Attract Hummingbirds to your Garden

We all love hummingbirds. They are among the smallest, prettiest birds out there and always catch my attention when one whizzes by.

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden it really is easy. Here's what you need to do:

We have all different types of feeders.
Lots more to see in the shop

1) Plant the flowers that attract them such as geraniums, petunias, salvia, morning glory and verbena and shrubs like butterfly bushes, weigela and caryopteris. They are very attracted to red blooms with fragrance.

2) Get yourself a hummingbird feeder. We have them on hand in the garden centre for you.

3) Make some nectar with sugar and water. Use one cup of white sugar to four cups of water. This mixture can be made ahead and kept in the fridge.  Simply boil the water in a pan on the stove. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool and then add to your hummingbird feeder. Or you can make it easy on yourself and just pick up some ready made nectar in the store.

Choose one of our ready made nectars

According to the University of Illinois Extension it's not a good idea to substitute the white sugar with other sugar substitutes. The research shows that using honey for instance will attract bees and black fungus. Black fungus causes liver disease and tongue disease in hummingbirds that is fatal for them.

4) You'll need to keep you're feeder clean. Thoroughly cleaning it every 3 days is best. Simply use vinegar and water and a bottlebrush makes it really easy to do.

Hope this helps - Dave

Thanks to the University of Illinois Extension for the info! Very helpful.