The Vibrant Fuzzy Flower That Will Make Your Yard A Hummingbird Haven

While you may have heard that planting flowers that attract hummingbirds is a great way to bring more of them to your yard, there are a lot of different options and it can be hard to choose which ones to grow. One of the best plants to consider growing to attract hummingbirds is lion's tail (Leonotis leonurus). This South African native shrub features fuzzy orange flowers that will attract hummingbirds with ease and bring some extra visual interest to your yard. This unusual-looking perennial flower grows well in a variety of conditions, although it's only an annual in particularly cold conditions. 

You can place lion's tail around your house, and it can work well in the yard or as part of a well-cultivated pollinator garden. The vibrant orange color will bring new life into your landscape. To use lion's tail to attract hummingbirds, you'll need to take good care of it. First, provide it with the ideal growing conditions. This flower grows best in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 11. Grow it in well-draining soil with medium moisture while providing it with full sunlight or light shade. While the lion's tail shrub is pretty drought tolerant, it's best to water it regularly. Once established, it doesn't require much water, but you should water it deeply on a bi-weekly basis.

Lion's tail can benefit from some pruning as well. Aim to do some pruning yearly for best results. After it flowers, deadhead lion's tail and prune the flowers a bit to make them look their best. Do this in late winter so that they'll be able to grow well once spring rolls around.

Aside from attracting hummingbirds to your yard, there are some other great reasons to consider growing lion's tail as well. Of course, one of the benefits is that it simply looks great and can add more visual interest to your garden. However, keep in mind that lion's tail doesn't just attract hummingbirds but attracts other pollinators as well — it's one of the top plants to attract butterflies and bees.

On the other hand, although lion's tail attracts these all of these pollinators, it doesn't attract deer. This flower is deer-resistant and they're unlikely to bother the shrub as they tend to do for many other flowers and plants. It can be a great choice if you're trying to keep deer out of your yard and garden. There's also very little risk of disease or pests damaging this plant. Because of these benefits, lion's tail is fairly hands-off and easy to grow. Not a lot of effort will be necessary to keep the plant happy and to use it for bringing hummingbirds and other pollinators to your yard.