Hummingbird

i saw a hummingbird today - which was an amazing thing for me! does that mean they are in the area, or just one stopping by?

does anyone have any suggestions on what i should do to encourage them to stop by more often without the insect mess of feeders?

thanks

I'd say they are there for the summer - wonderful to see the first one of the season! Ours haven't arrived yet. A couple of years ago, I had one hang around my yard (I can only assume it was the same one) well in to January.

As for what you can do to encourage them into your yard, plant flowers with bright colors and lots of nectar. I'm sure an orange tree would do it, as would about any bright colored plants.

My wife and I were sitting on the back deck today, she asked if I had put out the hummingbird feeders yet. I said no, I had not seen or heard any hummers so far, just then the first one of the year came by and sampled a Geranium. What are the odds?

thanks for the replies :)

KayJones - do you think my lime tree is any good? i am planning for an orange this year. the thing is, it whizzed right past the flowers. it was by the hibiscus, salvias, geraniums and pentas. i think i need a brighter display.

Seedfork - that's cool! the one i saw didn't seem interested in my geraniums. maybe mine wasn't looking for food, maybe nest supplies? it was "looking" around, to me.

any suggestions on what specific plants have flowers with a good source of nectar? i really don't know what has nectar, because even the butterflies stay uninterested. i hope to see more hummingbirds!

Mine love the honeysuckle, plumbago, pentas. they love some kind of sage I have that blooms red flowers, and they love pineapple sage, which booms a bright pink. I do keep a feeder up too, as when it rains, they cant get into the flowers.

They are always around the gardens here from Spring to early Winter. Hibiscus' are a sure bet for drawing them.

I see them daily.

They also love shrimp plants, zinnias, bleeding hearts, blueblack salvia and porterweed. I've seen them fight over the shrimp plants and I've seen them buzzing our squash plants several times.

Charlie

thank you all for the suggestions! it really helps. clearly, a variety of plants would help. i will try my best to grow some of the plants in groups this year.
i will definitely get more salvias. and these are all bright colorful plants so that should be great. i will let you all know what happens - if anything. i have plumbagoes, pentas, salvias, vincas, hibiscuses, geraniums, crown of thorns (the skippers like it) that seem to be some nectar sources.
i always hesitate with getting honeysuckle because i have the weird feeling it might run wild.

Charlie, is that the golden shrimp plant, or the hardier reddish kind? i have the golden although it is pretty sad).

It's the red shrimp plant. That stuff spreads like wildfire in our yard but we let it grow just for the hummers.

ok, thanks! i don't really like it, and i lack the shade needed for so many wonderful plants. but time will create shaded from the trees.

i'm fighting with my golden shrimp plant and it's rewarding me by staying alive, but it hasn't grown since summer - yes ending of last summer.

is it better to have the plants or the feeder? i understand using the feeder can be a waste.

I have both a male and a female hummingbird coming to the plants in my yard.
I do not use a feeder but I have lots of nectar plants. Get the red honeysuckle vine as it will not take over

Im covered in red shrimp plants in the back, I too just let it spread as the back is not really much more than woods. The hummers do love it.
I think its better to have the plants, but they can only feed if the flower is upright. If it rains, they are in a bind, thats what I keep my feeder up for, and they do eat of it alot.

I have seen hummingbirds coming to my star jasmine, although I have not seen any yet this year.

red honeysuckle, i will keep in mind when i go to the nursery. are the orange cape honeysuckles any good? those are the kinds i see most available.

it sounds like a great wildlife area, especially for the hummers. i'll have to get to making some more shade. a few shrubs placed at the right spots should do it. the sun getting under the trees is mostly due to the lower branches being cut for the lawn care people.

i will definitely get a feeder, at least i'll have it on hand.

i have a plain jasmine that is the very common kind - not sure about the name....Downy?

I have seen them at my orange cape honeysuckles

I watched 2 hummingbirds feed from drooping flowers in the rain today and yesterday so they can do it.
I did get a feeder.

exciting!
i'm so nervous about getting the feeders. i can just picture the swarm of sugar ants. and i don't exactly have a good place for hanging anything.

no sugar ants here but some of the bigger ones are a problem , just get one of the ant guards or put Vaseline on the pole

I've been seeing a few hummers for about a month now. They really love my Red Firecracker Plant
(Russelia sarmentosa)...it is the first thing they go to. I have the other firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis) also, but they prefer the sarmentosa. I have coral honeysuckle vine (Lonicera sempervirens) and they love that one too. Other flowers they always check out are the Pentas, especially the red, Wendy's wish salvia, Firespike,
(Odontonema strictum). Mystic spires salvia, Red Crimson Passion flower, Firebush (Hamelia patens).

Get any of these plants and you will attract them to the garden, they do like red.

We used to do the hummingbird feeders but really had a problem with them attracting ants, so we stopped. The garden does a good job attracting them on its own.

They also love the Black and Blue Salvia or is that Blue and Black salvia? LOL

I do not grow the red passion flowers and the leave are deadly for the butterflies that lay their eggs on passion fines

Today I found out they like bromeliads, too! But before these pics it was nectaring on the red pentas. In my yard, they also LOVE porterweed.


Melanie

Great shots Mellie!

It is no slight talent and takes a steady hand and good camera to catch a Hummingbird in a pic.!

thanks everyone for more replies

i will try to get the firebush because i really like those.
i always see the typical russelia, so i'll have to look for that other one.

i have dark pink pentas, but i need to increase my plants. my red pentas got some weird leaf problem and never came back.

love the hummingbird at bromeliad pic, Melanie!
i'll have to get both the black/blue & blue/black salvias Wren haha
Sunkissed, looks like i'm sticking with plants then. Wendy's Wish seems like a must have from what everyone says. my friend in NY says it was great, so i can imagine it being successful here.

Oh, I totally forgot about firebush! A good, native plant that's easy to grow and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Did anyone mention firecracker fern? My neighbor has it and it seems like those red, tubular flowers would be an attractant for hummers.

Melanie

Last night I was watching the hummer and it also loves the native Salvia coccinea, it will pop up all over the garden.

Wren I have had that Red Crimson passi vine for several years and the butterflies seem to just know not to lay eggs on it, they will fly around it but never have I seen them lay an egg on it, but I have the purple and Lady Margaret and they lay the eggs on that one, maybe as long as you have more than just the Red Crimson vine, seems they just know. I forgot about the black and blue salvia, hummers do like that one also.

I've had Wendy's wish salvia for a few seasons now, cuttings will root very easily and I've started new plants. It takes the cold pretty well also.

Salvia Coccinea and Wendy's wish

I have both of those.