Author: Hummingbird

The ability to have a hummingbird does not require a great deal of space. Anyone who wishes to do so may have a hummingbird garden, even if you live in an apartment or have a very tiny yard. You may be thinking that this just simply is not possible but it truly does not require a great deal of space. Let me explain.

You see, the use of hanging baskets is a simple and effective way in which to attract hummingbirds to your yard. This post will provide you with the necessary information to help you effectively use hanging baskets as a way to attract the hummingbirds regardless of the size limitations your living environment may provide.

The choice of selecting the correct flowers is extremely important. This may seem extremely obvious, but you must select flowers which are known to thrive in hanging baskets and that will also attract the hummingbirds.

The plants you select should have nectar-rich tubular shaped blooms on them. This includes plants such as salvia and petunia which are excellent choices because these allow the hummingbird to easily access the nectar due to their long, narrow bills and tongues.

The plant form is also very important. You will want to select flowers that stick out from a plant’s foliage, by either protruding or dangling. This is important because hummingbirds normally feed while hovering, so this will provide ample air space so the birds’ beating wings easily clear any leaves.

The plants you select for use in your hanging baskets should offer a wide variety of color. Many people often associate the color red with helping to attract hummingbirds. Red is a color which hummingbirds can see from a great distance, so offering flowers that are nectar-rich and come in various shades of red should always attract their attention. However, flowers of almost any color, including orange, pink, purple, white and yellow will also attract hummingbirds and cause them to feed from these nectar-rich plants.

The quantity of blooms a plant produces will also play an important role in attracting hummingbirds. When selecting plants, you will want to choose plants with multiple flowers in open clusters. These types of plants are more appealing than plants like hibiscus that feature a small selection of large blooms.

You will also want to consider the bloom time of the plants you select. Choosing plants that have a long bloom time will help provide the hummingbirds with a source of nectar for an extended length of time. Another way to ensure that the hummingbirds will always have a source of nectar is to select plants that have staggered bloom times.

If you want to attract hummingbirds but think you can not due to space limitations, do not let that stop you. You can successfully do so through the use of hanging baskets. Give it a try! You will be glad you did and so will the hummingbirds.

Making homemade nectar solution is a simple and inexpensive thing to do to provide the hummingbirds with another food source in addition to flowers. Before reading this post, did you know that it is possible to make your homemade nectar solution too sweet? Well, it is so now let me explain why.

The proper proportions to use when making homemade nectar solution is 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. This ratio closely matches the concentration of sugar found in most flowers.

If you make the nectar solution too sweet then it no longer closely matches the concentration of sugar found in most flowers. It is important to realize that making your nectar solution sweeter then the recommend ratio mentioned above will not draw more hummingbirds to your feeder. By using the proper proportion of sugar to liquid when making the nectar solution you are actually helping to ensure the hummingbird’s health.

Using too much sugar when making homemade nectar solution can cause both reproductive and liver problem in hummingbirds. The good news though is that hummingbirds are very smart and as a result the hummingbirds will just find another food source rather then drink nectar solution which is too sweet.

The use of hummingbird feeders is a simple and inexpensive way to provide an additional food source for the hummingbirds. If you choose to make homemade nectar, it is extremely important not to make the solution too sweet. It is my sincere hope that this post has helped you understand why this is so very important.