Hummingbird Resting
The best way to attract hummingbirds to your garden is by using a nectar feeder, but they will stick around longer if you add flowering plants. The right combination of flowers will depend on your region and the type of hummingbirds that visit your landscape. Does this Spark an idea?
What Hummingbirds Need
Hummingbirds rely heavily on nectar feeders in the spring because there are few flowers in bloom, but they will visit both feeder and flower if given the chance.
As summer nears and flowers become abundant, hummingbirds will favor flowers over the feeders. Hummingbirds are attracted to red. I have watched them choose Red Bee Balm over all other colors and hover near red baseball caps and even my red coffee cup. This is the reason the majority of feeders have red on them. Hummingbirds are attracted to trumpet or bell-shaped flowers because they can easily get their bills into them; good choices are foxglove, penstemon, columbine, weigela and fuchsia.
Hummingbirds in Winter
Most North American hummingbirds fly to warm areas such as Mexico for winter, but gardeners in warmer regions such as the West Coast may see Anna's and Allen's Hummingbirds year round.
If you are this fortunate, leave your nectar feeders up all year and add winter flowering plants to your landscape. Good choices are witch hazel, sarcococca, daphne and winter blooming honeysuckle. A good plan is to have something flowering in your garden all the time, this will attract the widest variety of wildlife and pollinators.
In cooler regions, hummingbirds will head south when the nights begin to cool. This is usually around September. They will return again around March or April.
Hummingbirds will return to the same feeders year after year. I have my feeders clean and ready to fill as soon as I see the first spring hummingbird. If this is your first year, fill your feeder at the first sign of spring. It may take a few weeks but the hummingbirds eventually will find it.
Taking Care of Feeders
It is important to keep your feeders clean. Because sugar water will ferment, nectar will need to be changed more frequently as the weather warms. I only place as much nectar in my feeder as they will drink in a few days. If the nectar becomes cloudy, I dump it. Rinse your feeders with hot water before refilling. If there is any sign of mold, fill them with a mild bleach solution and let them soak. Never use red dye in the nectar; no one knows how it may affect hummingbirds. Use a simple solution of 1 part granulated sugar to 4 parts water. I place the sugar and water in a Pyrex measuring cup and dissolve it in the microwave. Once the solution has cooled, I fill my feeders.
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