Riverbend Nurseries | Creating a Hummingbird Habitat

HUMMINGBIRD HABITAT

Whether you have a large garden or a patio with a window box, a hummingbird habitat can be large or small and still attract these beautiful little friends. A good hummingbird garden takes more than just flowers. Hummingbirds feed constantly through the day and need several food sources to thrive in your garden and consider it home. They also need:

Water for drinking as well as bathing. Hummingbirds frequently bathe. Bird baths are good for hummingbirds; adding rocks to your garden is also great because it encourages other pollinators, such as bees and butterflies (bird baths are too much water for them).
Hummingbirds need both sun and shade areas in your garden as they need a place to rest as well as a place to build nests. They usually build their intricate nests in dense shrubs or on branches of trees, away from many predators.

As we said above, hummingbirds feed a lot; 3-5 times per hour! They will become reliant on your garden for food, but there will be times when there are not enough blooms to support them.

It is a good idea to hang a feeder(s) in your garden. If hanging more than one, they need to be hung 30 feet apart as hummingbirds are very territorial. Never fill your feeder with anything but sugar water (a mix of 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water). Do not use food coloring and never use honey! Honey can develop a fungus which can be fatal to hummingbirds. Always keep your feeders clean and filled. It can be easy to stay on top of filling your feeder at the beginning of summer but forget by the end of summer. Put it on your calendar so you remember to continue to keep feeding your hummingbirds; we suggest checking your feeders once or twice weekly. Refresh the sugar water once a week. Remember to place the feeder/s in a location where you can easily see hummingbirds from a window!

As you probably know, hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, however, you do not need to primarily plant red flowers to have hummingbirds flock to your garden. Hummingbirds also love pinks and orange, but are less naturally attracted to yellows and whites (not to say they won't feed from them, but you might consider adding brighter colors to attract them also). Plant these flowers in groupings of three or more so hummingbirds have several nectar sources in the same space. Prune flowers after their blooms are spent because that encourages new flowers, meaning more nectar sources for your hummingbirds!

With their long beak, hummingbirds love tubular-shaped flowers. See our list below of some of their favorite flowers; you'll see many flowers with a tubular shape. If space is limited in your garden, think about trellises that could grow flowers vertically or hanging baskets with tubular-shaped flowers. There are many ways to maximize even a very small patio space.

Strive to keep insecticides to a bare minimum or use all-natural. Insecticides can harm birds and pollinators.

Be persistent and patient! It may take a little time for hummingbirds to find their favorite new home (AKA your garden!) after you've made these additions. They will come!

Hummingbird’s Favorite Flowers: