To attract hummingbirds to your yard or garden, follow these expert tips:
Key Ways to Attract Hummingbirds
- Use Red and Bright Colors: Hummingbirds are attracted to red, purple, and pink colors, especially red. Use red feeders or add red ribbons near feeders to catch their attention. Avoid yellow on feeders as it attracts bees, not hummingbirds
- Plant Native, Nectar-Rich Flowers: Fill your yard with native flowering plants that produce nectar, such as trumpet honeysuckle, bee balm, hummingbird sage, salvia, and trumpet creeper. Choose tubular-shaped red or orange flowers that bloom at different times to provide a steady nectar supply throughout the season
- Offer Sugar Water Feeders: Provide feeders filled with a homemade nectar solution of 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water. Boil the mixture to remove impurities and avoid using honey or red dye, which can harm hummingbirds. Clean feeders regularly with hot water to prevent mold and bacteria
- Provide Perches and Water: Hummingbirds need perches to rest and water sources such as misters or shallow birdbaths with moving water to attract them
- Place Feeders Strategically: Hang feeders in open, visible places from the sky to help hummingbirds find them. Once established, feeders can be moved closer to the house or shaded areas. Space multiple feeders apart to create separate territories, as hummingbirds are territorial and will defend their feeding spots
- Maintain Your Garden: Deadhead wilting flowers to encourage new blooms and keep nectar sources fresh. Group similar plants together and ensure a variety of bloom times to keep hummingbirds coming back
- Be Patient: It may take time-sometimes a year or two-for hummingbirds to discover and regularly visit your feeders and garden. Once they find a reliable food source, they tend to return year after year due to their strong spatial memory
By combining colorful feeders, native nectar plants, clean sugar water, and proper feeder placement, you can create an inviting habitat that attracts and supports hummingbirds all season long
