The Protea Attraction - Hummingbirds

Despite being stunning cut flowers, proteas not only add color and texture to floral designs, but they also attract a symphony of nature's nectar-seeking guests like birds, bees, and butterflies. Once you've had the pleasure of observing these pollinators in action, it's only natural to want to see them more often, like my favorite... the hummingbird.

Hummingbirds love proteas thanks to the flower's abundance of both pollen and nectar, especially over the long winter months. It’s fascinating to watch a hummingbird as it darts around from bloom to bloom and the dance it performs is unlike any other bird. Its bright, shimmering colors, rapid flight, and the ability to hover in midair are a few of the traits that make it so unique. During courtship dives a hummingbird can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour and can average speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour. It can rotate its wings in a circle and it's the only bird that can fly forward, backward, up, down, and sideways. Such high-energy movement requires that it feeds every ten to fifteen minutes. These amazing birds bring so much excitement and wonder to the field.

Hummingbirds are most attracted to flowers in shades of red and orange.

Our top 3 Hummingbird-Friendly Proteas

Protea - Sugarbush

The best-known genus of the protea family and the one for which it’s named. These flowers vary in size, shape, color, and form and rely on their showy bracts for visual appeal.

Grevillea Flowers – Bush Lollies

These lollipop-like flowers, also referred to as Bush Lollies, Bush Toothbrush and Spiderman, provide masses vibrant, textural blooms throughout the year. Their popularity comes from their willingness to flower and flower.

Leucospermum - Pincushions

Leucospermum or more commonly called pincushions put all their art into the colors of the flowers themselves as well as the flowing shape of each curving component. These fanciful blooms atop sturdy stems make for colorful rest stops (or landing pads) between flights.

UCR Botanic Gardens Fall Plant Sale

Fall is a very popular time of the year for outdoor markets and fairs of all kinds. And when garden opportunities arise we always try to participate in the local favorites. Autumn also happens to be the best time to plant perennials like proteas, shrubs, bulbs and even wildflower seeds. Did you know that plants established in the fall and winter grow faster in the spring and require less water when summer comes?

This month we returned to the UCR Botanic Gardens nestled in the foothills of the Box Springs Mountains on the east side of the University of California, Riverside Campus for their 36th annual plant sale. This spectacular event features an vast collection of plants including drought tolerant California Natives as well as plants that attract hummingbirds or butterflies and plants that are suitable for vegetable or flower gardens.

It’s also a fabulous time of year to visit the UCR Botanic Gardens - not only to enjoy this living plant museum with more than 3,500 plant species from around the world, but to wander through the four miles of scenic trails or just relax on a bench and enjoy the beauty.

UCR Botanic Gardens Fall Market & Plant Sale

Fall is a very popular time of the year for outdoor markets and fairs of all kinds. And when garden opportunities arise we always try to participate in the local favorites. Autumn also happens to be the best time to plant perennials, shrubs, bulbs and even wildflower seeds. Did you know that plants established in the fall and winter grow faster in the spring and require less water when summer comes?

This month we ventured out to the UCR Botanic Gardens nestled in the foothills of the Box Springs Mountains on the east side of the University of California, Riverside Campus for their 35th annual fall market and plant sale. This spectacular event features an exciting collection of plants with many varieties including drought tolerant California Native plants as well as plants that attract hummingbirds or butterflies and plants that are suitable for vegetable or flowers gardens.

It’s also a fabulous time of year to visit the UCR Botanic Gardens - not only to enjoy this living plant museum with more than 3,500 plant species from around the world, but to wander through the four miles of scenic trails or just relax on a bench and enjoy the beauty.

The UCR Botanic Gardens 44th Annual Spring Plant Sale

Spring is a popular time for fairs and sales of all kinds, and when garden opportunities arises, we always try to participate in a few of the local favorites.

Last week, we ventured out to the UCR Botanic Gardens nestled in the foothills of the Box Springs Mountains on the east side of the University of California, Riverside Campus for their 44th annual spring plant sale. It’s the Gardens most popular event of the year and they always have a wide variety of plants for sale. Plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies, drought tolerant and California Native plants as well as plants that are suitable for cut flowers use…like our Protea, of course.

It’s a fabulous time of year to visit the UCR Botanic Gardens - not only to enjoy this living plant museum with more than 3,500 plant species from around the world, but to wander through the four miles of scenic trails or just relax on a bench and enjoy the beauty. Enjoy these photos…

Grevillea Johnsonii – Hummingbird Magnet

Grevillea johnsonii is a beautiful, slightly weeping evergreen shrub with long needle-like, dark green leaves.  However, there’s no doubt this amazing Grevillea truly ‘comes to life’ when flowering - as it does profusely.  The loose clusters of extremely showy spidery pinkish-red flowers produced from late winter through the spring months make a strong but elegant contrast with the foliage.

These showy blossoms are very popular among pollinators such as bees, butterflies and birds - especially the hummingbirds!  Another name for Johnsonii should be - Hummingbird Magnet!  Herds of hummingbirds happily feast on the sweet nectar!  They are beautiful as they dart around from flower to flower and the dance they perform is unlike any other bird.  Their bright, shimmering colors, rapid flight and the ability to hover are a few of the traits that make them so unique.  Such high-energy movement requires that they feed every ten to fifteen minutes.  Hummingbirds are most attracted to flowers in shades of red like Grevillea johnsonii, of course!