Guest Author - Malika Harricharan
I've always been enamored by these beautiful birds. Watching them fly around and feed, I just adore Hummingbirds. It is no wonder hummingbirds are some of the most popular birds to observe.
One thing that is important to remember is that Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red. That is why almost every hummingbird feeder is red in color. Additionally, having red flowers will attract them too. Flowers with a tubular or trumpeted shape will help to draw hummingbirds too.
Here are some other flowers that will attract Hummingbirds:
Beard Tongues: Many varieties in various shades of red.
Bee Balm Bright red blooms with others in shades of white, purple and lavender.
Cannas: Easy to grow flower adds color all summer.
Cardinal Flower: Brilliant scarlet blooms.
Columbines: Perennials with double funnel shaped flowers with long thin stems.
Coral Bells: Perennials with tiny but attractive blossoms
Cosmos: Flowers are orange, yellow or red.
Daylilies: Trumpet shaped large blossoms
Firecracker Plant: Slender tubular red flowers hang on plant.
Foxglove - a great choice for a hummingbird garden because of its reddish coloring and the tubular shape of the flowers.
Snapdragons produce beautiful flowers and thrive in cooler climates.
But don't just limit yourself to flowers. Vines and shrubs also attract hummingbirds. Here are a couple:
Like the name implies, the Beauty Bush is a beautiful shrub that will produce tubular flowers in the spring and summer.
Cypress Vine: Festive mixture of white, pink and red flowers combined with tropical looking foliage.
Trumpet Vine bright red-orange trumpet shaped flowers. These vines are very fast growers and are perfect hummingbird food. They are also beautiful crawling over a trellis or an arbor.
When planting your hummingbird garden, choose a variety of annuals, perennials, shrubs and vines. Providing a nice variety of plants that bloom at different times of the year will help to keep the hummingbirds around longer.
Also remember that hummingbirds need somewhere to perch as they expend a lot of energy flapping their wings. So having branches for them to perch on will likely ensure they�ll stay around a while longer.
Speaking of feeding hummingbirds, you have 2 choices when it comes to nectar, you can mix it yourself or buy it from the store. If you are just starting out feeding hummingbirds, I recommend that you buy food. You can either buy a powder mix and add water or you can buy the nectar in a liquid form. The nectar will either be clear or have a red tint to it.
If you choose to mix it yourself, it is very simple. Just mix four parts water to one part sugar. You should boil it to make sure the sugar dissolves. Be careful to let the nectar completely cool before putting it in the feeder.
Next week, I'll have some tips on choosing the right feeder.