Flowers that Attract Hummingbirds
Gardeners and bird lovers alike should be familiar with the flowers that attract hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are one of the most fascinating species of birds.
In fact, there are many fun facts about Hummingbirds. For example, they can fly in all different directions due to their ability to move their wings in a unique pattern, like no other bird. They can even hover in mid air like a helicopter. These awe inspiring little birds can only be seen in North and South America, but you are more likely to see them where there are certain flowers that attract hummingbirds.
Constructing a Hummingbird Garden
Constructing your own hummingbird garden is the best way to attract hummingbirds to any given area. Hummingbirds feed through a method known as traplining. This method causes them to seek out any new sources of food in the areas they already feed in, so once you attract them they are likely to stick around. Of course, in order to attract them in the first place, you must have the right type of flowers that attract hummingbirds.
Flowers that Attract Hummingbirds
Flowers are often separated into two categories of growth. These two categories of growth include annuals and perennials. An annual is a flower that only grows for one season. A perennial is a flower that will bloom year after year without the need to replant.
Perennial flowers attractive to hummingbirds include:
- Bee Balm
- Cardinal Flower
- Coral Bells
- Foxglove
- Hummingbird Mint
- Lupine
- Yucca
- Penstemon
- Little Cigar
- Hosta
- Four O’Clocks
- Columbine
- Canna
Annual flowers attractive to hummingbirds include:
- Beard Tongue
- Fuchsia
- Jacobiana
- Petunia
- Shrimp Plant
- Species of Salvia
- Jewelweed
- Impatiens
- Firespike
Japanese Honeysuckle was once a recommended flower for attracting hummingbirds, but is no longer recommended due to the plant's invasive nature.
Other Types of Flowering Plants
Many other types of flowering plants can attract hummingbirds to your garden, including trees, shrubs, and vines. Some types of trees and bushes that will also attract this little bird to your garden include:
- Azalea
- Cape Honeysuckle
- Flowering Quince
- Manzanita
- Red Buckeye
- Turk’s Cap
- Tree Tobacco
- Weigela
- Mimosa
- Lantana
- Flame Acanthus
- Butterfly Bush
Some vines that can be planted and grown to attract hummingbirds include:
- Coral Honeysuckle
- Morning Glory
- Trumpet Creeper
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Cypress Vine
Important Note
It is important to note that when planning your hummingbird garden, you should also plan to avoid using pesticides to keep bugs and other possible pests away from your garden. Pesticides cannot only kill the bugs, but they could possibly make the hummingbirds sick too if they were to ingest too much of the pesticides. In addition, hummingbirds rely just as much on the protein they get from eating these types of insects as they do on the nectar from the flowers. Therefore, pesticides are not necessary in a hummingbird garden. If you are successful at attracting the birds, hummingbirds will eliminate the pests in the garden for you.
Additional Recommendations
If you plan to plant other plants in with the plants you are using to attract hummingbirds to your garden, do not assume that the more smells you can offer, the more of these types of birds you will attract. A hummingbird’s sense of smell, like that of almost all birds, is extremely poor. A hummingbird travels from place to place based on what they see not on what they smell. Keep this in mind when planting additional varieties of plants in or near your hummingbird garden.
To prevent the visiting hummingbirds in your garden from having an altercation, make sure that you spread multiple feeders out over some distance and in areas where the hummingbirds cannot see one another. Hummingbirds can be territorial when it comes to their nectar sources.
You should make sure that your feeders are also kept clean and use the brightest red feeders you can find. Despite popular misconception, you should never fill the feeders with honey. The only thing you should put into the feeders is a mixture of sugar water. Using honey can cause the bird to become extremely ill and can be fatal for the hummingbird. You should also make sure that somewhere in your garden there is a source of fresh water available for the birds.