Garden

[Pennytoo]

don't mean to criticize Cottage Gardens or Roberta's but not all the plants that they offer are good hummingbird plants. In fact many are not good nectar rich plants for hummers at all. Some plants may be investigated especially by the newly fledged young but will soon be abandoned if there are better plants anywere in the area.

Hummingbirds do not have much of a sense of smell so many of the best hummer plants have no scent at all. They prefer plants with smaller bell shaped blooms like those found on many of the southwest Salvias and Agastaches. Unfortunately many of the best Salvias and agastaches have to be treated as tender perennials or annuals depending on your location so are often not offered by retailers.

Besides the great southwestern plants mentioned above, here are a few other great perennials for hummers that are easily grown in most areas of the US: Lobelia cardinalis aka Cardinal Flower, Jacob's Cline Monarda aka Bee Balm, Aquilegia canadensis aka Native Eastern Columbine, Heuchera aka Old fashioned Coral Bels, Lonicera sempervirens aka Coral Honeysuckle, Penstemon barbatus aka Scarlet Bugler.

To learn morel about gardening for hummingbiurds and the best plants to attract them regardless what part of the US you live in check out the Hummingbird Forum. We will also be tracking their spring migration starting in late February.

[JustJazzmom]

All birds do not have a good sense of smell -- their eyesight is much stronger and the hummingbirds are attracted to bright colors (like red) and trumpet shaped flowers.

[Nonametoday]

Hummingbirds see in ultraviolet.

[Susan Louise]

I laugh when I listen to the flower shows on the Q...

Many of the plants they sell do not offer Hummingbirds what they need...nectar...just like butterflies! They don't use pollen like bees...

I just and "let it go"...since they are just trying to sell, sell, sell and if they sell more by just "saying" a particular plant attracts hummingbirds, that is the tactic they will use.

For those who are serious about wanting to attract hummingbirds, they really need to do some "homework/research"...

Things for newbies in this area to keep in mind:

1) Different areas of the country have different Hummingbirds...some of which migrate, others don't (I am not going into it all in a single post...I could talk for hours on this subject).

2) A great resource online to find out info about most all plants is Dave's Garden dot com. I have been a member for years and it is worth every penny of the annual membership fee (which is quite reasonable) for all the info it provides to interact in the forums! You can google for some info on individual plants, but that only helps to a degree. To get the full benefits/help, it is worth joining if your heart is into gardening/birding/etc.

3) Visit hummingbird forums and interact with those who have been enthusiasts for years with knowledge of the best flowers that have the best nectar sources...depending on where you live, either you will be lucky in the south being able to have most of the plants as perennials, others in northern states will have more plants as annuals and have to overwinter other plants. You need to find out what will grow best in your area/zone.

4) Research, read, research, read, research...

For example, just because a flower is red, pink, purple, etc, does not mean it is a hummingbird flower. A hummingbird may pass buy a flower of a particular color, but unfortunately they just waste their precious time trying to find what they are looking for if the flower only offers pollen because they need the nectar to feed on! Many flowers just offer pollen!!! Imagine yourself as a Hummingbird...flying 60+ miles (in a single day) during the Spring or Fall migration period. Then you come across a "mirage" of flowers with no nectar and just pollen and you are in need of refueling. You would hope that there would be some feeders out!

Another thing to think about is that NOT all hummingbirds go to feeders. Many hummingbirds are only flower feeders...so keep that in mind.

DH and I document/keep records of our migrating visitors and I can state that as a fact. Sometimes its because the hummers weren't brought up around feeders, they haven't used them yet, or they just prefer flowers as they should. Many Hummingbirds will use both feeders and flowers equally. Anyway, I hope that gets my point across

5) IF you choose to put feeders out for the hummingbirds, PLEASE remember that it is imperative to put fresh sugar water in about every 3 days...and red dye is NOT necessary since the feeders nowadays are usually red anyway, so the hummingbirds will find them!

The 2 main reasons why the sugar water needs to be changed often is that over time, the water evaporates (common sense) and black mold develops and adheres to the inside of the base of the feeder (where it's not easily seen...if left like that for a period of time, the black mold will spread). I have come across many folks who fill their hummingbird feeders and they are stubborn and or lazy...telling me that since there is still plenty of juice left in the feeders and or they don't see the mold as being harmful to the hummingbirds, they feel changing the sugar water is unnecessary. If the sugar water becomes either too potent or filled with black mold developing, it will make the hummingbirds sick or die.

That reminds me of folks who want solar powered birdbaths, but can't be bothered with the upkeep of them. They want to attract the birds, but they don't want to change the water more than once a week...it makes my head hurt! I remember last year there was a presentation on the q for a solar biirdbath. The caller was happy it attracted birds and also concerned about how often she would have to fill the birdbath...hoping it would be about once every week or less! OMG, seriously? And the hosts/vender stated that's about how often she would need to fill the birdbath.........

Some folks must live in a bubble...or lacks any common sense...JMO.

Water evaporates...especially in the hot summer sun! Birds will come...a few or a lot depending on your area. And "if" there are no birds to clean up after, over time, a green algae slime will develop anyway. So no matter how one looks at it, a birdbath of any type needs maintenance.

I clean/fill our birdbath daily...and you may not believe it, but sometimes up to 3-5 times a day in the summer! I use a brush with antibacterial soap once a day then rinsing before refilling. I just rinse the birdbath the other times on the same day if it's more than once I have to fill it. For those that don't know, the birds take baths mainly to remove the excess oils on their feathers...hence the slimy film that develops even after only a day or two (if your birdbath gets used often like ours does). Then there is the bird p-o-o-p of coarse, etc. In the winter, we have a heater in the birdbath. In the Spring-Fall, we use the solar plate for the fountain. Ours is 7 yrs old and still works great. For most folks that say the fountain only worked a couple of weeks and then stopped...saying the solar birdbath was a waste of money, I'd bet they never cleaned the filter/area on the underside of the solar plate. That's my DH's job once a week! He takes it apart and carefully cleans each piece. It gets clogged with debris of all sorts...feathers, grit from the birds feathers, bird seed, and oil build-up!

Ok...back to hummingbird feeder info...

Clean your feeders by emptying them out, then soaking in a sink (about 20-30 minutes) of hot water with a cup full of bleach and a squirt of antibacterial soap (swish it all around then put the feeders in the sink. The bleach will remove any black mold (which develops faster in hot weather) that develops...even in the beginning stages. You won't need to use a scrub brush to remove any that develops if you use the hot water and bleach because the mold will detach itself (for lack of a better way of putting it) after being in the hot water and bleach for a minimum of 20-30 minutes...it takes about that long. Don't over soak them (forgetting about them, or like leaving them in the sink overnight or for an entire morning or afternoon) since you might risk fading a red plastic feeder and consider a hummingbird might be waiting for you to put it back!

Anyway, then, make sure you rinse the feeders well before adding fresh sugar water. The mixture I use is 1 part sugar to 3 parts water...or 1:3. Others use 1:4...a weaker mixture. These are all lessons I already learned the hard way

6) By doing all of the above, you will be successful attracting Hummingbirds and they will return every year

7) All this info is from someone who took a full year of spending hours doing all of the above back in 2007 when I first started becoming a Hummingbird/Bird/butterfly enthusiast. I am not a "know-it-all"...just someone trying to help others begin the process of developing their own sanctuary for all your feathered and winged friends

[denisemb]

Susan Louise - I laugh, too, because my parents owned a nursery (perrennials) in MI and I see QVC "stretching the truth" a bit about certain attributes.

I'm also a fan of Dave's Garden - it's a wonderful site, especially for those of us who maybe "knew our stuff" in one zone and then were thrown by a loop when moving to another (FL for us).

Back to hummingbirds: Never had luck in MI, but had hummers in N. Central FL thanks to the Bottlebrush Tree (a shrub, but this had grown to a tree) next to our front door. Unfortunately, the tree also attracted EVERY bee in the county, so it got to be hazardous to walk out the front door. So that's an option for any southerners out there - just plant it next to a window so you can enjoy!