that different species are attracted to different plants – whether for food, place to stay, or protection. Hummingbirds in particular choose plants that have sugary nectar to keep their wings flapping and their metabolism running at a high speed.
So Do Hummingbirds Like Petunias?
Petunias are one of the most popular annual flowers because they are easy to grow and inexpensive. They do well in a sunny garden area, containers, borders, and baskets in small spaces.
They thrive in full sun and bloom repeatedly providing adequate nectar to swarms of hummingbirds. They grow in zones 10 to 11 as an annual plant.
Their bloom colors include white, pink, red, purple, blue, and mixed colors. They require well-drained soils with medium moisture to grow. You can plant these flowers in small hanging baskets to attract hummingbirds around your house or portico.
There are one Petunia species that hummingbirds pollinate and love. The Petunia exserta is a rare native to a small region in Brazil. This species has red flowers with presumably more nectar than other petunias. If you can get this rare species, the better!
But if not, you can plant petunia plus other flowers that hummingbirds love to keep within your surroundings. Other flowers that attract these birds include Calibrachoa, Annual Cuphea, Catmint, beardtongue, penstemon, sage, salvia, bee balm, Day lily, etc. There are many flower varieties you can mix with petunias to make a beautiful home for hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds Like Petunias And Other Flowers Like
Hummingbirds are attracted to many flowers but some are better at enticing these beauties than others. When choosing hummingbird flowers for your garden, it is important to look for:
- Blooms that have rich and bright colors – red colors are hummingbirds favorite but you can also add orange, yellow, and purple
- Long or tapered shapes that accommodate the hovering bird’s long beaks
- Flowers with plenty of sweet nectar that keeps them coming back for more
J R Peters Inc 52624 Jacks Classic No.1.5 20-6-22 Petunia Feed
- Native plants that the hummingbirds are more familiar with
- Plants that need minimal care
- Flowers with a long bloom time or repeat blooming provide a reliable food source for these birds for many days
- These plants that hummingbirds love will also attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.
- Hummingbirds seek out flowering plants where they can harvest this nectar from the tube or trumpet-shaped flowers.
Hummingbird Interesting Facts
If you did not know, hummingbirds are some of the most interesting birds. Here are some fun facts about them:
- They are the tiniest of all birds weighing less than an ounce and measuring only 2 inches long.
- Their brightly colored feathers and quick movements make them appear as living sun catchers that have gained them their nickname – flying jewels.
- These birds have the ability to fly in any direction – backward, forward, etc with wings beating up to a blurring speed of 80 seconds per second.
- These birds are capable of floating mid-air when sipping nectar from brightly colored flowers with their slender long beaks.
- Hummingbirds use so much energy each day so they must eat at least half their body weight to replace the calories they burn. This means they eat constantly, from sunrise to sunset, and visit over a thousand flowers each day.
Conclusion
If you plan on attracting hummingbirds to your garden, you need to learn this one secret. You better not remove any spider webs that appear among the plants. Hummingbirds use these delicate threads to build nests. And they often steal the insects trapped in the spider webs. The web also keeps them very entertained in their day-to-day life.
It is a wise idea to use multiple plants for your hummingbird garden rather than rely on just one or two species. A diverse flower garden will attract more hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies and provide ample food for their different species throughout the seasons.
Wherever you live, investigate the flowers that bloom through milk winter to offer these birds the much-needed food during migration.
You can check with your local nursery or landscaping center for popular plants in your area that will help you create a hummingbird habitat.
FAQs
Do petunias attract hummingbirds?
There are several studies on the relationship between petunias and hummingbirds. Here are a few of them:
1. A study by the University of California at Riverside (UC Riverside) showed that hummingbirds prefer to feed on flowers with long tubes and bright colors, which are typical of petunias.
2. A study by the University of Illinois found that hummingbirds like to perch on petunias, even if they have no nectar. This could be because they like the warmth provided by the flower.
What flowers do hummingbirds not like?
There are several types of flowers that hummingbirds are not attracted to. These include: Dandelions – These plants contain bitter substances which repel most birds and insects. This is why it is very important to remove dandelions from your garden. Nasturtiums – These plants are also toxic and will not attract hummingbirds.
What wildlife do petunias attract?
Petunia flowers are great for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. The petunias we have at the nursery are not self-pollinating. That means they can only be cross-pollinated with another plant of the same species.
Do hummingbirds prefer flowers or feeders?
The question of whether hummingbirds like flowers or feeders has been debated for years. Some people say that hummingbirds will eat from a feeder, while others claim they prefer flowers. The answer to this question depends on the species of hummingbird in question. While some hummingbirds will eat nectar from flowers, others will only eat from a feeder.
Hummingbirds have a short lifespan and are among the smallest birds in the world. They also have a very specialized diet that consists mainly of nectar and pollen. In fact, their digestive system is so efficient that it can process up to 100 times its body weight every day.
What color of flowers attract hummingbirds best?
Hummingbirds are known to be attracted to red, orange and yellow blooms, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Hummingbirds are also attracted to blue flowers, but the blue color may be too strong for them to see. Other colors do not seem to be attractive to hummingbirds.
Do bugs eat petunias?
The flowers of petunias are eaten by several species of insect, including hoverflies, flies and bees. Petunias are also popular as a garden plant for attracting insects to the garden. Petunias are a favorite food of bumblebees, honeybees, hoverflies, and some wasps.
Why are the birds eating my petunias?
You have a couple of options.
First, you can let the petunias grow tall enough so that the birds won't be able to reach the flowers. Second, you can try using floating row covers over your plants. These are like sheets of clear plastic that are tied around your plants with string. They let light through but keep out insects and birds.
Third, you can plant something like marigolds or other flowering plants around your petunias that will keep the birds from eating them.
FAQs
Do petunias attract hummingbirds?
There are several studies on the relationship between petunias and hummingbirds. Here are a few of them:
1. A study by the University of California at Riverside (UC Riverside) showed that hummingbirds prefer to feed on flowers with long tubes and bright colors, which are typical of petunias.
2. A study by the University of Illinois found that hummingbirds like to perch on petunias, even if they have no nectar. This could be because they like the warmth provided by the flower.
What flowers do hummingbirds not like?
There are several types of flowers that hummingbirds are not attracted to. These include: Dandelions – These plants contain bitter substances which repel most birds and insects. This is why it is very important to remove dandelions from your garden. Nasturtiums – These plants are also toxic and will not attract hummingbirds.
What wildlife do petunias attract?
Petunia flowers are great for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. The petunias we have at the nursery are not self-pollinating. That means they can only be cross-pollinated with another plant of the same species.
Do hummingbirds prefer flowers or feeders?
The question of whether hummingbirds like flowers or feeders has been debated for years. Some people say that hummingbirds will eat from a feeder, while others claim they prefer flowers. The answer to this question depends on the species of hummingbird in question. While some hummingbirds will eat nectar from flowers, others will only eat from a feeder.
Hummingbirds have a short lifespan and are among the smallest birds in the world. They also have a very specialized diet that consists mainly of nectar and pollen. In fact, their digestive system is so efficient that it can process up to 100 times its body weight every day.
What color of flowers attract hummingbirds best?
Hummingbirds are known to be attracted to red, orange and yellow blooms, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Hummingbirds are also attracted to blue flowers, but the blue color may be too strong for them to see. Other colors do not seem to be attractive to hummingbirds.
Do bugs eat petunias?
The flowers of petunias are eaten by several species of insect, including hoverflies, flies and bees. Petunias are also popular as a garden plant for attracting insects to the garden. Petunias are a favorite food of bumblebees, honeybees, hoverflies, and some wasps.
Why are the birds eating my petunias?
You have a couple of options.
First, you can let the petunias grow tall enough so that the birds won't be able to reach the flowers. Second, you can try using floating row covers over your plants. These are like sheets of clear plastic that are tied around your plants with string. They let light through but keep out insects and birds.
Third, you can plant something like marigolds or other flowering plants around your petunias that will keep the birds from eating them.
Caroline is a gardener who loves to get down to the nitty–gritty of gardening. She proudly proclaims herself as a ‘dirt worshipper‘ and can often be found deep in the garden, covered in soil and singing to her plants. As a self–proclaimed ‘plant whisperer‘, Caroline believes that plants need love and attention just like any other living thing, and she loves to give them both. When she‘s not tending to her garden, you can often find her researching the latest gardening trends, or teaching others how to make their gardens thrive
