Draw Hummingbirds To Your Yard With A Low-Maintenance Tree That Produces Fragrant Blooms

Sit back and be a spectator to your backyard's wildlife. An easygoing tree that hummingbirds and other pollinators love, the 'Espresso' Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus 'Espresso-JFS') can help butterflies and pollinators thrive in your yard. It's a low-maintenance flowering tree that appeals to bees and butterflies along with the tiny nectar-loving birds. The 'Espresso' Kentucky coffee tree is also a host plant for five species of butterflies and moths that play integral roles in pollination. What's more, its traits make it a great candidate for making your yard a hummingbird nest-friendly habitat as well as serving up many delicious meals for your fluttering visitors.

Before you close your mind to adding the 'Espresso' to your landscape, this variety of Kentucky coffee tree doesn't throw any of the species' typically annoying or dangerous characteristics at you. The 'Espresso' is a grafted male tree, meaning that it doesn't produce the pods full of poisonous seeds that become disconcerting yard litter. Since all parts of this tree are toxic to mammals, deer will leave your newly planted 'Espresso' alone. If you live in USDA Hardiness Zone 4 or warmer and have a large area for this tree's eventual growth, consider welcoming this pollinator pleaser into your outdoor space.

'Espresso' Kentucky coffee trees will deliver more than just the gift of birds and insect guests. It'll also regale you with lovely shade, brilliant yellow fall foliage, deep espresso-colored bark, and little in the way of extra work. Few pests or diseases trouble this low-maintenance tree, and once it's established, the 'Espresso' won't take away too much of your free time.

This extremely cold-hardy tree grows best in moist, fertile soil in a sunny or partly-shaded, spacious spot. Although it grows slowly, it can eventually reach 75 feet high and 50 feet wide. The 'Espresso' needs to be watered regularly during its first few growing seasons. It's not extremely picky about soil quality, and once it's established, the 'Espresso' doesn't require much water. Other than any dead branches, you won't have to prune the tree extensively. Do keep in mind that its canopy spreads significantly, so along with enough ground space, the 'Espresso' will need room for its branches to grow.

As for our flying friends' needs, there are aspects that make the 'Espresso' a great place for birds and bugs to live and eat. The flowers draw pollinators in May and June, and the leaves nourish the caterpillars of beneficial pollinators, such as the bicolored honey locust moth. The fact that the 'Espresso' is both deciduous and a reliable food source for hummingbirds also makes it an ideal niche for nesting.