This is a plant that we've wanted to try for some time now and it finally made its way into a container on the deck this summer. I've read through a number of posts here and it seems that everyone has had mixed results ranging from Priya's experiences where the hummers love it to a few others where it was completely ignored.

Here's my "Five Clapper Review" for midwest gardeners looking to use this as an annual:

Blooms - Awesome... a very unique orange. It's a shrub with a very unique growth habit and currently is about 5 feet tall. The blooms themselves are very similar to Jacob Cline monarda... on steroids... after they've eaten WAY too many carrots, or Cheese Puffs, or tangerines...

Bloom Period - Our first blooms opened the last week of August and were immediately checked out by the resident hummer population. I'm expecting that it will bloom until the first frost.

Water - ours has required daily waterings in a 5 gallon container that it shares with a Navaho purple salvia. Next year, it will receive it's own pot. We'll also find a couple spots in the front yard where it will go in the ground.

Nectar - based on the amount time the hummers spend at each bloom, I'm guessing that its nectar content is significant.

Pros
- Hummers seem to love it!
- Big, unique, really cool orange blooms
- Large plant with many blooms

Cons
- Large plant - you'll need plenty of space if it's going in your garden. I have also read that it has a very large root ball.
- Many posts reference the spiny seed pods that it produces. I'll update my review once I get my fumble fingers on them

Conclusion

Excellent plant for fall migrating hummers in zones 6 and colder where it's an annual. Every HB that visits our yard is making several stops at the Leonotis. I've looked for something different that blooms during the southern migration... and I believe this might be the one!

Clapper Rating - 5 out of 5 !!!





Bud
Southwest Ohio
USDA Plant Zone 6a

Camera: Pentax K20D
Lens: Pentax DA*300 f/4, Sigma 180 f/3.5 Macro
There's 1 or 2 more hummingbird / butterfly pics located here...
http://www.pbase.com/budohio

Bud how fortunate you are to have this plant blooming for you at this time. My leonotis leonurus (lion's ear) is nearly 6ft high and about as wide. Not a sign of a bloom. The hummingbirds sure won't be using this plant for anything other than hidding this migration season.

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

Bud, glad to see what it should look like!
Ours did bloom when I was 'house bound' and couldn't see it and now it it full of seed pods...although it is only 2 ft tall...so hopefully, I will get to observe it later this year. Even the seed pods look good, though.
Great photos of it.

Bud,

Thanks for sharing your experience with lion's ear. The clarity of the photos was amazing, especially the first one.

Suchie

This is another plant I have been tempted to try but have backed off. I am so glad you have had such luck with it. Now what will you do with it over the winter...Let it go by the way of the rest of the annuals or try and overwinter it for next year?

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

Dianne - Interesting (and disappointing, I'm sure) that your isn't starting to bloom yet. I wonder if it would've bloomed this early here had it been a typical hot, muggy July and August? It gets 5-6 hours of full sun where it is placed.

Patricia - Wow... only 2 feet tall? I think that this specimen probably has a couple more feet of growing left to go... it's big.

Suchie - Thanks and you're welcome... I'm always happy to share

Penny - I read on the Bustani website that they've been able to over-winter it in zone 6b, so I may try to put it in the ground soon in a southern facing spot up against the house and see how it fares. It won't be coming inside... too much plant and not enough patience. Looking out there now, it has 18 bllom stalks coming up with an average of 5 blooms per shoot. I don't have any idea how long it will last, but with 90 large hummer attracting blooms in September for how ever many weeks it stays... it's already earned a place in next year's plant scheme. However... I think I'll let Bustani handle the over-wintering for me

Here's one more image that might give you a better idea what the top of the plant looks like.



Bud
Southwest Ohio
USDA Plant Zone 6a

Camera: Pentax K20D
Lens: Pentax DA*300 f/4, Sigma 180 f/3.5 Macro
There's 1 or 2 more hummingbird / butterfly pics located here...
http://www.pbase.com/budohio

My Lion's Ear was purchased from Almost Eden on Feb., 2005. It has always had plenty of sun and water.

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

OH MY! 18 blooming stalks! What an impressive sight that must be.

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

Very nice photos! Several years ago while in southern Ecuador we came upon a stretch of highway that was covered with this plant. It was several miles long and we stopped along the road and got out and watched all the hummers. It was very impressive to see so many hummers using it in the wild. Most of those plants were around 3ft tall.

Bud,the short stature of my plant may be due to them starting out in our 'very dry season' and received absolutely no rain or additional water for 3-4 months. It has been raining 'on & off' for the past month or so, with more to come....
One did sprout in a pot in a shaded area and did get taller and presumably had blooms as there are a couple of seed pods.
Just an added note, that there seems to be some salvias sprouting in our eavestrough...

We grew this one season and it bloomed very late and was quite a large plant. It is beautiful, but only had ocassional visits from hummers (although the nectar content is significant) so we would not grow it again in Wisconsin but would consider in a warmer climate in a larger garden. It was interesting to try though.



Kathi and Michael Rock
Madison, Wisconsin
Zone 4/5

Wow, that is a gorgeous picture, Bud.
Mine has not bloomed yet. I was lucky last year since my hummers stayed till mid-October. This year I'm not sure what will happen. It is very attractive once in full bloom, I just wish it was earlier. Mine did not survive the winter.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

18?! Beautiful shots, Bud. If you get a chance post a picture of the whole plant. I'd love to see it in entirety.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Bud, Gorgeous photos of your plant and its visitors!

Now, where can I get one!!?? Did you buy it locally??

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

jp - several miles... WOW... that must have been quite a sight

Patricia - "salvias sprouting in our eavestrough..." I love that! We have a small hanging basket on the corner of our garage that has been terriblt neglected this year... BUT... first a marigold sprouted from seed early this summer and now there is a 2 foot tall butterfly bush growing in it... and it's a fuchsia color that we don't have in our yard... nature is so much fun!

Kathi and Michael - it is getting very large, but makes for a really nice, late season container specimen plant here.

Priya - I'm hoping that this one is still seeing hummers in October

Joan - Image below...per your request, although this shot doesn't really do the plant justice... it's much cooler in person!

Judy - I ordered this plant early in the season from Bustani Plant Farms... I haven't seen it any place locally, although I think that Mary's Plant Farm carries it in the spring. I stopped there a couple weeks and chatted with Mary for awhile... amazing place, wonderful lady! We'll be visiting there in the spring.





Bud
Southwest Ohio
USDA Plant Zone 6a

Camera: Pentax K20D
Lens: Pentax DA*300 f/4, Sigma 180 f/3.5 Macro
There's 1 or 2 more hummingbird / butterfly pics located here...
http://www.pbase.com/budohio

Wow! I assumed from your original post and the size of the plants that it was in the ground. I'm amazed that it's so big in a pot. How big of a pot do you have it in?

And, as always you pictures are incredible! Thanks for sharing.

Sandra

Bud that is just awsome! Couldn't think of another word to describe it adequately.

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

Now that is a nice looking plant, even if a hummer doesn't like it! Thanks Bud.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Beautiful plant Bud. Thanks for sharing. I'm going to try this next season---we had ours in the ground. We ordered our plant online from Goodwin Creek Gardens. Their plants are very small (and inexpensive too) but always grow well. I'm sure that Bustani would send a nicer plant though.

2 weeks later, still blooming like crazy and still receiving daily hummer visits.

A correction on where I purchased the plant. I checked my invoices and I ordered it from John at Almost Eden Plants, one of my favorite sources for tropicals. Seems like it was about 8 inches tall, with a great root system, when I received it.

http://www.almostedenplants.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=492

Bud
Southwest Ohio
USDA Plant Zone 6a

Camera: Pentax K20D
Lens: Pentax DA*300 f/4, Sigma 180 f/3.5 Macro
There's 1 or 2 more hummingbird / butterfly pics located here...
http://www.pbase.com/budohio

That's a very cool plant, Bud. I'd like to have it here, but I suspect I'd get all plant - no blooms. Many of the tropicals do that here. I can't get turk's cap to bloom (always get buds, but won't open any) and I now have a nice looking 3' flame acanthus plant - not a bud to be seen.

Your photo quality is right up there at the level we've come to expect from you. I love the shallow depth of field that you obtained.

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Bud, I pruned mine the other day, with the exception of a few stalks with drying seed pods on it , so it will interesting to see if it blooms again.

Patrick,

That's interesting. I have a Lobelia laxiflora that is very nice and healthy with lots of green leaves but no flowers. The plant is in a sunny bed and gets watered about 3 times a week. Does anybody know why do plants do that? How can you get them to flower?

Sandra
Dana Point, CA - zone 9b

Man, what a gorgeous plant! You have us all drooling here.
Dianne, let me know if your's ever does bloom.
dell

Bud you're photos are awesomely stunning!
I've kept coming back to these images with a bit of puzzlement. I think I've unearthed what was the puzzle to me. All these past 5 years or so I thought I was growing Leonotis leonurus. It was the leaves and then the actual infloresences. It would seem I am growing Leonotis nepetifolia, the leaves are much shorter and wider more of an almost heart shape. Also mine is almost completed round in the flower heads whereas yours starts from a somewhat different shape. If we look at Patricias photo I believe she is growing the same plant as me and not the one you have so beautifully photographed. Having said all that my Leonotis does attract some hummer activity and is very easily grown from seed started in February. It blooms heavily from the latter end of July. It is quite stunning and statuesque at 6 1/2 feet in a pot, it has not done as well in the ground but probably just due to being crowded. It produces copious amounts of seed. I will try to obtain the leonurus this winter and compare the two next year.

Sandra I have grown Lobelia laxiflora for a number of years and it flowers heavily for me here in the PNW. It's totally hardy here, but go figure I've never seen a hummer on it,may be that it is too low and sprawling or just that there is more favourable plants. Perhaps it prefers somewhat cooler temps?

Cheri
(aka hummymummy vancouver, b.c. canada z8)

Cheri, you are quite right!
I just went and looked at my plant and other photos on the internet.
I do, however, have the seeds for both species, 'Leonotis nepetifolia' and 'Leonotis leonurus'.
I will sow some of each, tomorrow, and wait with baited breath to see which the hummers prefer!

Oh my I am trying to remember if I sent you that seed Patricia. I feel awful as I know I did send quite a few people that seed that I thought in good faith was Leonotis leonurus. I've been outside just now taking another good look at my plants and although they are quite impressive I am certain Bud's is more so. I have now noticed two other distintive differences...Bud's looks more woody and well branched and also has more open flower spikes whereas mine are more hooded so to speak, the hummers have to sort of push up that flap in order to reach the nectar. That may be why I only find it gets some use not heavy use, like abutilon it takes a bit of a knack to work it out.

My sincere apologies to anyone who received this seed from me believing they were getting leonurus.

It's going to be a long winter Patricia, sure you couldn't find some room and board for me, I'm a hard worker (dreams on so she does as DH would say)

Cheri (aka hummymummy, vancouver, b.c. canada z8)

Wow now thats a plant. Gorgeous.

Great photos Bud !!! Wow you got that thing growing like a monster! I tried them last season and was disappointed by the bloom time , it was very late in the season by the time it bloomed. Maybe i should have potted it up like you instead of having it compete with the rest of the main garden thugs.

Zone 6b New Jersey

visit my hummer photos athttp://www.flickr.com/photos/38829896@N00/

Patrick - I did find an article on the internet stating that it grows well in parts of coastal California. It really seemed to flourish and kick into gear here when the temps got hot outside. That being said, it has been the coolest summer on record in our area and where we have it on the deck, it gets, maybe, 6 hours of full sun. There may be hope for the Pacific Northwest and zone 5

Cheri - Interesting that nepetifolia seems to bloom earlier than leonurus. It would be nice to stage it so that you can have large orange blooms from July through September

Stephen - We still have 2-3 hummers here daily so it's great having this heavy bloomer going strong right now. Almost any time I look out the window, there's a hummingbird on the leonurus. There haven't been too many plants in that category this year. The bees have finally figured out that there's a lot going on those blooms and the nectar robbing has begun. New blooms seem to be dropping much faster, which is a big shame, especially if we continue to have migration traffic here.

I've had plenty of opportunity to catch the lion's ear in use... here's a few more pics. Below each image there's a link to a larger version of the same... the detail in some of them is nice. It's a great plant for getting shots of the birds, because, while thy're on the backside of a bloom, you can "stealth" your way closer for a better shot when they come back around... and they spend a long time on the plant because there are so many blooms.

Thanks again, gang, for the comments!

Bud



http://www.pbase.com/budohio/image/117087523/original



http://www.pbase.com/budohio/image/117366739/original



http://www.pbase.com/budohio/image/117363365/original



Bud
Southwest Ohio
USDA Plant Zone 6a

Camera: Pentax K20D
Lens: Pentax DA*300 f/4, Sigma 180 f/3.5 Macro
There's 1 or 2 more hummingbird / butterfly pics located here...
http://www.pbase.com/budohio

Bud, all your photographs are gorgeous, but the second one in this series is hysterical, too! It's just begging for one of your captions.....

Lizette, New Orleans, La.
USDA Zone 9

Wowsa! Great job! No wonder I have camera phobia! Keep em coming!! What zone is this plant????

Pam NJ 6B

Gorgeous!

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

My Lion's Ear or Leonotis leonurus is finally blooming. Just to time to catch the stragglers heading south. It will get some usage.



Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31