Hi, everyone,

I have never posted on this forum (although I have lurked here and posted on GW and Dave's Garden for several years)and I would like to introduce myself. We have a number of hummingbird visitors here in our suburban garden in Cincinnati (zone 6a) and I have a question about Cleome as a nectar flower.

We planted about 20 tall purple Cleome mostly because I had seen it listed as an HB flower. But I have seldom seen any HBs nectaring on it. Do you have good luck with Cleomes? Or should I just forget them and give the garden space to one of the salvias or tithonia. What do you recommend?

We mostly have the HBs at our (7) feeders and not so often in the garden. And I would guess we have about 10 hummingbirds right now and would expect several more when migration begins.

I look forward to reading all the interesting posts about HBs here. Thanks for all your help.

Welcome!
I saw a drawing of this plant on a hummingbird website, so I thought 'they must really like these Cleome blooms'! But here, at least in my garden, they use it very seldom.
I would suggest changing to something else, especially as the seeds will self sow, and if you really don't want them, you can have a problem.
What the hummers enjoy in one garden, is not always the case in someone elses, though. I will leave it to the others in your area to make suggestions.

Personally, I would plant something else;however,they will attract Hummers.

http://msucares.com/news/print/sgnews/sg01/sg010625.html

See this FAQ:

http://tinyurl.com/l24b7c

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Cheers,Bob
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6a
Lexington,Ky.
It's Summer!

Judy cleomes are a favorite of mine simply because this was one of my first blooming plants that I saw the hummingbirds use.(Probably because it was the only one I had.) I plan to always have it growing even though there are many more flowers the hummingbirds favor. Cleomes make me happy.

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

They do use it but not one of their favorites. I relegated my cleome space to salvias and other more favorable plants

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Thank you for your opinions on cleome. I guess I have to agree that while long blooming, pretty, and impressively tall, they aren't so tasty to the HBs.

I do think ours might be a kind of 'beacon' for the hummers flying over our cul de sac in springtime, though, so I may consider keeping them. And ours are happy to reseed, too.

If only I could grow tall salvias as easily as these cleome! But I don't have that touch. )-:

Judy in Zone 6a
Cincinnati (Anderson Twp.)
Southwest Ohio