Popular Varieties Of Coleus For Attracting Hummingbirds To Your Garden

Coleus is mainly grown for its colorful foliage and not its flowers, so it might be shocking to learn that some of its varieties can entice hummingbirds to check out your yard. Although many gardeners prefer to cut the flowers off their coleus to encourage more colorful foliage, avoid doing this if you want to attract the pretty little garden visitors. Coleus cultivars that have red leaves are particularly appealing to these nectar-loving birds, since they are notably attracted to red, orange, and yellow. So, you may find that if a hummingbird is zipping over your yard and observes a sea of red leaves, it's likely to dive in and feed on the nectar of the somewhat insignificant flowers.

Which coleus varieties you plant depends on the yard's lighting conditions, but some cultivars to consider include 'Marquee Box Office Bronze,' 'ColorBlaze El Brigho,' 'Heartbreaker,' and 'Wizard Scarlet.' You can plant these near other flowers that hummingbirds absolutely love for an even more appetizing feast. An assortment of stunning flowers alongside brightly colored coleus will delight your visual senses and attract the enchanting hummers for a visit.

There are quite a few coleus cultivars that can thrive in a sunny part of your garden, especially if you live in a warmer climate. In fact, you can plant a number of newer varieties with stunning and unusual dark colors for added vibrancy in your garden. One outstanding cultivar is 'Marquee Box Office Bronze,' which has saturated burgundy foliage. It's quite compact, only reaching a height of about 2 feet, and can be grown in the garden or in containers, which means you can position it right next to other nectar-filled flowers or your hummingbird feeder. Plus, you can move it to a different location to keep it near other active blooms.

Another stunning hybrid is 'ColorBlaze El Brighto,' which has variegated leaves in deep red, lime green, and yellow. This cultivar is heat tolerant and can reach a height of 40 inches. It's an easy-care plant that will add some vitality to your yard on top of inviting hummingbirds for a snack. For even more visual impact, you might want to consider 'ColorBlaze Torchlight.' Its eye-catching purple and red leaves are fringed with lime green for a marvelous contrast.

You'll find that most coleus varieties will do just fine in a semi-shaded spot in the garden. For some amazing color variance, take a look at the 'Heartbreaker' cultivar. It has multi-colored leaves with bright red in the middle, surrounded by chocolate and edged with lime green. This low-maintenance hybrid can reach a height of around 2 feet. One of the most superb red-foliaged cultivars is 'Redhead,' which has stunning crimson leaves. This beauty can also grow to a height of up to 2 feet and is perfect as a garden plant or in a large attractive pot.

For something more low-profile, you might want to consider the 'Wizard Scarlet,' which has dark red leaves that are fringed with yellow. This cultivar only reaches a height of about 13 inches, so it's ideal for planting around taller flowering plants in your yard. Growing some of these coleus varieties is a clever way to add red to your garden to attract more hummingbirds, and, if you have other nectar-filled flowers planted alongside, your feathered guests are almost guaranteed to keep coming back.