Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden
Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Garden
Hummingbirds are some of the most interesting and colorful birds that visit our gardens. To attract them, hang feeders, plant nectar-rich flowering plants, and add water features they enjoy.
Hummingbird Feeders
Hummingbird feeders provide critical nectar, especially during migration. Fill them with sugar water and change it regularly to keep it fresh. Hang feeders where you can observe the birds as they drink and dart about.
Hummingbirds are extremely active and visit hundreds of flowers daily to meet their nutritional needs. Sugary nectar makes up 90% of their diet, supplying fast energy. Many flowers rely on hummingbirds for pollination.
Best Plants for Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are attracted to red, orange, and pink flowers, which are often tubular, nectar-rich, and lack fragrance. Choose plants with staggered blooming periods to provide a steady food supply.
- Annuals: Red salvia, snapdragons, petunias, nicotiana, fuchsias, morning glories, impatiens, and zinnias.
- Spring perennials: Columbines, foxgloves, and lupines.
- Summer perennials: Lilies, penstemon, summer phlox, cardinal flower, Lily of the Nile, bee balm, hollyhocks, coral bells, and daylilies.
- Late summer perennials: California fuchsias and rose of Sharon.
- Vines and shrubs: Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), honeysuckle, red hot poker, gladiolus, Grevillea, silk tree (mimosa), butterfly bush, and Weigela.
Garden Design Tips
Ensure your garden has open space for hummingbird aerial displays. Aim for a mix of sun and shade: about one-fourth shaded, one-fourth partially shaded, and the rest in full sun.
Hummingbirds prefer water features like fountains or misters over traditional birdbaths. They have strong memories and will return yearly to a well-planted garden.