How to Create a Yard and Garden that Attracts Hummingbirds

Next up in our National Pollinator Week blog series, we’re talking all things hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are magically fascinating pollinators. It’s a delight to watch their vibrant, tiny frames. Whether you love having these shimmery little birds grace your yard, or you want to attract hummingbirds for the first time, keep reading to learn how to create a space that they will want to visit often.

Fun Facts About Hummingbirds

Here are some interesting facts about hummingbirds:

• The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world – weighing only 2 grams.
• A hummingbird’s heart beats up to 1,260 times per minute. In contrast, a human heart beats 60 to 100 beats per minute.
• Hummingbirds flap their wings 20-80 times per second.
• They are the only birds that can fly backwards.
• Hummingbirds use their tongues for drinking nectar.

Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Yard

Most of us are familiar with the red-flowered hummingbird feeders
sold in home and garden stores. While they can attract hummingbirds,
they pale in comparison to nature’s own flower garden to attract these pollinators to your yard.

Hummingbirds are beneficial
pollinators. When you create an environment that encourages them to
visit, you’re also supporting plant reproduction and providing a haven
for hummingbirds as they travel on their migratory journey.
To attract hummingbirds, consider these points:

• Size – varying sizes add interest to the landscape and can increase hummingbird accessibility
• Color – several types of brightly colored blooms increase attractiveness to hummingbirds
• Bloom Time – varied bloom times increase the availability of hummingbird food sources
• Texture – different textures can be more attractive to the hummingbirds
• Type – various types of plants are best (shrubs, vines, annuals, perennials, bedding, etc.)

Building a Garden to Attract Hummingbirds

When building a hummingbird garden, be sure to think about ease of care and where you can get optimal viewing.

What You Will Need for Your Hummingbird Garden

Hummingbirds don’t just fly around all day. They also eat, rest and reproduce. There are several basic elements you will need for your garden:

• Food – Having plentiful sources of nectar is
  essential. Since these birds also eat insects, maintaining an
  insect-friendly, pesticide-free garden is important.
• Water – Hummingbirds love water. They use shallow
  areas of water as baths where they can rub their wings to get clean.
  Selecting plants that collect water on their leaves is a great way to
  create this bath area naturally. Also, gentle misters or devices that
  drip water work well.
• Shelter – Protection from predators or bad weather is essential, and trees can serve in this capacity.
• Nesting – Trees also can be used for nesting. Take
  care not to destroy potential material used by hummingbirds in nesting
  such as spider webs.

Designing Your Space

The garden design varies depending on space limitations, plant types,
or whether you incorporate a trellis or pergola into your layout.
Regardless of the design, there are basic considerations that will
attract hummingbirds:

• Location – Build your garden in an area that receives both sun and shade, and make sure you can view it from a window or outdoor deck.
• Native Plants – Hummingbirds love native plants common to your area.

Choosing the Right Plants to Attract Hummingbirds

• Know Your Zone – Select plants that are best suited to growing in your hardiness zone and climate to help ensure they attract hummingbirds.
• Go Native – Choose native plants that are indigenous to your area.
• High and Low – Opt for a variety of plant heights for aesthetics and to give the hummingbirds more space to move around.
• Bloom Time –
  Select plants that bloom throughout your growing season or arrangements
  that bloom in succession to extend the time hummingbirds visit your
  yard.
• Tubular –
  Fill your garden with blossoms with a tubular or trumpet shape that
  might be difficult for larger, shorter-beaked birds to access.
• Red Carpet Treatment – Choose flowers with reddish tones to entice more hummingbirds to your yard.

Tubular flowers attract hummingbirds

Flowers and Plants Hummingbirds Love

Many types of plants attract hummingbirds, including flowers, shrubs,
vines and trees. Select plants that will complement your landscaping
and be compatible with your lifestyle, time available for gardening, and
what’s aesthetically pleasing.

Flowers

• Bee-Balm – Also called Oswego Tea, Bergamot or
  Horsemint, this long-blooming perennial is tall (12-36 inches) with
  striking red or reddish-pink or lilac blossoms, and it is native to much
  of North America. Bee-Balm thrives in full sun to partial shade and
  adapts to a variety of soil conditions, though it prefers moist,
  well-drained soil.
• Columbine – This gorgeous but delicate-looking
  perennial is pollinated primarily by hummingbirds and comes in a variety
  of colors. It grows about 12-30 inches tall, and it readily self-seeds,
  thriving in most sun and soil conditions and in most hardiness zones.
• Lupine – With long spikes of colorful flowers,
  lupines can be a star in your garden in most hardiness zones. Lupines
  reach a height of about 36 inches.
• Red Cardinal Flower – Native to nearly all of the
  United States, this striking perennial grows to be 24-48 inches tall
  with spikes of brilliant scarlet flowers. Blooming in late summer, it
  can provide interest and nutrition for hummingbirds in the later part of
  the blooming season.
• Zinnia – Bright, colorful, cheerful zinnias are
  very easy to grow. They are members of the daisy family with dozens of
  species ranging from 4 to 40 inches in height. Zinnias are annuals, and
  you will need to replace them each year.

Shrubs, Vines and Trees

• Butterfly Bush –
  This colorful shrub sprouts bright clumps of blooms in a variety of
  colors and reaches 6 to 12 feet tall when fully grown. As its name
  implies, it’s popular with butterflies (and hummingbirds), and careful pruning will encourage abundant blooms.
• Fuchsia – Frequently grown in hanging baskets,
  fuchsia produces elaborate, elegant flowers in pink, purple and white.
  If you prefer to have a container garden or to limit plants to a patio
  or balcony, hanging baskets of fuchsia are an excellent way to bring
  hummingbirds to your space.
• Rhododendron – Lovely, classic rhododendron with
  its massive clumps of colorful, fluted blossoms, and dark, leathery
  leaves is a long-time landscaping favorite. It’s also a favorite for
  hummingbirds, especially with its early bloom time.
• Trumpet Vine – A fast-growing vine with reddish
  flowers, trumpet vine will rapidly spread to cover large swaths of fence
  or trellis. If you don’t mind pruning it back frequently to keep it in
  check, you’ll have a sure bet for bringing hummingbirds to your yard.

Other Flowers to Consider Planting to Attract Hummingbirds:

• Cardinal Vine
• Coral Bells
• Delphinium
• Hollyhock
• Honeysuckle
• Impatiens
• Lantana
• Phlox
• Salvia

Maintaining Your Garden

Creating a hummingbird garden is a great way to expand your garden.

If you’re looking for help in getting your hummingbird garden set up, call or go visit your local IGC.

Additionally, you can use the PlantTAGG Plant ID
when you’re out for a walk, at a friend’s house, or at your local
botanical garden. You can text “PLANTS” to 46376 when you’re ready to
get your yard set up in PlantTAGG. It’s free to use with nothing to
download or install. We’ll help you discover the best plants for your
garden based on your location and garden size. PlantTAGG also makes sure
you know how and when to prune, fertilize and water your plants so that you can enjoy your hummingbird garden for many seasons to come!

You’ll have hours of fun planning and creating your hummingbird
garden. And the enjoyment your garden brings year after year as you
watch these exquisite birds will be well worth your investment.