Hummingbird Garden Kit
A garden kit is a collection of plants pre-selected by our nursery to meet a certain purpose and make gardening with native plants easy. They come pre-arranged in the tray so you can plant them just as they are for an instant garden design, with tall plants in the back and short, showy plants in the front. Or, since each plant is labeled with plant name and height, you can arrange them to suit your space.
Our Hummingbird Garden Kit provides nectar for adult Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Its native plants also serve as insect host plants to ensure a steady supply of insects for hummingbird young. Hummingbird nestlings are exclusively fed on insects, including mosquitos, gnats, spiders, flies, and aphids. Be sure to avoid pesticides, even those targeting mosquitos, to keep the food supply safe for tiny hummingbird nestlings!
The Hummingbird Garden Kit is designed for average garden soil and full to part sun. It will contain 2 to 5 of each species. A typical kit would contain the following mix of plants, but one way we keep the per plant costs low on garden kits is by reserving the right to substitute plants based on our current inventory. Your kit is may differ from the list below in exact species, however, the plants included will meet the stated goals of the kit, in this case, nectar and insect habitat to support hummingbirds. If you need specific plants for your garden goals, consider supplementing your garden kit with quarts. A typical kit will contain:
Columbine - an early blooming red hummingbird favorite.
Cardinal Flower, as supply allows. This is the ultimate UP hummingbird plant, but it is a tricky one to have ready for early spring. If we don't have an adequate supply, Liatris (Prairie or Northern Blazingstar) will substitute.
Painted-Cup Paintbrush - a scarlet biennial designed for pollination by hummingbirds, long-tongued bees, and fancy sphinx moths
Rough or Marsh Blazingstar - late summer nectar.
Evening Primrose - fragrant, long-season blooms.
Bergamot - early, tubular blooms.
Great Blue Lobelia - easily accessible summer blooms on a long stalk.
Fireweed - prolific summer nectar.
Foxglove Beardtongue - an early, shade-tolerant nectar source.
Hairy Beardtongue - an even earlier, shade-tolerant nectar source.
Pale Purple or Purple Coneflower - early summer nectar and insect host plant.
Nodding Wild Onion - hanging flowers restrict nectar reward to acrobatic hummingbirds and bumblebees.
Hummingbird favorites Jewelweed, Rock Harlequin, Turtlehead, and/or Lanceleaf Figwort, depending on availability.
If substitutions are necessary, they may include Rose Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed, Harebell, Rosemallow Hibiscus, Wild Petunia, Wild Sundial Lupine, Giant Sunflower, Early Sunflower, or others. These plants are also recommended if you wish to expand your hummingbird garden.
This economical kit includes 38 plant plugs that fill 38 square feet at 1-foot spacing - a 4'x9.5' bed; or up to 86 square feet at 1.5 sq. ft. spacing - a 6'x14' bed.
Each kit comes with a planting guide. The plants are individually tagged for identification and all tags include height so you can alter the layout to suit your space.
New! Supersize your garden kit by adding Limber Honeysuckle or Northern Bush Honeysuckle. Limber Honeysuckle is native to the U.P. and is a short shrubby vine with bright red or yellow flowers. Northern Bush Honeysuckle is a short shrub that works well under pines among other habitats, with pairs of yellow flowers. Both have flowers in a tube shape favored by hummingbirds. Add a gallon pot to supersize your garden. Let us know if you have a preference between the two when ordering.
*Picture is an example of our garden kits. Your kit may vary.