Bright reds will attract hummers
Small but mighty, the tiny hummingbird can sure create a lot of buzz. I once rescued one of these winged wonders that got caught up in a net. I cradled his weightless body in the palm of my hand until he regained his strength to continue on. I reflected for a while on the resilience of this miniature miracle of nature, and I have tried ever since that day to assist them on their journey.
Hummingbirds migrate north in spring by following the flowers as they bloom, so be sure to have some early bloomers waiting.”
While fragrance is the key for pollinators like butterflies and other insects, hummingbirds can’t use their beaks to sniff them out, so flowers that depend on them and they must attract them with colour. And for hummingbirds the colour red rules. These fantastic flyers have to eat constantly to keep their wings in motion at about 75 beats per second. Honing in on this vibrant colour saves these high energy birds time, and conserves calories.
To select good hummingbird flowers, colour is key, but you’ll want to consider flower form as well. Blooms with long tubular shapes are made to order for hummingbirds and their long tongues. Once in your yard, hummers will move naturally to blossoms of other colours besides red.
Hummingbirds migrate north in spring by following the flowers as they bloom, so be sure to have some early bloomers waiting. Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) begins the hummingbird season. It is a large, delicate looking plant with its nodding red and yellow flower head, and it blooms for a long period of time. Native columbine thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers well drained soil. It will adapt to poor soil if necessary and will self sow itself into cracks and crevices as well.
Heuchera (Heuchera spp. and cvs.) with its tiny flowers is not an obvious choice, but the hummingbirds are attracted to their tubular form. Choose cultivars with red or brilliant carmine blooms that will ensure that they will pay you a visit. Heucheras grow in full sun or partial shade and like well drained soil as well. As the season progresses, consider the blazing red flowers of the Maltese cross (Lychnis chalcedonica) with its enchanting rounded flower clusters. This perennial shines in full sun and moist soil, and deadheading will encourage a second round of flowers.
Beebalm (Monarda didyma and cvs.) is a definite favourite with the hummers. It is a pushy plant being from the mint family, but if you find an appropriate spot in full sun to light shade, with rich moist well drained soil, the flowers will go on for weeks. Cut the plants back by half in the season for another round of bloom.
As the season draws to a close, consider the beautiful red candles of the cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). Cardinal flowers will send the hummingbirds on their way south more than satisfied. It grows naturally in wet places in full sun to partial shade and is quite at home in a bog garden, or beside a water feature.
Water is a another big draw for hummingbirds, but they prefer a shower over a bath. If you set up a sprinkler to run at the same time every day, they will appear and happily take advantage of the welcoming water. Perches are a necessity for hummingbirds as they spend a lot of time sitting and resting. It is a good idea to provide perching sites throughout your garden. Arbors and trellises work well, as long as their tiny feet can get a good grip.
Garden Tip: Try growing your melon and squash on your compost piles]; the vines grow like mad with the extra nutrients, and the compost benefits from the additional watering. And when you harvest them, you can leave the vines on the pile to turn into more compost.