How to Grow a Hummingbird Garden in 7 Simple Steps
Helping hummers is easier than you’d expect! These fast-flying birds love sugar-rich nectar, and providing plenty in your garden will help them thrive in the wild. Native plant gardener Jerad Bryant shares how you can set up a hummingbird garden in seven easy steps.
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Hummingbirds, like bees, are pollinators. They use their thin, long beaks to capture nectar from tubular flowers. As they drink, they pollinate the flowers by shaking and disturbing them. Not only do they feed on floral nectar, but they also eat plenty of insects for protein! They’ll help control flies, gnats, and mosquitos, among other bugs.
Hummingbirds have a fast metabolism, meaning they burn energy quickly. They need constant food sources to survive, and many species migrate with the seasons to find plentiful blooms and bugs. Though many species migrate, not all do, and it’s helpful to consider overwintering hummers during the winter months.
These birds are threatened by habitat loss, pesticide and herbicide usage, and invasive species. Do your best to mitigate these pressures in your yard, and you’ll boost migrating populations. Whether your hummingbird garden is big or small, there are many ways to help out these fast-moving creatures. Help them, and they’ll help you by battling pests and pollinating crops.
7 Simple Steps
Create the garden of your and hummingbirds’ dreams with these seven easy steps. Patios, porches, and balconies are all the space you need to start. If you garden with lots of acreage, consider dedicating entire plots to hummingbird-friendly plants.
Step 1: Study Local Hummingbirds
Knowing your local birds is a helpful skill. The better you know your local species, the more informed decisions you can make to help them. Dozens of hummingbirds are native to the U.S., with many states having multiple native species.
Some hummers overwinter in place, while others migrate during different seasons to feed themselves. Look for ruby-throated hummers in eastern forests; find black-chinned and Rufous hummingbirds in the South. Anna’s, Costa’s, Calliope, and broad-tailed hummers are common in the West.
Because of their migration patterns, you’ll find these birds present during different times of the year. If many native plants are blooming, chances are high that hummers are close by. Prepare the garden as early as possible in spring to provide plenty of plants for the flying critters during the growing season.
Step 2: Grow Flowers
Red tubular flowers aren’t the only wildflowers that hummingbirds appreciate in your garden. They drink from a surprising array of shrubs, perennials, and annuals. Blueberries, penstemons, and bleeding hearts are some of the many types they like to visit.
When you grow native trees, shrubs, and perennials, you help provide more nectar for the migrating birds. They’ll have ample choices for food sources, which allows them to breed, feed, and repopulate our forests.
Though native plants are the best choices for helping local hummers, many common annuals and perennials offer sugar-rich nectar. Sages, foxgloves, and daylilies are some helpful perennials you’ll see in garden centers and nurseries, while milkweeds, impatiens, and spider flowers are some of the annuals.
Some flowers that bees like the hummers will appreciate, though not all cross over. They lack a sense of smell and are more attracted by vivid colors than pleasing aromas. Lure them in with the showiest, flashiest, most nectar-rich wildflowers.
Step 3: Plan for the Year
Though spring-blooming plants are important, so too are summer and fall-blooming ones. Because these birds have a wide migratory range, they move through the states at varying times of the year. If the yard lacks late summer bloomers, they may move to other, more resource-rich gardens.
Plan for the year by growing a wide, diverse range of plants that flower at all times of the year. Hummingbird sage, asters, and goldenrods are late bloomers that attract hummingbirds. For spring, think of early bloomers like currants, bleeding hearts, and willows.
Two other planting styles are beneficial for the birds. Succession sowing, or planting repeatedly over many weeks, can lead to delayed flowers that offer sugar over many months. This is a good method for growing annuals, as you’ll have a rich mix of seedlings at all life stages. Make successive sowings as long as the weather allows, from spring through fall.
The other method is to plant dozens of the same plant. This creates a large patch of blooms rather than a small plant with a few stems. You’ll offer food for multiple species and prevent them from fighting over resources; hummingbirds are incredibly territorial!
Step 4: Consider Fuzzy Plants
Food isn’t the only reason hummingbirds visit plants—they use them for nesting material! They prefer fuzzy, velvety leaves and blooms with plenty of hairs, as these are easy to mold and soft to the touch. They’ll gather the fibers and use their beaks and feet to create a nest.
Some fuzzy plants to try growing are cinnamon ferns, pussy willows, dandelions, and thistles. Rather than weeding the dandelions and thistles, consider letting them thrive! Dedicate part of your lawn to a hummingbird habitat, or leave a few dandelions in your garden beds.
These aren’t the only options; hummingbird species are opportunistic, and they’ll use whatever they can get their beaks on. A good way to know is to test your theory—cultivate plants you think the birds will like, then watch them to see if they visit.
Step 5: Give Them a Bath
Like all animals, these critters need water to survive. Unlike other birds, they don’t visit streams or rivers to drink, as they get most of their moisture from the sugary nectar in feeders or flowers. Why, then, is water necessary? They, like us, use water to bathe and clean themselves.
Water features, bird baths, or fountains are excellent ways to provide the critters with fresh water. Avoid adding chemicals to fountains, as they may harm the birds when they splash in them. Though untreated water can quickly turn stagnant, running a pump or filter helps to keep it fresh.
Standing water in bird baths may attract mosquitoes. I hate the bugs, even though they’re a food source for some animals. They make it unbearable to be in the garden! Instead of breeding them, change the water every few days to protect your yard while providing a fresh source for hummers.
Step 6: Provide Habitat Space
Habitat space is just as important as fresh water and nectar. Without a resting spot, a hummingbird may leave the site for more accommodating conditions. These creatures use tall trees and shrubs to rest, to escape predators, and to breed.
You combine multiple benefits into one when you plant trees that sprout nectar-rich blossoms. Native tulip trees are a good example; they’re gigantic, high-reaching specimens with thousands of nutritious blooms. Their flowers feed the hummingbirds, while their branches house and protect them.
Other good trees to plant are crab apples, hawthorns, and mountain ashes. Whichever type of tree you plant will be helpful, as it’ll provide valuable habitat space for vulnerable populations. Don’t fret if you can’t get one of these varieties; opt for a similar native tree instead.
Step 7: Add a Hummingbird Feeder
Hummingbirds are voracious feeders! Sometimes, plentiful wildflowers aren’t enough to sustain them. Adding a hummingbird feeder can help them survive, as it offers sugar water in a permanent location year-round. They’ll learn to return to your garden to find free sugar water.
You can feed them when nothing is blooming, providing a much-needed nutrient source for these nimble critters. The key is a proper sugar-to-water ratio that mimics natural nectar. Use four parts water to one part sugar.
Use cane sugar without additives and filtered water. Stir vigorously after mixing to ensure all the sugar dissolves. The solution lasts a few days before you need to change it with new sugar water. It’ll spoil quickly during hot days and may require daily changing in summer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is it best to design a hummingbird garden?
You want varying heights in the garden, with low-growing perennials, medium-sized shrubs, and tall trees. Design with a mix of native plants, wildflowers, and annuals for a pleasing array of colors, textures, and structures that benefit both the gardener and the hummingbird.
How do you make a hummingbird garden?
You can make one no matter where you live! The easiest way is to start with a container full of hummingbird-friendly plants. The flying creatures need nectar, though they also require water, habitat, and protein from bugs.
Are hummingbirds good for the garden?
Absolutely! They help pollinate crops and shrubs, and they keep pest populations low by feeding on them. Their presence is a good sign that you’re creating an environmentally friendly habitat for wildlife.
