Who wouldn’t love to attract hummingbirds to your garden? They are so fun to watch. Plus, they eat the insects that can wreck havoc on the hard work you put in to growing your garden in the first place.
There are several things you can do to attract hummingbirds to your garden this year. You know about the bright red feeders you can hang up but what else makes the perfect environment for hummingbirds?
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How to Attract Hummingbirds to your Garden
Feeders
We have all seen those bright red feeders in the stores. They can be great at attracting hummingbirds but you have to make sure you keep them clean. Clean them out once a week and add some new sugar water.
Hummingbirds can be very territorial so you will need to hang several feeders far apart from each other. You don’t want one bully to drive the others away.
Don’t Use Pesticides
Not only do hummingbirds eat the nectar found in flowers but they get most of their protein from insects. To keep hummingbirds around your garden, stop using pesticides.
Hummingbirds eat a lot of ants, spiders, wasps, beetles, mosquitoes, and more.
Give them Plenty of Perches
Hummingbirds need a place to rest after all of that flying. When you trim your trees and bushes, leave them some tiny branches to perch on.
They may even start building their nests on these perches if they are protected enough.
Drip Fountain
Don’t forget about offering a water source. Hummingbirds love to bathe and splash in drip fountains. If you offer both food and water sources, they won’t have to leave.
Best Plants to Attract Hummingbirds
I personally don’t like having to constantly clean out hummingbird feeders. I prefer to use natural plants as a way to attract hummingbirds.
The feeders are red for a reason, hummingbirds are attracted to red and orange flowers. When considering flowers and plants to attract hummingbirds make sure they produce nectar and have a tubular shape. This makes it easy for the birds to reach the nectar inside.
Plant flowers that will bloom at different times of the year to have a continuous supply of nectar. Choose both perennials as well as annuals.
The following plants and flowers would be perfect to add to your garden:
Perennials:
- Columbine: Ruby-throated hummingbirds especially love this plant.
- Coral Bells
- Salvia
- Hummingbird Trumpet Vine
- Scarlett Sage
- Iris
Summer Blooming Flowers
All of these flowers would be perfect for attracting more hummingbirds to your garden year after year.
By making a welcoming environment and planting the right flowers, you should be able to attract hummingbirds to your garden.
Once you have everything in place, give them a couple of months to show up. They may be feeding around your home sooner but you may not notice them until more and more discover your garden.
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