Draw Hummingbirds To Your Garden With A Flower That Blooms All Summer & Fall

The only things as beautiful in the garden as hummingbirds are the plants they're drawn to. With their love of bright shades of reds and oranges, hummingbirds are often attracted to some of the most stunning flowers. That's certainly the case with Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia rotundifolia), which not only attract hummers, bees, butterflies, and goldfinches, but also add gorgeous orange and yellow blooms to your yard.

Native to Central America and Mexico, Mexican sunflowers are a joy to grow, as, despite being annuals, they can still reach around 6 feet tall. This provides you with a massive plant full of colorful blooms in just one season. Despite the name, Mexican sunflowers aren't actually that close of a relative to sunflowers. And unlike many true sunflowers, they are branching, so you won't just have one flower at the top of the stalk. Instead, there will be masses of 3-inch flowers for you and the hummingbirds to enjoy in the garden. While you can sometimes find them as young plants, Mexican sunflowers also grow well from seeds, which are widely available. And you won't have to worry about deer devouring the plants before you and the pollinators get to enjoy them, as they are deer-resistant. 

Mexican sunflowers aren't frost-tolerant, so be sure to wait until after your last frost of spring to plant them. If you're growing them from seed, you can start them inside and transplant the seedlings out, but they grow best when direct-sown. Make sure to find your plants a spot where they'll have full sun, meaning they get at least six hours of direct sunshine a day. They also need well-draining soil to thrive; so, amend with compost to improve drainage if necessary. When planting your seeds, don't bury them too deeply, as they require light to germinate. 

You and your local hummingbirds will have to be somewhat patient when waiting for Mexican sunflowers, as they don't tend to bloom until late summer. So consider pairing them with other earlier-blooming flowers that will easily attract hummingbirds, like salvia and bee balm. While they may take a while to bloom, Mexican sunflowers are quite resilient and are tolerant of drought and heat. If you stay on top of deadheading them, they should keep blooming until your first frost. And don't forget to save some seeds to grow the next year, too.