Plant This Red Flower To Attract Hummingbirds All Summer & Into Fall

You've done it: you designed your dream gardenscape, researched and added the right plants — you've even learned how to gather seeds from your annuals to grow next year. Still, looking out at the fruits of your labor — all those beautiful, eye-catching blooms — you may feel like something is missing. Native wildlife helps give your garden whimsy, developing character that's unique to your backyard, and by planting this "lucky" red flower, you could attract more hummingbirds to enjoy the wildlife you're missing. What is the mystery flower? Red Little Lucky Lantana (Lantana camara 'Balluced').

Now, the Red Little Lucky Lantana may not bring actual luck to your garden, but its show-stopping flowers can attract various pollinators. This includes butterflies and hummingbirds. It offers vibrant red blooms, but you may also see orange and yellow flowers, making this plant as colorful as it is easy to grow. As a result, if you're looking to start your own pollinator-friendly garden and want to balance visual appeal with wildlife allure, Lantana camara 'Balluced' can be the perfect place to start.

The idea of jumping in and adding this plant to your garden can be tempting, especially when thinking about those beautiful jewel-colored feathers that bring natural vibrancy to your yard. But there is one thing to keep in mind: certain species of Lantana can grow as invasive plants. Because of this, you'll want to double check that adding this cultivar won't pose any threats in your region when deciding if this is the best plant for your pollinator garden.

If it's your first time growing flowers specifically for hummingbirds and other pollinators, don't stress — Little Red Lucky Lantana is hardy enough to be forgiving of mistakes. It's resistant to disease and pests, and it sports a tolerance to heat. It's also drought tolerant. However, as durable as this flower is, you'll want to make sure you give it the right conditions to thrive, especially if you want to attract pollinators. Lantana camara 'Balluced' is only winter-hardy in zones 10 and 11, and it does best in soil that's slightly acidic.

For light and water requirements, Little Red Lucky Lantana thrives in full sun. If you're looking for a monochromatic pollinator garden, consider planting it beside this sun-loving stunning red flower that also attracts hummingbirds. While Little Red Lucky Lantana does grow best when exposed to higher humidity, it doesn't do well when water is left pooling around its roots. In fact, this can lead to rot. Because of this, ensure that the soil is well-draining, and opt for quality over quantity when it comes to watering this flower.

Day-to-day care with this Lantana cultivar is relatively simple. For fertilizer, feed this plant throughout its growing season in the spring and summer, ensuring that it has plenty of nutrients for those pollinator-magnet blooms. If you want to reshape your plant from pruning, do so as needed, being cautious not to over-prune and cause stress to your plant.