Is delphinium attractive to hummingbirds?Or do they egdnor the plant.






eldon voorhees peoria,ill area

Eldon
I don't know for sure because I don't have any but I have heard that they do.use them

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

The only problem is they don't grow well in hot and humid weather.

I have a tall larkspur (Delphinium exaltatum) which is native to the midwest and it is very easy to grow. It also blooms for a long time. I have seen hummingbirds feed from it but I wouldn't consider it a hummingbird favorite. I doubt that hummingbirds would be very interested in the hybrid delphiniums that are typically sold at nurseries.

Gary
Napoleon, OH
Zone 6a

Many native US delphiniums have a mixed pollination strategy--hummingbirds and bumblebees. I've got Delphinium exaltatum in my yard, in part because it is native and very easy to grow and in part because it has a flower color other than red--I felt from an esthetic standpoint that I wanted at least some plants with non-red flowers in my garden. I had only one blooming-size plant last year, and didn't see any hummer use (it was out of the way and likely wouldn't have noticed it). This year, I will have a much larger stand as last year's seedlings should be blooming-sized this year. It is very easy to winter-sow the seeds, and seems to grow very well without any of fuss--my kind of plant! This year will be the first true test of hummer-worthiness.

There are two red-flowered hummingbird-pollinated delphiniums, both native to California--D. nudicaule and D. cardinale. Neither would work well in the garden in the midwest or eastern US (at least not here--I've tried!) but I haven't given up on them as possible container subjects.

Donald

Zone 4 Red Wing MN

I have been told in the past that the Calif Delphs are used quite a bit by hummers but they all said that they do not floursh out of their range. I have looked for Delphinium exaltatum)here many time and all I have ever found has been the Pacifica. Why won't nurseries stock plants that are more apt to thrive in they area they are going to be grown in.

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Penny,

I had to mail order my Delphinium exaltatum like almost every plant I grow, especially the natives. I can't even find Lonicera sempervirens at local nurseries.

Gary
Napoleon, OH
Zone 6a

Gary you are in the same situation then that I am in. I too had to mail order my Lonicera sempervirens and the Gold Flame. The Japanese Honeysuckle is avaialble in every garden center around here!

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Like others, we have a lot of Delphinium exaltatum and while it's not a hummingbird favorite, it is easy to grow, always comes back, and attracts some hummingbirds.

Don, we tried those California delphiniums in the ground and they either died or were eaten by rabbits. If I were to try them again, I would only plant in a container.

Hybrid delphiniums have never attracted hummingbirds in our yard. We can grow them in Wisconsin because we don't have the heat and humidity for the most part, but it's a beautiful but short-lived plant that needs to be staked and is very susceptible to many diseases---you really have to love this plant to bother with it.





Kathi and Michael Rock
Madison, Wisconsin
Zone 4/5

I have failed twice to get exaltatum going. It is another one-more-time when I find some seeds.