There is perhaps no more charming visitor to the summer garden than the tiny flitting hummingbird, hovering over blossoms, darting between flowers, sparkling with iridescent greens, oranges, pinks, and blues. If you would like more of these precious companions, try these tips for attracting hummingbirds to your garden:
1. Ramp Up the Color
Hummingbirds use their needle-like beaks to extract nectar from up to 2,000 flowers a day, the amount they need to sustain their energetic flight patterns. The way they find the juiciest targets is by color: yellow, purple, orange, pink and especially red. Provide bright blooms, looking for varieties with red or orange flowers when you can, and watch the hummingbirds swarm. You might want to try:
2. Look for Trumpet-shaped Blossoms
Hummingbirds prefer to sip their nectar from flowers shaped to accommodate their long, thin beaks. Here are a few of their favorites:
3. Plant for Continuous Bloom
This gives hummingbirds something to snack on all season long: Mixing annuals like fuchsia and petunias with perennials like spring-blooming Arabian jasmine and late-blooming asters gives the hummingbirds the ongoing smorgasbord they prefer.
4. Give the Birds a Water Source
Hummingbirds love bathing, but most are too small for a traditional bird bath. See if you can establish a drip fountain or puddle somewhere to keep the hummingbirds cool and hydrated.
5. Provide Nesting Areas
Hummingbirds like build their nests near their food and water sources. Situate these eye-catching bushes and trees around your garden to give the hummingbirds a place to rest and raise their young:
Attracting hummingbirds to your garden is simple–just give the little birds exactly what they want: bright, sweet blossoms and lots of them. Lucky for the hummingbird lovers out there, the combination of plants that draws the birds in is also appealing to their human admirers. Following these five tips will not only garner you more hummingbirds, it will enhance the beauty of your landscape as well.
Looking for ways to attract all kinds of birds to watch from your window? Check out our ideas for creating a bird friendly garden.
