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Attracting Hummingbirds


Gold Post Medal for All Time! 858 Posts
March 6, 2008

Hummer at an orange flower.One of the greatest joys of having a flower garden is watching the hummingbirds dart from flower to flower-wings buzzing away while their tiny bodies hover in mid air. Late winter signals the start of the hummingbird migration as they head back to their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada. The males will return first, with the females arriving a few days behind them. Here are some tips for attracting hummers to your garden this year.

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Humming Birds Facts

Plants That Attract Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds play a vital role in garden ecology. Because of their fast metabolism (some say 100 times faster than an elephant) they need to eat constantly. As they fly from to flower to flower to feed, they pollinate the plants. In fact, without the hummingbirds help, some flowers would be incapable of reproducing. Here is a list of flowers and plants that most hummingbirds find irresistible:

Trees & Shrubs

Abelia, Azalea, Bottle Brush, Butterfly Bush (Buddleia), Cape Honeysuckle, Catoneaster, Hibiscus, Flame Acanthus, Flowering Current, Flowering Quince, Lantana, Lilac, Manzanita, Mimosa, Red Buckeye, Tree Tobacco, Turk's Cap, Weigela.

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Vines

Bougainvillea, Coral Honeysuckle, Cypress Vine, Morning Glory, Rosary Vines, Scarlet Runner Bean, Trumpet Creeper, Trumpet Vines.

Flowers

Perennials: Bee Balm (Monarda), Canna, Cardinal Flower, Columbine, Coral Bells, Gladiolus, Four-O-Clocks, Foxglove, Iris, Hosta, Hummingbird Mint (Agastache), Little Cigar, Lupine, Penstemon, Yucca

Annuals: Beard tongue, Firespike, Fuchsia, Impatiens, Jacobiana, Jewelweed, Nasturtium, Petunia, Salvia, Shrimp Plant, Spider Flower, Zinnia.

Hummingbird Feeders

Many gardeners choose to supplement the diets of neighborhood hummingbirds by offering them sweetened water from a feeder. Feeders are widely available at discount stores and garden centers. Most common are the plastic inverted bottle-style feeders and basin feeders. When selecting a feeder, look for one that is easy to clean and maintain, and preferably, one that offers perches.
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Despite their underdeveloped feet, hummingbirds will gladly take advantage of a chance to rest while they feed (and you'll get some great pictures). Use hot water to rinse the feeder every time you refill it. Periodically, (maybe once a month) soak the feeder for two hours in _ cup bleach and one gallon of water. Rinse well and refill with syrup.

Ideally, feeders should be hung near windows-close enough to watch the action. Cutouts of predatory birds or partially closed vertical blinds will prevent bird strikes on windows, although that seldom seems to be a concern with hummingbirds. It isn't uncommon for hungry hummers to empty feeders quickly so check them daily. Also, be aware that in some areas (parts of the southwest), sugar loving bats also like hummingbird feeders and may empty them overnight. These bats are important pollinators to desert plants, so don't harm them, just bring your feeder indoors for the night.

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Recipe for artificial nectar:

Boiling this syrup is not necessary. Fermentation problems are caused by organisms on the bird's own beaks, not by the water. Unused syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Syrup will spoil quickly in warm weather so discard any unused portions after a few days and refill with fresh syrup.

Do not use Jell-O, honey, brown sugar, or fruit in your feeder. These can harm, and in some cases even kill hummingbirds. Do not use distilled water (it lacks important trace minerals) or red dye to color the water in your feeder (the base of most feeders are colored and if not, hummingbirds are smart enough to figure it out anyway).

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7 More Solutions

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May 7, 2009

When I put up my first hummingbird feeder, my husband and I were sitting on our patio, and as he was saying "I don't think we'll get a hummingbird here", a Ruby Throated Hummingbird comes swooping down to take a drink of nectar from the feeder I had hung.

Flowers to attract hummingbirds

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 858 Posts
July 7, 2011

Hanging baskets are a great way to attract hummingbirds to your garden. Once they find your flowers, they will return again and again, to dine on them all season long.

Hummingbird Feeding from Flower

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August 29, 2011

For the first time, I have hummingbirds in my yard. For the first time, I grew salvia coccinea, and the hummers love it. I also have petunias, nasturtiums, and some "four o' clocks" that I've heard hummingbirds like, but have never seen them at those flowers.

 
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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 104 Posts
August 16, 2007

I have lots of flowers outdoors, and we usually we get about 1-2 hummingbirds. This week we've counted 4 at one time. I went outdoors with a red shirt on, holding the hummingbird feeder with my arm outstretched.

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2 hummers came up, and 1 ate from the feeder as I held it.

 
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Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

April 10, 2012

When are the best times during the year and during the day to put a hummingbird feeder out?

By Elliot M from Cleveland, OH

Answers

April 18, 20120 found this helpful

I plan to put out a feeder in about two weeks and I am in east central Indiana. Leave the feeder out until at least two weeks after you see the last hummer. Leave them out all day and night, but do keep them clean and DO NOT USE food coloring. Hummers are curious and they will find the feeder.

Use just plain water and sugar, about 3 to 4 cups of water for each cup of sugar. Hummers like it sweeter, but this mix is better for them. You do not need to buy the mixes, but it must be real sugar as they need it for energy. There are many sites about hummers.

 
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April 28, 2019

We have two hummingbird feeders near our deck. But we have a problem with other birds nearby getting into flower plants (meant to attract hummingbirds) and trying to make nests on decking lighting. If I buy spinwheels to deter the larger birds, will that also keep away the hummingbirds?


Answers


Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
April 29, 20190 found this helpful

Get different size feeders with different lengths of poles.

 
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Photos

Check out these photos.

September 10, 2014

I was given this wonderful pass-along plant, Salvia guaranitica. I was told the common name was "Hummingbird Plant" and now I know why! This fabulous and beautiful plant has long, tubular blossoms that attracts hummingbirds.

profile of hummer feeding

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