UNITED STATES—Floral color communicates to pollinators. Pollination is, after all, the priority of all flowers. Those that rely on pollinators more than breezes for pollination must therefore advertise. They effectively customize their bloom for preferable pollinators. Some incorporate floral fragrance if necessary. Most preferable pollinators are insects. Some are hummingbirds.
Seven species of hummingbird inhabit California. Some are always here. Some migrate south for winter. A few are only here while they migrate between farther south and farther north. All eat only small insects and floral nectar. Blooms which rely on hummingbirds for pollination are happy to provide. They have a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship.
Many plant species have customized their bloom for pollination by hummingbirds. Many of these flowers are elongated, tubular and curved to fit the long beaks of hummingbirds. Most, although not all, are bright and rich colors that hummingbirds prefer. Bright red and orange are probably their favorite colors. Floral fragrances are more for other pollinators.
Hummingbirds are delightful as both pollinators and wildlife.
Many who enjoy gardening enjoy hummingbirds within their gardens. Hummingbirds are as colorful as some small flowers but are much more dynamic. They enjoy hummingbird feeders and birdbaths or simple saucers of water. They also appreciate the various sorts of flowers that appeal specifically to them. Such flowers can appeal to everyone anyway.
Hummingbirds enjoy too many flowers to list. Those that customize their blooms for them will be expecting them. Many that customize their blooms for other pollinators can attract them anyway. Zinnia, coneflower and most composite flowers are ideal for pollination by bees. Many of their bright floral colors that attract bees entice hummingbirds incidentally.
Columbine and nasturtium are more customized for hummingbirds. Penstemon, foxglove and various trumpet vines accommodate a range of pollinators. Honeysuckle, lupine and sages do too but seem to fit thin hummingbird beaks best. Bright floral color of hibiscus, fuchsia, canna and bottlebrush are impossible to ignore. Indiscriminate taste is an asset.
Highlight: Lemon Bottlebrush
Like oleander and junipers, lemon bottlebrush, Callistemon citrinus, has become passe. It was a victim of its own practicality. It was so popular that it became overly common. Yet it is just as practical now as it was then. It is resilient enough to survive within medians of freeways with minimal irrigation. In less exposed situations, it might require no irrigation.
As a small tree, lemon bottlebrush can grow more than fifteen feet tall. With pruning from below, some grow about twenty feet tall with sculptural trunks. Their canopies eventually become messy though and require aggressive pruning. Most lemon bottlebrush grow as big flowering shrubbery or high hedges. Shearing can compromise bloom if too frequent.
Bright red bloom should be most abundant for summer but may be sporadic at any time. It is very popular with pollinators, including hummingbirds. Many small staminate flowers bloom in compact cylindrical trusses, like bottlebrushes. Each truss is about two or three inches long and nearly as wide. The aromatic and evergreen leaves are almost as long. Dark brown bark is handsomely shaggy and furrowed.
