If you want to attract hummingbirds to your yard, the early spring-blooming red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) is a great way to do it. Not only do these native shrubs produce beautiful flowers during a time when not much else is blooming, but they seem to be particularly attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.
We have red buckeye planted in our native plant garden at Tara. Here are some photos of the hummingbirds visiting them.
Red buckeye shrubs can grow to be up to 20 feet tall. It’s native to the southeastern U.S. and can tolerate a wide variety of soil types and moisture levels. It grows best in part shade but it can grow in full sun as long as it is shaded in the hot afternoons.
