The Radiant Plant That'll Quickly Fill Your Garden With Bright Flowers & Hummingbirds

Perhaps you've already got the ideal summer garden, filled with plants and landscaping that bring you joy. But if you've been considering an extra addition, the Chilean glory flower (Eccremocarpius scaber), also called the glory vine, will not only bring a pop of color but is also a gorgeous hummingbird magnet. Just like Homer Simpson never met a donut he didn't like, hummingbirds find the Chilean glory flower irresistible.

Discovered in Chile in 1824, the Chilean glory flower grows best in USDA Hardiness Zone 8, where it can thrive as a perennial but can also be grown as an annual in cooler climates. With a preference for full sun and soil that should stay moist at all times, the Chilean glory flower grows clusters of long, tubular flowers that are most commonly red-orange in hue but also come in pink, yellow, and scarlet varieties as well. Because hummingbirds' have such a lengthy, narrow beak, it is easy for them to retrieve the nectar from within this flower.

As far as what it will do for your yard aesthetics, the Chilean glory flower as a perennial can grow 10 to 15 feet high and blooms during late summer and early fall. It's a great climbing plant for a property and will do best when planted alongside a trellis, pergola, wall, or fence. It will also enliven your garden space quickly with its rapid growth. While it's considered an invasive weed in New Zealand, it hasn't been labeled as such in the United States.

If you don't live in a climate that supports the Chilean glory flower as a perennial, you can get it going inside before planting it each year. Start your seeds indoors around 10 weeks before the last anticipated frost. Moisten your soil and press in several seeds without covering them, as they require light to germinate. Germination can happen in as little as two to four weeks but could take up to eight. Key factors for growth include misting seeds regularly, keeping them in bright light, and around 60 degrees while covering them with plastic to keep the soil damp.

Once seedlings have two sets of leaves, move them to six-inch pots and keep them in a warm, bright room. Once the potential for frost has faded and soil temperatures outside are at least 65 degrees, you can take them to their final home in your garden. From there, expect the easy-to-maintain plant to grow relatively quickly (although be aware that annually grown Chilean glory flowers may get slightly less tall than perennials). 

Once this beauty blooms, its clusters can be cut for gorgeous additions to bouquets. And if you're lucky enough to have this plant in your yard, you'll probably see return visitors each season. Hummingbirds not only remember where flowers are in their territories, but they are also aware of how long it takes for nectar to be replenished.