Attract Hummingbirds With A Beautifully Tall Flower That Can Reseed Itself

Few sights feel as magical as hummingbirds darting through the garden, hovering midair as they sip from vibrant blooms. These tiny birds are always on the move, and they need plenty of fuel to keep going. That's why planting nectar-rich flowers like Persicaria orientalis can turn your garden into a favorite feeding stop. This striking annual, known as "kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate," sends up tall, graceful stems lined with dangling, dark pink blooms that measure around 3 to 4 inches long. The bright color and shape pull in hummingbirds. And if you plant enough of them, your yard will be a hummingbird magnet all season long.

The blooms of this flowering plant start appearing in summer and continue into fall, giving migrating birds a steady nectar stop when they need it most. The flowers are beautiful, fragrant, and excellent for cutting. The prolonged blooming season and the 3-inch colorful flowers look right at home in both cottage-style and pollinator gardens. 

Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate tends to stay healthy and isn't a magnet for common garden pests, which makes it a low-maintenance choice. However, if you do run into trouble, it's usually Japanese beetles. These beetles chew through soft leaf tissue and often leave behind just the leaf veins, which is a telltale sign known as skeletonizing. To manage them, place traps or pheromone lures around the outer edges of your yard, not next to the plant. Since the scent pulls in beetles from a distance, setting traps too close can actually bring more beetles to your garden instead of keeping them away. Space them out at least 30 feet away to keep the pests away from your plants and reduce damage.

Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate is one of those annuals that thrives with minimal effort in U.S. Hardiness Zones 3 through 11. However, it is grown from seed because it doesn't handle transplanting well, which is why nurseries usually don't offer it as seedlings. To help the seeds sprout in spring, you need to chill them in the fridge for a few weeks first. But if you're planting in the fall, you can skip that step and sow them straight into the soil. This plant grows well in both full sun and partial shade.

It can handle a variety of soil types, as long as the soil stays moist and drains well. Leave about 3 to 6 feet of space in your garden to give each plant plenty of room to fill out. You don't have to deadhead the blooms to keep them going. The seeds drop and sprout the following spring without you lifting a finger. Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate can reseed itself, often reliably enough to give your garden the same look year after year.

However, in warmer parts of the country, this plant tends to finish its life cycle once it drops seeds, usually within a year. But in certain regions like the southeastern U.S., those seeds can take root and start spreading beyond where you planted them. That's why some states treat it as an invasive plant. To keep it under control, go easy on plant food and shield it from windy weather. Always check with your local extension office or native plant guidelines before introducing it to your garden beds.