How to Attract Hummingbirds to a Garden

Expert theory claims that, in a given year, not a square meter of the U.S. or southern Canada goes unchecked by hummingbirds in their relentless quest for food. Why not invite them to your house? It's quite simple as long as you remember that a good hummingbird garden has more than just hummingbird flowers. It is a whole habitat. These wonderful little birds are a great neighbor to have around.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Flowers that hummingbirds like
• Shade
• Water
• Feeders
• Nesting material

Flowers

1. 

   Consider Color In their non stop quest for food, hummingbirds may visit 1,000 flowers per day. Plant flowers that hummingbirds are attracted to. Your best bet is red, tubular single blossom flowers. A good term to become familiar with is "ornithophilous" which describes a bird-loving plant.

2. Talk to the experts at your local garden center to select plants that grow best in your area. Your first choice should be flowers and plants that grow naturally in your region.

3. Select flowers that bloom at different times of the year. You don't want your garden to bloom all at once.

4. Do not use pesticides in your hummingbird garden. Hummingbirds will enjoy eating the spiders, aphids and gnats as an added source of protein.

Shade and Feeders

5. 

   Create both a sun and a shade area in your hummingbird garden. Sun and shade should be created by trees and open areas. Your flowers will need sun to grow and your hummingbirds will need the shade to perch in between feedings.

6. 

   Provide nesting materials. Hummingbirds like downy like materials for their nests, using these fibers with bits of leaves, spider webs, moss, and lichens to construct their nests. Willow trees and eucalyptus trees are invaluable for providing downy like materials.

7. 

   Add a water mister around broad leafed plants and watch them take a bath. Or add a small bird bath.

8. 

   Provide nectar feeders at varying heights. Different hummingbird species will favor and defend different heights. Some hummingbird species like to feed at heights, while others will prefer feeders placed closer to the ground. Place your feeders in at least three different heights to reduce aggression between hummingbirds.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are placing a hummingbird feeder out for the first time, or you don't see any hummingbirds visiting your feeder, try placing it close to flowers where hummingbirds have been seen. You can also tie strips of red ribbon to the feeder. The blowing ribbons will make it easier for the hummingbirds to see.
• Hummingbirds are very territorial and will aggressively protect nectar sources. To prevent a single hummingbird from monopolizing your feeder, place several feeders out of view of each other around your backyard or place a bunch of feeders together so no one individual hummingbird can possibly defend them all.
• You should never use artificial coloring in your nectar recipe.

[twincapes]

on 2/11/2009 Nice article, thanks!