Category: Hummingbird Food

Hummingbirds as well as most other types of birds have no sense of smell.  Does this surprise you?  As a result, hummingbirds are drawn to plants that have a high visibility.  Hybrid plants often have far less nectar output then plants that were grown in the wild. 

If you are looking for various trees and shrubs that will attract the hummingbirds to your yard then I would like to suggest the following:  Azalea, Butterfly bush and Lantana.  Why those you ask?  They are some of my favorites that my mom always had planted in our yard which was always full of hummingbirds.  Therefore, each time I see them it reminds me of my mom as well as offering me the hope that there may even be some hummingbirds in the area.

Whatever you choose to plant in order to attract the hummingbirds, it is important to remember that it should have a high visability and a high nectar production.  To find out what is best for your area of the country, please check with your local nursery who can guide you and help you make wise selections. 

I recently made a very surprising discovery concerning homemade hummingbird nectar, which is that beet sugar can be used to make homemade nectar.  Did you know this?  I’m not sure if my mom was aware of this or not, but I’m sure if not she would have found the discovery fascinating.   She so enjoyed attracting hummingbirds to the yard and as a result always had many feeders and therefore was often refilling them.  I believe that my mom would have alternated between the two types of sugar just to try and find out if one was more popular then the other.

I myself have always thought it only safe to use white table sugar in making homemade hummingbird nectar, but it turns out that you can also use something known as beet sugar.  I’m not sure if this can actually be purchased or if they are talking about the natural sugar produced by the beet plant.

It turns out that testing has been done and that white sugar and beet sugar have been found to be equally good for use in hummingbird feeders.  There is no significant difference nutritionally between the two types of sugar.  There is only a minimal difference in mineral content and that is of no importance.

Whenever I see azaleas it makes me think of my mother, because for many years there were pink and white ones that lined the flower bed that was on the side of our driveway. I even remember one year on Easter she took a photo of some of my nieces and nephews sitting on the grass in front of those bushes holding their Easter baskets.

As I have stated many times before, my mom loved to try and attract the hummingbirds to our yard with the plants and flowers which were found in our yard. I do not know if my mom specifically planted azaleas because she knew that they would attract hummingbirds and butterflies or not. Did you, mom? It may surprise you, as it certainly did me, to discover that azaleas are poisonous to humans. Were you aware of this fact, mom?

If you choose to plant azaleas as a way to attract both hummingbirds in butterflies, there are several things you need to keep in mind. This information should help you have greater success growing azaleas.

Different varieties of azaleas have a different sun requirement, which means that some varieties will grow in full sun while others will require that it be planted in a shady spot. Azaleas should be grown in raised beds. It is important to keep the soil moist but not overly wet. When you plant the azaleas, you should add mulch, peat moss and other organic materials in generous amounts. These plants grow well in acidic conditions. You will want to add root stimulator and keep them well mulched. Azaleas should be fertilized after they have boomed.

I hope this information provides you will the knowledge to have great success with growing Azaleas. Even though these plants are poisonous to humans, it does not lesson my enjoyment of them, because of the fact that they remind me of my mom and they are known to attract the hummingbirds.