It’s easy to attract hummers if you provide the essentials; food, water and shelter. Then, enjoy the color, motion and entertainment they provide throughout the season. And don’t worry if planting space is limited. Add a feeder, source of water and grow a few of their favorite plants in containers on your patio, deck or balcony.
What You Need
- Nectar rich plants
- Select a variety of plants to provide season long flowers for you and the hummingbirds to enjoy
- Include a few plants with red tubular flowers. This helps attract them to the garden where they will feed upon a variety of different colored flowers.
- Include native plants, many of which are popular garden plants, whenever possible. Local hummingbirds have a longstanding relationship with plants native to the area. You will also find them feeding on cultivated plants as well.
- Fuzzy leafed plants. The hummingbirds harvest the soft plant fibers and use them to line their nests.
- Trees and shrubs if space allows…
- Include them in or near the garden for birds to use as perches, collect lichens to camouflage their nests and use as springboards for their dramatic courtship displays.
- Perch within 10 to 20 feet of the garden if you are unable to add trees and shrubs to the landscape.
- Water for the hummingbirds to sip, preen and bathe. Drip fountains, garden misters and small waterfalls are great options.
- Feeder to help attract the birds & supplement garden’s nectar (optional). Hummingbird Mix – Must clean feeder every 2-3 days
Nectar recipe
1 part sugar (not honey) and 4 parts water
Boil for 1-2 minutes and cool and refrigerate extra nectar.
Design & Care Tips
- Create the garden near a patio or window where you can easily view these winged visitors.
- Include vines, hanging baskets and window boxes so hummingbirds have easy access to a wide variety of food and you will enjoy the additional bird watching locations.
- Plant in groups or masses providing hummingbirds with more nectar within a smaller area.
- Remove faded flowers as needed to keep plants blooming and providing nectar for the birds.
- Spread a thin layer of shredded leaves or evergreen needles over the soil surface to conserve moisture and suppress weeds for easy care of your plants.
- Skip the pesticides that can harm the birds and eliminate a food source whenever possible. Hummingbirds feed upon aphids and other garden pests.
Hummingbird Plants
- Annuals
- Ageratum (Ageratum)
- Cigar plant, Mexican heather (Cuphea)
- Fuchsia (Fuchsia)
- Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens)
- Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
- Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
- Lantana (Lantana)
- Nasturtium (Tropaeolum)
- Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana)
- Petunia (Petunia)
- Salvia (Salvia officinalis)
- Perennials
- Anise hyssop (Agastache)
- Beebalm (Monarda)
- Bleeding heart (Dicentra)
- Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
- Catmint (Nepeta)
- Columbine (Aquilegia)
- Coral bells (Heuchera)
- Daylily (Hemerocallis)
- Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos)
- Hosta (Hosta)
- Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis)
- Phlox (Phlox)
- Red hot poker (Kniphofia)
- Salvia (Salvia officinalis)
- Vines
- Canary creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum)
- Candy corn plant (Manettia luteorubra)
- Cardinal vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)
- Clematis (Clematis)
- Honeysuckle vine (Lonicera periclymenum)
- Hyacinth Bean vine (Lablab purpureus)
- Mandevilla (Mandevilla × amabilis)
- Passion Vine (Passiflora incarnata)
- Scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus)
- Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans)
- Shrubs
- Abelia (Abelia chinensis)
- Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
- Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)
Written by gardening expert, Melinda Myers. Melinda Myers is a nationally recognized gardening expert with more than 30 years of horticulture experience. She is a wealth of knowledge and we are pleased to share Melinda’s Gardening How-To with you!
