Where are the hummingbird people?

I love all the butterfly info, and I've learned some pretty cool stuff from it.
But where are the hummingbird people?

Very glad to have the nest info (and the wonderful pictures!) from the "birth of hummingbird" thread.

I'm trying to collect enough plants to get them around more in my own yard and those of my friends who will respect them. Are there any experienced hummer attractors out there?

My understanding is that they are very territorial but that if you place plants/feeders within 3 feet of each other they just can't keep up so they let others feed in peace. Can anyone say if they've had success with that or know of other methods to get them to "gang up"? We have only rubythroats where we are and I figure that makes it even harder to get the same species together.

Anyone care to chime in?

nilly, also go to the bird watching forum to see what they say over there. Lots of info in the sticky and other hummingbird threads.

I don't have as much experience as I'd like; I only get the fall hummingbirds. But everyone says that there are two schools of though. Put feeders on each side of your house so that one can't watch over both of those feeders. Others say to put lots of feeders out so that there's no way one can guard them all. Still others have very good luck with hummingbirds cooperating with each other.

I don't have any feeders and don't even try to attract hummingbirds. But this past summer I had a whole bunch living here, and Mom saw one a few weeks ago that must have been passing through. A lot of the plants that work for butterflies will attract hummingbirds, too. In my case, they would not get off of my purple porterweed. I even had them buzz me a couple times when I was coming out the door or working on my car (which I park right next to the porterweed). I prefer to plant natural food sources rather than artificial, but in Florida it's a lot easier to do that as things bloom year round.

Melanie

Mrs_Ed - Thanks!

I somehow glossed by the birdwatching forum when I set up my list - thanks for telling me. And I'll try both of your suggestions at once and put several feeders on each side of the house!

mellielong - the first hummingbird I ever "met" came dashing up to my chest as I was in the garden at my first house. I was wearing a red shirt! It motored up to my chest, hovered and looked me in the face for a moment, then decided I wasn't sweet enough and jetted.
:)

lol. nice, Nilly.

I remember reading once in "Birds and Blooms" that a hummingbird came up to a woman's red lips (with lipstick, of course) and tried to get a taste!!

I think this was the last volume of the season fro our Ruby Throat Humminbird thread.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/908607/

We have some people from out west post their pix though.

Ah, it's ok if the Westerners post their pics. We'll just be envious of their variety.
We probably have some good stuff they don't.

Thanks for the link!

We're still getting some action out here. I took this pic at my dad's house last weekend. My stepmom has feeders hanging every few feet....this set up gets an incredible amount of action, even in the winter (zone 9b). Oh, and yep, I'm sure you've got some good stuff there that we don't have here :-).

ahh, Yay Hummers!

I saw these cuties last month when I was in Nor. Ca. One in my brothers backyard, the other in Sonoma.
This was the first time I have ever seen other hummers besides rubythroated! GM (Annas in Sonoma)

And not a very good shot in Brothers backyard. Pic taken in Alameda

This message was edited Dec 4, 2008 11:39 AM

Nilly, I actually have a Hummingbird and Butterfly garden and I have never had a problem with bees in it at all. I live in Texas and we may have different plants here.

The seed blend contains annuals and perennials. Right now I'm getting over a bad cold and I'm not thinking clearly (side affect of the meds?) But after my head clears I will get back to this thread and tell you what plants I use and we can figure out if they grow in your area.

1lisac, thanks!
I'd love your list - I'm already on the trail of red penstemon, salvia, fuschia, and heuchera.
I don't care for pink, so I'm sticking to the reds.
I have some seeds for hummingbird vine for next year. And some red monarda.
If your hummingbird plants produce seed, maybe we can trade. I know I'll be saving seed from mine.
And I think your cold brought the bees into your head, because I don't mind bees at all!
;)

I don't know how true it is but I've heard and read that in your garden if you keep the color yellow out you won't have bees. This was in conjunction w/the hummer feeders that have the little red "flowers" w/the yellow centers. The thing I've always had the most trouble with is ants but since I've been using tall shepherd's hooks away from trees & bushes - about 3-4 ft away - I haven't had ants. Also, no bees w/no yellow but who knows....... I keep my 4 feeders within 3-4 ft. of each other and get loads of hummers and sometimes other types besides the ruby throated but I'll take any kind I can get!!

Ann

this agastache was a big attractor in my yard

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/211121

oh, that's really nice. I love all of those agastaches!

I am so happy with that AG.... it was one of the longest bloomers I have

Well I added it to my want list!!!

I already have three others on that wish list! Time to move to more acreage!

Nilly, I still have the cold but here are some hummer garden plants, the seed mix that I use for my seedballs is a butterfly humming bird mix (P) Perennnial (A) annual contains:Purple Coneflower(P), Tickseed(P), Cornflower(A), Rocket Larkspur(A), Blanketflower(P), Indian Blanket(A), Drummond Phlox(A), Scarlet Sage(A/P), Candytuft(A/P), Yellow Cosmos(A), Sweet William(A/P), Cosmos(A), Wallflower(P), Lemon Mint(A/P), Moss Verbena(P), Standing Cypress(P), Black-eyed Susan(A/P), Shasta Daisy (P), Plains Corepsis(A), Butterfly Weed(P), Sweet Alyssum(A), and Toadflax(A). According to the map from my seed supplier the seeds should be sown in March-April in your area. Now I live in Texas but here for hummers I have Salvia, Thistle, Shrimp Plant,Turk's Cap, Horsemint, and Trumpet Creeper. I have also noticed that they love my yellow butterfly bush. They have already left for the winter but there maybe other plants that I don't remember off hand. Hope this helps, the bees were on another thread.

Those little hummingbirds are pretty territorial. I've watched them squabling over feeders on many occassions. I think the best you can do is have multiple feeders, out of view of each other if possible, so that everyone gets a shot at the goodies.

I 'm working on a garden now that I suppose will be a hummingbird/butterfly/bee garden. I'm not intentionally trying to attract the bees but they are so abundant out here and like everything that I grow so I don't think there is any way I can keep bees out. And I really don't mind them as long as they don't sting me or kill butterflies. But I'm wondering if hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies coexist peacefully or do I need to worry about one group harming one of the others? I've read that hummers eat insects, so do they eat butterflies?

Also I don't like pesticides and don't use them. I like to use beneficials and I love preying mantids. But then I've heard that preying mantids can eat hummingbirds :< so I'll bet they can also eat caterpillars and butterflies :

All of the above seem to live together fine. I don't use pesticides because that would kill the butterflies and their larva. The hummers are always flying around "arguing" over who gets to eat out of which feeded if they would just feed they wouldn't waste near as much time and energy.

I saw a video on utube that had a prey mantis killing a humming bird... very graphic and nasty

How big was the preying mantis?

looked pretty big... i bet if you search for humming bird and mantis... you will find it... very gross though

I thought bugs were big in TX, I think I will skip that utube.

type in preying mantis eating hummingbird in your search engine. Very scary. I think I am going to relocate the preying mantids that I find near my hummingbird/butterfly garden to another area (my veggie garden :)) and I'll just use some lady bugs and soldier bugs to patrol the H/B garden.

OMG!
I didn't know that was possible!

My best hummingbird attracting plants are Firebush (Hamelia species), Bottlebrush (Callistemon species), and Mexican Cigar Plant (Cuphea species). I don't even put out the feeders anymore.

Oops. This is Mexican Sunflower. A great butterfly plant, though!

This message was edited Dec 14, 2008 10:10 PM

Hummingbird Vine with Hummers.

They're attracted to Leonotis nepetifolia.

and some tobacco plants (nicotiana).

My best hummingbird plants are firebush (Hamelia patens) and Bahama swampbush (Pavonia bahamensis). The hummers love to perch on my citrus trees which don't seem to sway that much when the wind blows. Hummers usually arrive in Sept. here and leave in April. They do not nest this far south.

Nilly I have sent you a d-mail.

You have been given names of some good names for a hummingbird garden. Be warned though that if you start planting flowers for hummingbirds you are going to be blessed with butterflies as well. An added bonus.

Some of my hummingbird plants are:
Pentas
Crossvine
Lorpotalum
4 O'clock
Russian sage
Purple coneflower
Truk's Cap
Lion's ear
Greggii salvias
Pineapple sage
Shrimp plant
Anthonyh Parker Salvia
Salva subrotunda
Glodflame, Alabama Crimson, and Coral honeysuckle
David 'Verity" cuphea
Batfaced cuphea
Lantanas
Hummingbird bush
Gallardina
Salvia Guaranitica blue
Mexican firebush
Zinneas
Coccinea-Scarlet Sage
Phlox
Cannas-Robert Kemp and Peach Gigantum
Black and Blue Salvia
Abutilon versavious
Lady in Red salvia
Buddelias
Coral porterweed

I have many other plants the the hummingbirds will use but the butterflies like them more. Like others I use not pesticides in my yard.

This year I think I had at least 10 hummingbird feeders up. Even with the flowers all were used. I like to hang them around my patio and watch all the little jewels fight among themselves.

Right now I have no hummingbirds. Some have been sighted round me but I never have had the pleasure of an overwintering hummer. I do keep 2 feeders out all year round. I am looking for my first Ruby about the second week in March. Nancy Newfield, a hummingbird enthusiast lives in Metairie, Lousisana. She is an master bander and spends most of the winter banding the hummingbirds visiting her area during the winter.

Mimidi- if you go to the thread "list of plants" which may you already have, there are some other good butterfly plants both host and necture. This thread is so much fun because every area has it's own types of hummers butterflies and plants to support them.
We had bottle bush in CA but I have never seen one here. I think it gets too cold. It is all just very interesting.

I have bottlebrush in the same zone as you. It may just not be a really popular plant. Many people don't realize how beautiful they are, and they're evergreen here. Mine still had blooms just a couple of weeks ago, but our snow last week took care of the last of them.

I have bottlebrush too. The hummingbirds do like it. Cleome and crosomia are two good ones for my zone,

Does it get in the 20 and 30s there on a regular bases? We have such extreme tempratures here thst gardening is challenging

Amygirl,

I looked up a plant you mentioned & found that is a firebush?? Is that correct?

Well, before today I went to my local stores and bought many plants they identified as hummingbird plants. Guess what? The hummers love the firebush and ignore my purchased plants. Maybe they are smart and prefer unprocessed (man made) plants. My firebush is a Florida native plant.

Yes, Hamelia patens is firebush. Pavonia bahamensis, from the Bahamas is not that common. I think only Fairchild sells it. P. bahamensis is also called Bahama swampbush.

Thank you Amy.