Best Hummingbird Nectar Plants for Southern Gardens

Yippeeee! A woman on a mission, watch out, I am ruthless! I will comb every nursery for miles around for hummingbird plants!

This is the feeder that I got from DS. It may be that it is hung up in the window closest to the "viewing area" of the future hummingbirds! I love the colors. I do have a couple of other blown glass ball creations, maybe that will be a collection area.
Just picked up 4 more pentas and 2 lantanas to add to the garden.

Does anyone know if "Bleeding Heart Vine, Glory Bower " is an attractant for hb's at all?
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/99175/
It has beautiful red & hot pink flowers so I'm wondering...

Cathy - You are going to have to take a photo and post it here of your feeder. It sounds pretty!

The taller a plant is/grows, the better the hummers like it. I have a lot of nectar plants, but I notice they tend to go to the taller plants more than the shorter plants. Probably instinct to stay high enough off the ground from predators. Bleeding Heart I believe is a nectar plant they like, too! I have Lantana and Penta's in large pots around my yard. That helps bring if off the ground. Be sure to get some Purple Porterweed if you don't already have some. They love that plant! And red Shrimp Plant is another favorite here in my yard. (Also in a pot.)

Doh, where did my photo go!
OK, let's try again...

Kind of looks like a scrambled egg in the preview!

That's a cute little feeder! I wonder how you can clean it?

Fungus collects inside the feeders after a while from the sugar water, which is why I may get rid of the one feeder I have if I can't figure out a way to clean the inside of the glass. I noticed my hummer isn't using it much anymore. Probably because the sugar water spoils faster now that the fungus is building up inside it. If hummers drink from dirty feeders, they are at high risk of getting sick and dying. I've read over and over again how important it is to keep the feeders clean at all times. Since the temps are always warm/hot here in Florida, we have to clean and change out the water much more frequently because it spoils from the heat. I clean and change the feeders every 2-3 days depending on how warm it is. I also have the feeders in a partially shady area to help keep the sun off of them If they are in direct sunlight, the sugar water spoils faster and it also heats up the water which the hummer may find to hot too drink. These are just some things I am learning along the way.

This message was edited Dec 27, 2007 9:58 AM

Becky, I put vinegar and uncooked rice in my long glass feeder and shake vigorously so the rice can scrub the glass clean.

Danita - Oh! How interesting! Thanks for the tip! I shall try that!!! :-)

Thanks for the input Becky! I have a squishy bottle cleaner that's designed to squeeze into small openings, but I don't know how well it will slide in there and get all the curved surface. If I can't clean it well enough, I'll have a pretty decoration!
I tried using a Visa gift card I got from Santa to buy a HumZinger feeder yesterday, but it wouldn't accept it. I guess cuz it's a debit card I can't use it online. I did look at 2 different garden centers this morning for something similiar, but didn't find anything that looked really good. So I bought plants instead! Shrimp plant and a Panama rose are two that are going right into the bf/hb garden! Also got a Florida Anise for the woodland garden out back.
Might try some bigger garden center in Sarasota this weekend for a feeder.

Danita, that's a really great idea for cleaning, I'll try that too!

Thanks, Cathy

Cathy, I got a feeder that's identical to the hummzingers at a local store, wild birds unlimited. I searched and they have a store in sarasota if you're ever there.

http://www.wbu.com/prod/guide/hummingbirds.htm


Another way to clean inside the glass ball feeders........put some crushed ice and salt inside and swirl it around, it's very abrasive, well, until the ice melts anyways :).

azreno, you are fantastic! I just talked to a gentleman at WBU in Sarasota, and he said they do have feeders in stock. They are open Sat & Sun, so we will be heading there this weekend!
Cathy

Awesome information there azreno!!! Looks like you will soon be in business to host hummingbirds, Cathy! I can see it's going to be a good year for hummers in 2008! ;-)

Here is an interesting link to a question about making hummingbird nectar:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071106090306AA3z66z

I have heard NOT to use red or any other color of dye and NOT to use honey! And to just use white granular sugar cane not brown sugar or powdered sugar.

That's interesting that the nectar recipe is 5 to 1. I have always read it to be 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. I also use Spring water not tap water. My tap water is not very good.

I have been noticing that the wasps are hanging around the feeders too. I try to keep them clean so that the wasps are not trying to drink nectar dripping down the side of the feeders. I have a lot of wasps in my yard again. I think it is time to do a night time run outside with wasps repellant to bring the population down. I've found numerous nests along my back fence. Grrrr ...

Love those videos. and that cute little froggy. I change my feeders often in the summer - use bleach and then wash with soapy water. I left one feeder out for the winter, but haven't seen any stragglers. sighhhh,
Elaine

Oh, I'm so happy I helped! Our store here is very helpful. They also carry the bee tips (which i needed!) and guards and things.

I've read several tips on ways to out smart bees and wasps around hummer feeders. One tip was to move the feeder just a foot or two from the spot where the bees are use to traveling to that feeder. Seems they aren't smart enough to see it has been moved. Another tip was to make a stronger solution in a dish just for the bees and wasps. They seem to like the stronger solution and should choose it over the hummer solution. I think the bees and wasps worry me more than the hummers.

I have to keep those wasp nest in check with after dusk spray too.

Danita - I tried your rice and vinegar cleaning idea ... It WORKED!!! Thank you so very much!

Elaine - I was going to try your idea too, but I have read to try not to use soap to clean the feeders. Has anyone else read that, too?

Cathy - Did you find some feeders?

Deborah - Good idea about a stronger sugar water to keep the wasps away from the hummer feeders! I shall try that. :-)

Hi Becky, I have heard not to use soap but only on the plastic parts. When we had very hot weather here I had to clean and change the sugar water every other day to keep the fungus from collecting in the smallest parts of the peices. I have a few specialty brushes that help with cleaning.

I have used vinegar and water but I like the rice idea!

Becky, going to the Wild Birds Unlimited today, they are open from 12 to 4. Can't wait!
Cathy

LOVE the vinegar and rice idea!

I have used just about everything else

Got one! It is so cute. I got the small one, figuring it might take a while to lure some hummers in. I think I'll grab some more red petunias next time at the store, instant color to bring them into the yard.
Thanks for the suggestons Becky & Azreno!

Hi, Becky do you remember where you read about the soapy water.?? I am very careful about rinsing and rinsing after I wash. Maybe that's why you shouldn't use soap? I know vinegar is a very good for cleaning. And for making hot chili peppers.. LOL. That feeder is one my hummers really love. I have a pitiful petunia in my greenhouse. Have to put a double layer of cover on my greenhouse tomorrow. Suppose to be in the 20's by tues. nite... sighhhhhhh
Elaine

Elaine and others - Here is a good links to information about hummingbirds and feeders:
http://www.birds-n-garden.com/how_to_attract_hummingbirds.html (5 pages of great information on hummers!)

I couldn't find the links I had read earlier about not using soap to clean them. I use water, vinegar, and a good baby bottle brush to clean mine. And I use the rice and vinegar method which works great for my hard to clean feeder!

Cathy - Great feeder! Congrats! Just remember, it may take some time for the hummers to find you. I used red ribbons/bows around my property. Someone told me to hang those colorful little wind catcher flags around the property too. Large and colorful things that they can see from the air. Many of you may remember my red solo cups! LOL! What a hoot! But ya just never know what they might spot as they are flying overhead! :-) And those solo cups might have worked and I have had hummers for a while before I actually spotted one! :-)

Another area of my garden with red deco to attract the hummers! LOL! Looking at this site now, I can't believe how big all those plants are now. This was taken in January of 2006 (I believe), so it is quite possible I had attracted hummers then and only saw them recently. :-) Of course, I took all the red deco down as it faded and weathered. No deco now at all, just lots of red blooming plants! :-) But that deco worked well until the plant growth took off.

Oops, wrong photo! Here's the other photo of another section of my hummer garden.

Here are photos of what those areas look like now 2 years later. Amazing how much growth can take place even in poor conditions. :-)

Here is the other area on the other side of my backyard.

Something that I have discovered is that those vines you see with blooms ... don't bloom in the late Spring or Summer months. They seem to be Fall/Winter bloomers. Which is good for the hummers. I had thought that Mexican Flame Vine was a year round bloomer, but now know that it blooms in the Winter here even though when I purchased it 2 years ago (in the summer) the plant was blooming. I learn something new every day in my garden!

This message was edited Dec 31, 2007 9:51 AM

As you can see in the photos, I still have room to add more plants. I start with plants I really want for the hummers and also host plants for the butterflies to get these plants established first. Then I add annuals or filler nectar plants around them. So the seed swap was good for me as I have plenty of room to add more seeds/plants. I feel like my garden is constantly evolving. Always interesting from day to day and season to season. I think that is why I like gardening and photography so much. Always something new and constantly changing so it keeps me interested.

Thanks Becky, your Red Solo Cup Masterpiece is to die for! Just gives me another sculpture to assemble, and keeps my neighbors guessing!
I like the constantly evolving garden theme too. There's so much to learn and appreciate as we walk through our gardens each day. We are so lucky!
The link to birds-n-garden was very informative, a nice morning read with my tea!

Happy, healthy and safe New Year to all!
Cathy

Becky,, thanks for the link. always looking out for my hummers and butterflies and birds,
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Elaine

The universe is definitely pointing the way to the hummingbird garden- We were in Target earlier, getting paper towels, and just happened to walk by the pet area clearance section and this hb feeder just jumped right out at me. On clearance for $2.98, even better!
Cathy

That's a great bargain!

Cathy - I also bought that same feeder from Walmart only I paid full price for it. I have to tell you that I really don't like the feeder because it is so hard to clean. It has so many places for fungus to grow. I discovered that it can be taken apart for cleaning, but some parts are near impossible to get to ... to clean. Here is a photo I took when I was trying to clean mine today. You can see all the smaller parts.

I did discover that you can use a Q-tip to clean the inside of each feeder port and many of the smaller areas. But the little yellow wasp/bee guards are near impossible to clean. See the fungus forming all over mine. I have taken them off and will try to soak them in bleach to get them clean. Otherwise, I will just leave them off the feeder.

This message was edited Jan 2, 2008 8:37 PM

I can't stress enough how important it is to keep your feeders clean. Fungus can make the hummers sick and could even kill them. So I truly suggest getting feeders that are very easy to clean. And I am finding that using white vinegar to clean them with is really the best way to do so. No worry of bleach or soap making the little birds sick. Just be sure to rinse, rinse, and rinse again before filling them.

After reading all your posts I am having hummingbird envy. Do you have them in winter in SFL? Ours stayed longer this year than normal although I had fewer than in 2006. Reading the birds-in-garden-link was very educational in that it explained that no two years are exactly alike. Hope I can remember the rice and vinegar cleaner. Thanks for allowing a Hoosier girl to post on a Southern forum. Feels good to be talking hummers.

Becky, thank you for the input on the bargain feeder! Live and learn. I inspected the feeder a little bit better today and I can see what you mean about all the little cracks and crevices. The flat style looks much more efficient and easier to maintain. I found a package of those red Solo cups in my cupboard, the ones you used on your hb lure post. I will try to be as creative in using them!
Just finished bundling up all the plants that I could, including the firespike and the Panama rose, which is pretty tender. Fingers are crossed for a quick blast of cold, then sunny warm weather to make everything grow!
Indynanny, I'm working on inviting some hummers to my yard. I'm hoping this spring they'll visit. One of the sites that Becky posted had some info and said that hummers usually come back to SW FL in March. I sure hope so!
Cathy

Indynannyof8 - I have what appears to be TWO hummers right now (winter). I see one trying to chase off the other. I found a shepherds hook for $10 at HD, so I now have 2 feeding stations in my backyard and 1 in the front yard. I don't know if these birds stay all year or are just migrant birds. I have heard some stay year round in south-central Florida. I guess as the year goes on I'll know for sure. Right now they are pretty much hanging around my yard. They still seem to prefer the blooms over the feeders, but do frequent the feeders throughout the day.

Cathy - You'll have to show us what your new yard deco looks like! Please post a photo. And as far as the new sale feeder, it works, it's just a pain to clean. I haven't put the wasp guards back on
mine. Those were the pieces that were such a pain to clean. The rest of it I got clean with a baby bottle brush, Q-tips, and vinegar and water. The hummers do recognize those style of feeders, so it may help draw the birds to you!

Becky, TWO hummers?! That's fantastic, the word is spreading.....
I got some hooks and plant hangers at Kmart for 20 to 60 cents, they were all on clearance, so I'm thinking to get a 4x4 post and mount a bunch of red stuff on it along with the feeders. Hope it works. When I get my masterpiece finished, I'll definitely post a pic.
Waiting til this afternoon to un-towel the firespike and Panama rose in the hb garden. It's in the front yard that gets all the sun AND the north wind, so hopefully they haven't been too badly damaged by the nasty cold winds.
Cathy

Sorry about your deep freeze in Florida. I hope the hummers know where to go for cover. I'm looking forward to mine, they start showing up the last of April if it's warm. This year they seemed to prefer the flowers to the feeder in my garden. Do you all in FL grow pineapple sage? I do but it will get killed by frost here so have to watch it. We had a late frost this past year and it lasted through Oct. The hummers did too.