Create a hummingbird haven
By
Amy McDowell
Faeries must’ve come into garden lore in
part, at least, because of tiny hummingbirds and their graceful acrobatic
flight. Tinkerbell’s nimble flight patterns and ability to hover must
have originated with hummingbirds. Perhaps there’s even some genetic link
between hummingbirds and faeries.
Attract these charming flying jewels to your
garden and you will forever be enchanted.
Hummingbird Nectar Recipe
Mixing up a batch of fresh nectar is quick
and simple. Stir one cup of sugar into four cups warm water. Boiling is not
necessary, honestly.
Flying-saucer-shaped feeders are the best
because they are the easiest to clean. The top and bottom discs snap together,
and there isn’t a narrow bottleneck to scrub. Once every three to seven days,
dump out the old nectar, wash the feeder with warm soapy water, and refill it
with fresh nectar. The whole process takes no more than five minutes, and
you’ll be rewarded for your effort with frequent visits from the tiny beauties.
Hang several feeders around your home. Male
hummingbirds are territorial and will chase others away from a feeder. Although
they feed throughout the day, I notice more activity in the evenings.
A blooming garden adds a buffet of natural
flower nectar to the hummingbird diet. Here are lists of annuals, perennials
and woody shrubs and vines that hummingbirds would love to find in your garden.
Annual hummingbird nectar
plants
Perennial hummingbird nectar
plants
Monarda, bleeding heart (Dicentra),
butterfly weed (Asclepias), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), ajuga,
columbine (Aquilegia), coral bells (Heuchera), Delphinium, foxglove, Penstemon,
garden phlox, red-hot poker (Kniphofia), salvia and hosta.
Shrubs and vines that attract hummingbirds
Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), honeysuckle
(Lonicera), azaleas, beauty bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis), butterfly bush
(Buddleia davidii), coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus), lilac (Syringa),
quince (Chaenomeles japonica), rose of sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) and Weigela.
