Nice Strategies to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Backyard Garden

Everybody loves hummingbirds and everybody would like to be able to enjoy the sight of these colorful and entertaining birds in their own backyard. But what's the secret? How do you attract hummingbirds and get them to come back again and again? By hanging feeders, planting friendly garden flora and creating a water source.

Hang Hummingbird Feeders to Your Backyard

The solution that comes first to the mind of most people is to get a dedicated Hummingbird feeder and hang it up in your backyard. This will work just fine if you follow a few simple rules. Make sure you pick a feeder with the color red on it as Hummingbirds are attracted to red and use the right kind of nectar. Making your own is simple and will usually do just fine.

4 Cups Water
1 Cup Sugar
Bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes
Cool in the refrigerator

Do not use artificial sweeteners or honey as it can cause a fatal fungal infection. Also make sure that you clean out the hummingbird feeder on a regular basis. Don't use any harsh chemicals or detergents. Just a small amount of bleach or vinegar dissolved in some water and a stiff brush will do the job just fine.

Plant a Friendly Garden

Sometimes just one feeder alone in a backyard will not do the trick. The best way to insure that Hummingbirds will frequent your backyard is to create a Hummingbird friendly garden with plants that are proven to attract these lovable birds. Plants that have a high nectar content are best, and since the birds feed by sight and not smell, make sure they have colors that the birds will come back to again and again like red, pink and orange.

Flowers Best for Hummingbirds:

Firespike
Impatiens
Jewelweed
Petunia
Fuchsia
Shrimp Plant
Canna
Coumbine
Foxglove
Hummingbird Mint
Lupine
Yucca
Bee Balm

Vines Best for Hummingbirds:

Trumpet Creeper
Scarlet Runner Bean
Morning Glory
Cypress Vine
Coral Honeysuckle

Trees and Shrubs Best for Hummingbirds:

Azalea
Cape Honeysuckle
Lantana
Mimosa
Turk's Cap
Manzanita
Butterfly Bush
Red Buckeye

Make sure you choose plants with a progressive flowering schedule. This will provide a solid nectar source for the Hummingbirds throughout the spring and summer months. The birds also tend to follow regular routes and will benefit by your placing plants in a logical pattern that will lead the birds from place to place. Also, do not use pesticides as the birds eat insects and the residual chemicals will harm the birds.

Add a Water Source

Don't forget to provide a water source as well. Small shallow bird baths will work just fine but some type of misting system that the birds can fly through can be very beneficial.

By far, the best plan for attracting Hummingbirds is a mixed approach. Plant Hummingbird friendly plants that will provide the birds with lots of feeding options throughout the season and use Hummingbird feeders for an instant jolt of high energy food for those times that the plants are not flowering. The more choices the birds have the more likely that they will find your backyard a reliable and welcoming place to find food sources and will be sure to come back again and again for your enjoyment.