The Potted Perennial You Should Plant In June To Attract Hummingbirds All Summer Long

Hummingbirds are gorgeous visitors to the garden, but if you live in an apartment or don't have healthy soil, you might have assumed you can't grow many plants to attract them. Nothing could be further from the truth, though. Many gorgeous hummingbird-attracting flowers can happily thrive in pots on a balcony or patio. One of the best container-friendly plants for encouraging hummingbirds to stop by for a visit is the vibrant (and perennial) butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa).

As its name suggests, butterfly weed isn't just a hit with hummingbirds; it's also a great way to attract butterflies, including monarchs who use this milkweed variety as a host plant. While you may want this flower outside and beautifying your space as soon as possible, it's important not to rush to transplant butterfly weed into your container garden. Instead, wait until your last frost date has passed. This could be as late as June in some regions. Butterfly milkweed is prone to transplant shock, so making the process of moving it to its permanent home as smooth as possible is important. When growing your butterfly weed from seed, try transplanting it when it's around 3 inches tall. If you bought yours as a young plant, just be as gentle as you can with the roots to limit shock. 

Butterfly weed is native to large swathes of North America and is hardy in zones 3 through 9. Just be aware that when grown in a container, it may only be hardy down to zone 5 or so. People with limited space aren't the only ones who should consider growing their butterfly weed in containers. Because the plant thrives in well-draining soil, anyone with especially soggy soil might have better luck with butterfly weed if it's in a planter of well-draining potting mix. Be sure to locate your container in a spot that gets full sun. You shouldn't need to fertilize often, as it thrives in relatively poor soil. While butterfly weed is drought-tolerant, planters and containers, especially smaller ones, can dry out quickly. So you may still need to water daily during the hot summer months.

You can certainly grow a container of just butterfly weed to attract hummingbirds to your garden, especially since it blooms through much of spring and summer when deadheaded regularly. But you also may want to pair it with additional flowers that attract hummingbirds and other pollinators to your space. Since butterfly weed only grows about 2 feet tall, you could pair it with bearded tongue (Penstemon spp.), which thrives in similar conditions and can reach heights of 4 feet depending on the species. Just like butterfly weed, bearded tongue is a huge hit with hummingbirds and other pollinators. Salvias could also pair well with it.