How To Attract Hummingbirds - Garden The Earth

Attract hummingbirds to your yard with a few simple steps. Once you’ve had these charming characters spend the summer with you, you will look forward to their arrival year after year.

Hummingbird migration is one of the most anticipated events across the country. Hummingbirds arrive in Zone 5 as early as April, moving from the south to north. They are typically gone by the first frost.
Place feeders outside for hummingbirds prior to their expected arrival. They usually arrive before there are a lot of nectar-producing flowers in bloom, so you want them to find your feeders for nourishment.
Hummingbirds are attracted to reds, oranges, pinks, purple and bright yellow. Feeders with these colors attract hummingbirds, and they appreciate perches near feeding ports as well.
Hummingbirds like to perch while feeding and between feedings. Sticks and small branches provide perches they can rest on. Even trellises or garden décor will be welcome structures to perch on.
To make nectar use standard granulated white sugar, 1/3 cup to 1 cup cold tap water. Mix well until dissolved. Never use honey or sugar substitutes. There is no need to add red coloring – they are attracted to the feeder color.
Change nectar every few days, perhaps more often if the feeder is in direct sun. Change before the nectar turns cloudy. Use freshly-made nectar each time.
Clean the feeders every time nectar is changed. Dis-assemble and use a bottle brush and toothpick to thoroughly clean crevices and ports.
If mold growth develops, soak in diluted bleach water, clean off the mold, then rinse thoroughly before refilling with nectar. Clean the feeder more often to avoid mold growth.

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Flowers that Attract Hummingbirds

To attract more hummingbirds, draw them with flowering trees, bushes, perennials and annuals.

Blooming flowers combined with feeders increases the chance of having more hummingbirds visit your area. They are often seen sampling flowers by selectively poking the tops of phlox or zinnias, or floating along the lengths of vines.

Hummingbirds are attracted to reds, oranges, pinks, purple and bright yellow. They look for flowers with tubular shapes or have tubular configurations in their shape.

Attracted to perennial and annual flowers, there are also many annual vines that hummingbirds are attracted to.

Perennial flowers such as Phlox looks like a flat flower, but the petals actually surround an extended tube, which is what the hummingbird feeds from.

Annual flowers such as Zinnia is not a tubular shaped flower, but the head of the zinnia often has bright yellow tubular shaped flowers that extend from it, which hummingbird’s love.