How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Summer Garden

Attracting hummingbirds to your backyard can be as easy as 1-2-3. I live in Ohio and they have been visiting my backyard feeding station for 2 summers now. I have many colorful plants in my garden, both annuals and perennials. Hummingbirds are attracted by sight and have no sense of smell, so you don't have to plant flowers with fragrance. Some of the plants that hummingbirds like are: azalea, flowering quince, butterfly bush, honeysuckle and mimosa. It would probably be best for you to check with your local nursery to see what type of plant works best in your area. Because hummingbirds are attracted by sight, you need to have some flowers planted to draw them to your yard. It doesn't matter if they are planted in the ground or containers. Once the flowers are in you can hang a feeder.

There are a variety of feeders in plastic, glass and ceramic ranging in price from $3.00 up to $40.00 and many types of "hummingbird nectar" that you can purchase. Like most people I had no clue what was best so I purchased the store bought nectar and a fancy glass feeder. The glass feeder leaked, I was plagued with ants and the end result was I had no hummingbirds.

After that first failed attempt I consulted a friend who has always had luck attracting hummingbirds to her garden. She suggested I purchase a plastic feeder where the bottom screwed securely into the top. She also told me not to waste money on hummingbird nectar and gave me her recipe as follows:

Hummingbird Food Recipe

1/2 cup of sugar thoroughly mixed and dissolved in 2 cups hot tap water. Pour into clean feeder.

It's very important that you empty the contents of the feeder and change the hummingbird food once per week so that no bacteria builds up. Make sure you rinse the feeder several times with water before you refill it. If you notice black spots on the inside that means a more thorough cleaning is in order. You can scrub it out with a baby bottle brush or use boiling water (only in glass or ceramic, boiling water will melt the plastic type) to kill the bacteria. Under no circumstances should you use any household cleaners. Hang the feeder in a spot that doesn't have full sun all day. If it's in full sun it will be boiling hot and the glare will prevent the birds from finding the place to drink. I have mine hanging on a branch on the north end of my plum tree so it's in shade for most of the day.

Hummingbirds, though very small are very territorial. The hummingbird that attaches himself to your feeder will chase away any other hummingbird that comes around when he's there. I plan on adding 2 more feeders to other trees sometime this week to accommodate the other hummingbirds that are showing up. By adding more feeders I hope to restore peace and harmony to my backyard mecca.

With the flowers that I plant, the variety of bird feeders that are hung and the bird houses my husband has made my backyard has become a nature lover's paradise. I hope the info I've provided helps you turn your yard into a haven for wildlife, too.