Garden Plants for Hummingbirds

The right selection of plants and flowers can help attract and retain hummingbirds into your garden. Flowers that produce high amounts of nectar such as honeysuckle, butterfly bush, petunia, foxglove, dahlia and lilac help supply the hummingbird with much needed energy. Hummingbirds need a lot of energy, and have one of the fastest metabolisms in the animal kingdom due to the need to flap their wings at an extremely fast pace. Plant a variety of the flowers to your garden so that if one flower is not in season, the hummingbird will still have lots of other options.

Ample shelter from the sun and extremities must be available in your garden so the hummingbirds can seek protection. This means having some bird houses or nearby awnings for them to find shelter in. Branches from older trees and man-made structures such as wooden trellises also make good nesting areas. This will encourage them to stay longer in your garden by breeding and nesting their eggs on these structures.

Keeping the garden well hydrated to help the flowers and plants flourish better, thus attracting more hummingbirds. Misters and garden sprays provide the hummingbirds a birdbath. Small ponds, fountains or birdbath dishes also help the hummingbirds cool themselves especially during the summer. Make sure that the water in the birdbath dish and ponds are regularly cleaned to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

A hummingbird feeder will help the birds sustain themselves in case nectar supply is low. You can place the hummingbird feeder in an easily visible spot. Mix four parts of clean water to one part of white sugar - brown sugar and other raw forms of sugar have iron that can be dangerous for the hummingbirds. Dissolve the sugar completely by boiling the mixture. Let it cool and fill the hummingbird feeder with this mixture.