Keep Hummingbirds Coming To Your Yard With An Orange Flowering Plant They Adore

During the warmer months of the year, gardeners all around the country head to their local nursery or garden center to find interesting plants they can add to their yards. Many also search for varieties that are wildlife friendly and will attract pollinator insects and birds, including the delightfully busy hummingbirds. To attract these little garden visitors, flowering plants should definitely be on your radar. To that end, there's a rather whimsical orange flowering plant you might not have come across, which hummingbirds adore. It's commonly known as a flowering maple, but don't let that name fool you, because it's nothing like the maples you might be familiar with. A more apt common name for Abutilon is Chinese lantern or Chinese bellflower.

The reason that Abutilon has the common name of flowering maple is that the large, trifoliate green leaves look a lot like maple leaves. On the other hand, the showy pendulous blooms bear a close resemblance to hibiscus flowers, which is why this species is in the same family (Malvaceae). These impressive bell-shaped blooms hang down from the branches and look just like colorful lanterns from a distance. Apart from vibrant orange flowers, you can also get varieties with yellow, pink, red, and white blooms. Best of all, you can grow this species alongside other gorgeous flowers that will transform your space into a hummingbird heaven.

Flowering maples are large, erect, or arching, shrubs that can reach a height of 10 feet with a spread of up to 5 feet, so you want to give this plant plenty of room in your yard. Luckily, this species also handles pruning well, so you can cut it back to control its shape and keep the growth more manageable. It's only hardy in USDA zones 9 through 10, but can be grown as an annual in other regions, or as a potted plant to bring indoors over winter. In fact, you'll find that this is one of the best low-light plants to grow indoors for amazing interest and color. But, bear in mind that there are also reasons why you want to be cautious about bringing flowering maples into your home, because some people may experience an allergic reaction that can cause contact dermatitis. Outdoors, you can grow flowering maple in full sun or part shade in moist soil that drains well.

Some eye-catching varieties you might like to try include Abutilon 'Red Tiger', which has large orange blooms with deep red veins, or Abutilon 'Orange Hot Lava', which has deeper orange flowers that have red veins as well as a burgundy calyx. There's also a striking cultivar known as Abutilon 'Victor Reiter', which has outstanding orange blooms with bright yellow centers. Finally, if you love plants with variegated foliage, take a look at Abutilon 'Souvenir de Bonn', which also has distinctive orange flowers with prominent red veins.