A garden with hummingbirds in mind

By Melanie Mathieson
Gardening Guru

I don’t know of one person that isn’t mesmerised when they see a humming bird. Hummingbirds make their home in the forest and in urban settings. I am always utterly amazed when I see a hummingbird in the depths of the forest miles away from any roads or flowerbeds for that matter. Nonetheless, hummingbirds seem to be more prevalent in the urban setting where there are more sources of nectar available, from gardens and flowerbeds. You can increase your visits from the petite hummingbird by planting a few of their favourite sources of nectar in your yard.
Hummingbirds use flower nectar as their food source. And like butterflies and bees, they also pollinate other plants. But unlike butterflies, hummingbirds are attracted to nectar sources by sight rather than scent. Red is the most attractive colour to a hummingbird, and causes an automatic response of investigation that even non-flowering, objects such as clothing, garden ornaments or umbrellas have been known to attract a quick inspection from a hummingbird. With that in mind when planning a garden in which you would like to attract hummingbirds, you need to plant some flowering plants in the red colour ranges which also includes, oranges and the bright pinks, like fuschia.
Many gardeners will fill a hummingbird feeder with the signature red-tinted sugar water in hopes of feeding and attracting the bird. While the feeder does supply energy to the bird, a hummingbird still needs plant nectar in order to get all the vitamins and nutrients that it needs to survive, especially when rearing chicks back at the nest. Despite their petite size hummingbirds have a voracious appetite for nectar throughout the entire season they spend with us. During this time they need to replenish their energy stores after a long flight back from the tropics, in order to build and furnish a nest and then produce young. Feeding chicks throughout the spring and into the summer requires many food sources, as well as, preparing in the fall to fly to the tropics for the winter. By planting some preferred plants in your garden not only will your feeder supply food, but also the important nutrients of nectar can be found close by.
Once attracted to your garden by flowers from the red family the hummingbirds will also be attracted to flowers in other colour families. You will see humming birds in a butterfly garden but you can enhance your frequency and attractiveness with a few choice plants specifically intended for the hummingbird.
One of the easiest ways to attract humming birds is to plant a climbing flowering vine on a trellis. This can be easily placed in the garden without necessarily disrupting another colour or planting theme you have already established. Trumpet vine guarantees many humming birds will visit, but don’t forget to look for some hybrids in clematis which now has burgundy or fuschia coloured flower, but climbing honeysuckles and morning glories are also good choices. The trellis can be used as a screen around the air conditioner, utility boxes and poles, camouflage the composter or an unsightly fence or gate. Or create an arbour as the entrance to your yard or garden. Be creative!
You may have a garden colour scheme that does not include red, already in place. How do you attract humming birds then? There are a few creative ways to incorporate hummingbird attracting flowers with out totally disrupting an established colour theme. Fortunately red can be placed as a complimentary or opposite colour to every colour that gardeners will have. Red with purple (or blue) is fantastic. Red with yellow or orange just boosts the “heat” in those “hot” colours. Red with white (or light pinks) also looks great combined. And my very favourite, a background of greenery like ferns or hostas with bright red flowers in front! Remember that the red flowers can be substituted with fuschia or orange to attract hummingbirds as well. Hummingbird attracting annuals can be planted in containers and strategically placed in the yard as well. Also think about adding some border plants either in the front or back of your garden and change the overall appearance just with the addition of a border. You can add some of the lower growing perennials or annuals, listed below, to edge the garden or create a backdrop at the rear of the garden by using some of the taller plants or adding a fence or trellis with a vine. Also keep in mind when selecting flowers that you have some flowers in the attracting colours blooming throughout the season. You can establish this by combining annuals and perennials. Flowers, with a tubular shapes, are preferred by the little birds so you can mix up a few colours and species as well. Again a reminder that if you are trying to attract more birds and good insects to your garden, not to use pesticides and herbicides. The more organic your practices, the more “good” insects, birds and wildlife you will attract to your garden.
Below is a listing of preferred plants for the hummingbird. All plants have nectar but by incorporating some of these into your yard and garden you can increase the frequency of hummingbird visits to your garden. Keep in mind that although red is the most attractive to the birds, not all of the plants listed have a variety in red. Use the tips above to help you decide how to best enhance your own garden to attract the birds using a selection of what is listed. I can almost hear the whirr of hummingbird wings as we speak!
Perennials: garden phlox, lilies, day lilies, pinks, Dianthus, sweet William, monkshood, honeysuckle, trumpet vine, Lychnis (companion flower), columbine, hollyhock, larkspur, morning glories, bell flower, foxglove, globe thistle, bearded iris, coral bells, lupin, bee balm, catmint, poppy, beardtongue, sage (Salvia), delphinium.
Annuals: poppy, snapdragons, cosmos, petunias, salvia, geraniums, scarlet runner beans.
Shrubs: butterfly bush, lilac, flowering currants, azalea, honeysuckle, Caragana, Cotoneaster.