How to attract hummingbirds to your garden this month

July is a big month for tiny hummingbirds!  Here’s how you can attract these pollinators to your garden:

Choose the right plants.  Hummingbirds are particularly attracted to brightly colored, tubular flowers, which make it easy for them to access nectar.  Our favorites may already occupy some real estate in your garden!  Look for:

Bee Balm:  This vibrant plant attacks hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

Salvia:  We love our hardy salvia varieties!  The purple spikes attract all pollinators.

Trumpet Vine:  A favorite for hummingbirds and vigorous climbing vine. 

Cigar Plant:  The delicately shaped oblong flowers are perfect for nectar sourcing.

It’s also important to provide extra nectar for our busy friends.  Fill a hummingbird feeder with a homemade mix of sugar-water (gently boil 4 cups water and dissolve 1 cup granulated sugar).  Let the mixture cool before adding to feeder.  I like to double the recipe and save the mixture in my refrigerator for up to two weeks.  If you’re going to commit to hummingbird feeders, make sure that you change the nectar once a week.  Clean out your feeder completely before adding new solution.  Never ever add red dye to your hummingbird solution as it could harm them!

You may notice that hummingbirds are a little shy at first.  If you see a fly over, you’ll know that they’re curious and interested in your garden.  The coolest trait about hummingbirds is that they remember and rely on safe, nourishing gardens.  Provide them with a few favorite plants, a feeder with clean solution, some shade and they’ll return season after season.

I get so excited when I begin to see the first hummingbirds emerge.  I keep two feeders and two dedicated garden beds to native and pollinator plants that I know they are attracted to.  It’s totally common now for me to hang a freshly filled feeder and feel the whirr of hummingbirds flying close to my head to get to their dinner!  They know my gardens so well and I’m proud to host a happy, healthy environment for them.  They make wonderful visitors!

Ready to attract hummingbirds to your garden?  Start by grabbing your hummingbird feeder HERE.