Hummingbird questions in West Central Florida?

I have not been filling my feeders. I have not seen a hummingbird at all as yet. Of course, the garden is new, this is the first year I put it in. Are there still hummingbirds around this area this time of year? I'm in just north of Tampa in the Wesley Chapel area. What time frame do they tend to come to this area? Are there any tips to help attract them?

What kind of area do you live in? Is it very urban? Are there other homes with hummer-friendly gardens closeby?

I found this on another site...
Yes, there are some hummingbirds in the Tampa area. In Florida the Rubythroats arrive in early March and leave sometime in August, generally. There are some Rufous hummers around most of the year, but they seem more common in the winter months. The correct ratio for sugar water is four parts water to one part sugar. Do not use any red food dye. It isn't good for the birds. If you put sugar water out in a feeder you will need to change it every three days--any more and it will get moldy and be harmful to the hummers.

I tried for two years to attract hummingbirds to feeders without success. They did come to my flowers, however, and continue to do so. I have two or three that visit my yard regularly now.

Why not try some hummingbird plants? If the hummers don't come you'll at least see some flowers and attract butterflies. Right now probably the best hummer plant is the hamelia patens or firebush. The best overall attractor is the coral honeysuckle, but you'll need to have a fence or trellis to support it. The red penta is probably the best for attracting many types of butterflies and hummers.

Hummingbirds feed most frequently right at dawn and at dusk. If they are around that's when you'll most likely see them.

I hope this helps.

Thanks so much for the advise. We live in on a conservation lot with a small pond and a nice wooded area in the back. I've put in a lot of hummingbird/butterfly plants and see tons of butterflies. Most of my neighbors have not put any kinds of plants in their back yards. However, since we started filling our back yard and lanai with flowering plants, a couple of the neighbors have started putting flowering bushes and trees in. I'll start filling the feeders again and someday, I'll see the hummingbirds at the garden. :)

Hi Tampasal.. I moved to my new home the end of March and promptly put in my hummingbird/butterfly garden and put up my feeders. Now I have at least a half a dozen little dive bombers visiting both the garden and the feeders. Hummers love red tubular flowers. If you have room to plant a bottlebrush tree do so.. they absolutely LOVE 'EM.. also any red or purple tubular flower is a great attractor.. be patient.. they will come. Don't forget in this high heat to change the water out every other day as it will sour and make the little hummers sick. I usually put just enough in to fill up the bottom of the feeder and just show in the glass part.. that way I am not wasting as much with the frequent changes.