HUMMINGBIRD GARDEN TOUR

This bed was first planted to attract hummingbirds in the early 1990’s. In the summer of 2001, a water line broke underneath the garden and nearby sidewalk. To fix the problem, it was necessary to excavate the entire area. It was our opportunity to redo the look and feel of the garden. At first we thought about replanting this as a formal garden with a preformed bridge or a concrete fountain. But, we decided to continue the Rocky Mountain theme so the garden would be a more natural blend in the Zoo’s mountainside setting. In designing the water feature, the horticulture team took a field trip to nearby Cheyenne Canyon and walked the creek to see how water flows and travels over rocks. The team returned with a clear picture and built the water feature to closely resemble a mountain steam. Instead of an arching iron bridge, we placed a log across the water that joins the two segments of river rock pathways.

After the water feature and path were constructed, the large shrubs were placed for structure. The backbone of the garden is butterfly bush, which provide nectar for birds as well as butterflies. Ribes aureum, commonly referred to as Golden Current, is a drought tolerant plant with spicy smelling, yellow, tubular flowers in May.

The other significant shrub in the garden is a Beautybush. Kolkwitzia amabilis, or Beautybush, is a little known plant and seldom used in Colorado Springs, but it offers exfoliating bark, reddish fall color, and attractive flowers. Beautybush has an abundance of light pink blooms that appear on second year wood, much like a lilac or forsythia, so it is not showy in a nursery setting unless it was over-wintered.

As you can tell by the number of trees and shrubs listed, this garden consists primarily of perennials. Maltese Cross, botanically called Lychnis chalcedonica, is a staple for any hummingbird garden. The birds are attracted to the small cross-shaped red flowers that sit in clusters atop two feet tall stems. A related plant is Lychnis arkwrightii ‘Orange Gnome’. Orange Gnome Campion only grows eight inches tall but has much larger orange flowers and bronze tinted foliage. Another must for the Rocky Mountain region are the different types of penstemons. This group of plants is so valued for its drought tolerance, lengthy and showy flower display, and nectar supply that the entire genus was named the 2001 Perennial of the Year by Great Plants for the Great Plains. Penstemon strictus is the Rocky Mountain Penstemon and has two to three feet spikes of lavender blooms. Penstemon pinifolius, called Pineleaf Penstemon, is a compact plant with needle like leaves and scarlet flowers. Penstemon x mexicale ‘Red Rocks’ was named a 1999 Plant Select winner for its bright rose flowers and tolerance for a wide range of soil conditions.Penstemon whippleanus, or Whipples Penstemon, is a common mountain native hardy to 12,000 feet with wine-purple flowers. Penstemon eatonii is an interesting plant because of its growth habit. The Firecracker Penstemon is slow to emerge in the spring, but almost overnight the wispy plant will shoot up two to three feet and generate bright scarlet trumpet-shaped flowers. Aquilegia chrysantha ‘Denver Gold’ is a showy yellow columbine featured in the 2001 Plant Select program. Ligularia stenocephala ‘The Rocket’ was salvaged and transplanted from the existing garden. The variety of Ligularia loves moist sites and has impressive yellow flower spikes that can reach five to six feet tall. Several varieties of Lupine including ‘Gallery Blue’, ‘My Castle’, and ‘Gallery Red’ are planted. These three varieties in the genus Lupinus are all hardy to 9,000 feet and produce either red or blue pea-like flowers in May and June. Asclepias incarnata, or Swamp Milkweed, is a zone 5 plant that produces showy dusty pink flowers in late summer. Milkweeds also serve as a host and nectar plant for many types of butterflies. Many different types of Monarda were planted in this garden including ‘Marshall Delight’, ‘Jacob Cline’, ‘Petite Delight’, and the native fistulosa. Monarda, also called Beebalm, is in the mint family so it has fragrant leaves. Asian Highlands Garden | African Rift Valley Garden | Butterfly Garden | Colorado Life Zones Garden
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