What Kind Of Flowers Attract Hummingbirds - How To Enjoy Hummingbirds

What Kind Of Flowers Attract Hummingbirds and Other Hummingbird Attracting Methods

If you are searching for what kind of flowers attract hummingbirds, you have come to the right place. There are many different plants, flowers and shrubs that you can use in a hummingbird garden or landscape to attract hummingbirds.

There are also annuals and perennial plants that you can consider planting in a garden to attract hummingbirds. My favorite answer to what kind of flowers attract hummingbirds, is by far red salvia. In the northern parts of the country red salvia is grown as an annual. Mt favorite perennial would probably be Bee Balm.

Below is an article that will help you in attracting hummingbirds and in choosing plants that attract hummingbirds for your own hummingbird garden.

Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Garden by Angie L

in Home / Gardening

Hummingbirds are a very unique and delightful bird to have in your garden. They can be found all over America. Hummingbirds are a great addition to any lawn and garden space and can be quite entertaining for most people. That’s why I would like to share with you how you can attract more of this intriguing specie of bird to your garden.

Some of the greatest features of a hummingbird are not known to many people. They can flap their wings up to amazing speeds as fast as 80 times per second. Because of this, hummingbirds have a very fast metabolism, in fact the fastest of all birds. In order to sustain their high metabolism, they need to feed off hundreds of flowers a day. This allows them to consume food and nutrients in excess of their own body weight. The smallest bird in the world is the Bee Hummingbird at 2″ long and weighing in at 1.8 grams. The largest hummingbird in the world is the Giant Hummingbird weighing in at about 24 grams and 8″ long. Hummingbirds are able to decrease their metabolism just by sitting unlike other high metabolism animals. This allows them to lengthen their lifespan up to 17 years of life. Can you imagine a bird that is 17 years old? That’s amazing!

what kind of flowers attract hummingbirds

First of all, hummingbirds are attracted to bright colors and a variety of them. They have a poor sense of smell, but love colors. There are some plants you may want to consider planting in your garden that will provide just this. For annuals, try the salvia, petunia, impatiens, firespike and jewelweed. Some perennials to consider using are bee balm, costa, yucca, canna, lupine, cardinal flower and foxglove. The trees and shrubs that work best include the azalea, buddleia, cape honeysuckle, mimosa, weigela, flame acanthus, lantana, red buckeye and tree tobacco. Hummingbirds also eat bugs and insects so avoid using any pesticides. It is also a good idea to incorporate places to rest for your hummingbirds as they do so 80% of their time. Examples would be clothes lines, tree branches, bird houses, fences, garden statues, etc. Female hummingbirds are always looking for nesting materials. They usually like soft materials from willow or eucalyptus trees or mosses, lichens, and ferns. In terms of hummingbird feeders and their locality in your garden there is a lot to consider. Because hummingbirds prefer bright colors, try using an assortment of different brightly colored feeders and/or you can decorate around them using streamers or wind spinners. You’ll want to position the bird feeders at various heights in your garden. Hummingbirds can be very territorial, which is quite amusing to watch. Another thing that hummingbirds enjoy is a cool mist, usually from wet tree leaves, but you can incorporate this using a mister in your garden.

What else attracts hummingbirds that is sweet and tasty? Nectar can be store bought or home-made. Just mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts boiled water. Mix well and let cool before putting into bird feeder. It is a good idea not to use synthetic sugars or food coloring. Also, do not substitute sugar with honey as it can ferment and produce fungus that is harmful to the bird. Keep the feeder out of the sun if possible and make sure to change the nectar about 2-3 times a week. Clean your bird feeder once a week using 1 cup vinegar to 4 cups water, then a rinse through with just water.

Hummingbirds are a wonderful way to decorate your garden and by following these tips you should be off to a great start providing the ideal territory for this specie of bird. Sit back and enjoy all the entertainment these birds can provide. They are truly a delight to have in your garden and your family and friends will think so too.

About the Author

My name is Angie and I love the outdoors. I sell lawn & garden decor from my online store and strive to provide the best quality, low-maintenance, largest variety of lawn ornaments I can. My online store provides a lot of cute ideas for people to decorate their outdoor space and make it their own. To follow my blog, go to http://www.outdoormama1.blogspot.com or visit my online store at http://www.outdoormama.com!

Now that you have read the article about what kind of flowers attract hummingbirds, you should consider using a hummingbird feeder to help attract hummingbirds to your hummingbird garden.

Below is the top hummingbird feeder that has all the essential features you need in a hummingbird feeder.

My favorite feeder is the HummZinger Ultra

It’s inexpensive and has several features that makes it well worth the price.

The HummZinger has patented Nectar guard tips which are flexible membranes attached to the feed ports that prohibit entry from flying insects, but allow Hummingbirds to feed as usual. The HummZinger also has a built in ant moat that will stop crawling insects from getting to the nectar. It also has raised flower ports that divert rain.

This mid-size nectar feeder has a 12 oz. capacity and can be hung or post mounted with hardware provided. It has four feeding ports for hummingbirds and is made of unbreakable polycarbonate. Easy to clean.

For ease of cleaning and protection from bees, wasps and ants, this feeder can’t be beat.

Keep your feeder clean and your homemade hummingbird food fresh and you will attract lots of hummingbirds to watch. Enjoy your hummingbirds and I hope you enjoyed this article on what kind of flowers attract hummingbirds.

Click this link what kind of flowers attract hummingbirds for more information on creating a hummingbird garden.