{"id":7963,"date":"2020-06-18T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fromh2h.com\/?p=7963"},"modified":"2024-11-23T01:17:08","modified_gmt":"2024-11-23T06:17:08","slug":"attract-hummingbirds-to-your-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fromhousetohome.com\/garden\/attract-hummingbirds-to-your-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Hummingbird Garden Ideas For Your Backyard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Want to attract hummingbirds to your garden? Find out how to provide food, water and shelter that will get these pretty birds to visit your yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hummingbirds are the smallest of all birds and have iridescent feathers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can fly in all directions – forward, backward, up and down – and their wings move so fast that they look like a blur.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the garden they flit from flower to flower seeming to change direction on a dime…all of which makes them really fun to watch.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And probably explains why so many us want to know how to attract them to feed in our gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most locations in North America, hummingbirds are migratory so you will only see them during the warm weather seasons.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they do like to return to the same food sources every year, so if you can get them to start feeding in your garden, you can be pretty sure that they will be back again next year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here to see a list of the different hummingbird species you might see by state\/province<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to find out how to attract hummingbirds to your garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 | Use Red In Your Garden <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Modern<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The color red attracts hummingbirds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like most birds, hummingbirds do not have a good sense of smell.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So color is what attracts them to your yard.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And hummingbirds love red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the red doesn’t have to be on a flower to attract hummingbirds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Red<\/a>
Red hummingbird feeder<\/a>*<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tie red ribbons on trees, use bright red garden art, or hang red bird feeders and you can get a hummingbird to be interested in your yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, you will need food, water and cover available in your yard if you want to keep them there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 | Plant Brightly Colored Tubular Flowers <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Hummingbird<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The best hummingbird flowers are tubular, brightly colored, and grow where it’s easy for the birds to hover and sip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hummingbird
\u00a9Harry Collins – stock.adobe.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The tubular shapes hold more nectar in them than flatter shapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the bright colors (especially red) attract the bird’s attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Butterfly<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The bonus is that a lot of these plants also attract butterflies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 | Plan a Continuous Blooming Garden <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Brightly-colored<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In order to provide natural food for your hummingbirds all season long, plan your garden so that you will have flowers blooming all summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can refer to our list on the last page to find plants that bloom during different seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hummingbird<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Adding some hummingbird-friendly annuals to your garden will help to bridge any gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find our list of plants that hummingbird love HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 | Deadhead Flowers To Promote Re-blooms <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Deadhead<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To extend the bloom time of your plants, make sure you remove the flowers immediately after they have finished blooming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That will encourage your plants to put out another set of flowers, and give your hummingbirds food for a longer period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 | Plant Native Plants <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Native<\/a>
By Joe Schneid, Louisville, Kentucky – Own work, CC BY 3.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Native plants like trumpet honeysuckle, bee balm, and hummingbird sage provide much more nectar than hybrids and exotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means you can pack more hummingbird food into the same amount of space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an added benefit, native plants are also well-suited for their climate….so they usually need less maintenance in order to thrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: Some of the plants that hummingbirds love can be aggressive so you might want to check with nurseries and gardeners in your area before planting them. Or put them in an area of your yard where they can expand without causing problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 | Add a Mister<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A fountain or mister provides water for hummingbird baths<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hummingbirds do like to take baths but they prefer to fly through moving water than to splash around in a bird bath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provide a fountain that has small amounts of flowing water or a mister and you will have some happy hummingbirds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 | Encourage Spider Webs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Spider<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Don’t get rid of the spider webs in your yard if you want to encourage hummingbirds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spider webs provide both nesting materials and food for hummingbirds.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They like to weave the web into their nests to help make it a soft place for the baby hummingbirds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insects that have been caught in the web also provide easy-to-access food for hummingbirds…the bugs provide their protein, and they don’t have to work very hard to get these ones!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8 | Don’t Use Pesticide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Pesticide<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Since hummingbirds eat bugs, the next logical conclusion is that using pesticide in your yard could be harmful to the birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they eat any of the insects that have ingested pesticide, the hummingbirds will also be poisoned…which isn’t very good for encouraging them to stay in your yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9 | Provide Resting Places <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Hummingbird
\u00a9petrsalinger – stock.adobe.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

With all of the energy that hummingbirds use flitting from flower to flower, they do like rest occasionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing them with some protected resting spots near your feeder gives them a comfortable place to stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 | Hang Hummingbird Feeders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Ruby-throated<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This next way to attract hummingbirds seems like a no-brainer…hanging hummingbird feeders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except I don’t use them. Because they’re a lot of work (more about that later).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But just in case you’re more dedicated than I am…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hummingbird feeders are the alternative to using natural sources (ie. flowers) for feeding your hummingbirds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make sure the hummers notice your feeder, be sure to buy a red one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hummingbird Feeder Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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If you are going to use feeders, there are some things you need to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n