Turn Your Garden Into a Hummingbird Buffet
Hummingbirds are always welcome guests in the garden. These remarkable little birds are a delight to watch as they hover and dart from blossom to blossom. Birdwatchers across the country welcome the return of hummingbirds each spring as they migrate northward. And while hummingbird feeders do provide nourishment to the energetic birds, let’s face it: A garden filled with the flowers they favor comes to life with color and fragrance.
FLOWERS = FOOD Hummingbirds eat five to 14 “meals” an hour. Their diet consists of flower nectar (which is largely sucrose, or sugar water) and protein in the form of spiders, soft-bodied insects and larvae. Since they prefer openings in the forest and forest edge, they are drawn to suburban and rural gardens that offer a mix of tall trees, shrubs and patches of flowering plants.
In late spring you might notice that you don’t see many hummingbirds. That’s because it’s the time they settle down to nest. They are hunkered down eating insects and nectar from nearby flowers. Learn a little about how and where hummingbirds prefer to eat in “Feeders vs. Flowers” below.
PLANT A HABITAT Once hummingbirds discover your garden, the same individuals are likely to return each year at about the same time. It is fortunate that there are so many great plants for hummingbirds. Many of the plants that people find attractive are also considered among the best flowers to attract hummingbirds, like bee balm at right. If you have a green thumb, love digging in the dirt and enjoy providing habitat and food for hummingbirds, here are some plants you’ll want to grow.
Penstemon
Penstemon spp. and hybrids
Native to North) is a great drought-tolerant choice for areas with well-draining soil and full sun. White-flowering ‘Husker Red’ boasts handsome burgundy foliage and can be grown almost anywhere in North America. ‘Cherry Sparks’ (at right) is impressive with large cherry-red trumpets with white throats on tall 20-inch stems from May to August and is cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9.
