Not Pentas: The Bushy Purple Annual Flower Hummingbirds Can't Resist

If you're looking for purple plants to attract birds to your yard, you may be interested in adding pentas to your garden. Pentas (Pentas lanceolata) come in a variety of colors, including purple and lavender, and hummingbirds love them. However, as popular as they are, pentas aren't the only purple plant pick to consider using when looking for a way to provide your garden with more color and hummingbird appeal. Instead, this bushy annual produces clusters of fragrant purple flowers that brighten the garden while attracting more hummingbirds to your yard.

The trademarked 'Aromagica Purple' heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) makes a wonderful addition to pollinator gardens in your yard. They do well in containers or direct landscape, and they're a hit among hummingbirds. Its vibrant blooms can add color to your landscape while drawing hummingbirds, helping transform your garden into a welcoming habitat for wildlife. It's also considered easy to care for, which makes it a good plant for beginner gardeners looking to start their own pollinator garden.

Of course, when you're growing any plant with hummingbirds in mind, the key is to produce as many flowers as possible. After all, it's those nectar-filled blooms that invite hummingbirds in. This means learning the most optimal care routine to help this heliotrope thrive in your hummingbird-magnet space.

Although it's commonly grown as an annual, USDA hardiness zones mainly matter if you hope to overwinter the plant. However, it is important to pay close attention to the sunlight you're providing the 'Aromagica Purple' heliotrope with. Hummingbirds are often associated with red flowers, but they'll readily visit purple and other nectar-rich blooms as well. As a result, encouraging intense, vibrant colors can help draw your favorite feathered friends in. This heliotrope cultivar is a true sun lover, and it does best when it's offered full sun. That means at least six hours of sunlight each day. When given this amount of light, the flowers are typically more intense in color, helping those vibrant purple blossoms stand out in your yard.

This heliotrope, despite its love of sun, does prefer for its soil to be kept moist. However, avoid overwatering. The soil should remain consistently moist but never become saturated or waterlogged. As far as less frequent maintenance goes, you may choose to deadhead this plant as its flowers become lackluster and spent. Although deadheading takes a little extra effort, it encourages continued blooming and provides more nectar sources for hummingbirds throughout the season.