We grew this Agastache rupestris plant from seeds two years ago because it’s advertised as a good hummingbird attracting flower. The first year the hummingbirds didn’t pay much attention to it but this year it seems to be getting a lot more action. Besides being a really unique looking plant if you handle the leaves or the wind blows it around it gives off a pleasing fragrance. Most people say it smells like root beer or licorice, we haven’t quite figured it out yet.
We found out that the hummingbird feeder maintenance is one of the most important things to do to keep the hummingbirds coming back on a regular basis. We clean, well I mean my husband cleans our feeders and puts in fresh nectar every 3 or 4 days. If the weather is real hot or the nectar gets cloudy we may change every thing sooner. We clean the feeders with warm water a sponge and vinegar and rinse them off real good. We also found out that certain type feeders are much easier to clean than others. So far the dish type feeder in the photo above we have found to be the easiest to clean.
From what we have read and from what we do the most popular hummingbird nectar recipe is four parts water and one part white sugar. Some people say you should boil the water first and others say it doesn’t matter,we just use cold tap water and stir the sugar until it dissolves. Most everyone agrees that you should not use any coloring because it may be harmful to the hummingbirds. It is important not to overfill the feeder or spill any of the nectar on the feeder because this will attract unwanted bugs. Since our last post we have had regular visits from two or three females and for the first time for us we have had visits from a male rubythroat all week. The last few years we would only see males on occasion usually during migration time, hopefully this one will stay long enough that we can get a picture of him.
They’re here. So, it’s been almost a month since we put out our first hummingbird feeder but now they’re here. My husband has seen one every day this week so far except today, but it’s still early in the day. I’ve only seen two and one was just a quick glance. We think we’re seeing two different hummingbirds, one small female and one larger female rubythroat.
This picture’s not that good but it’s one of our first visitors. Hopefully they’ll continue to come back all season so we’ll have plenty to post about. Last weekend we purchased a few new plants. More about them later.
Well, it’s been almost three weeks since we put out our first hummingbird feeder and we have not seen one hummingbird. The weather’s been cool, windy and not many flowers have bloomed yet, probably the reason we have not seen any. Our neighbor who’s a photographer gave us some pictures he took last year. Here are two pictures where you can see a hummingbird flying in front of a flower.
Last week my husband put out our first hummingbird feeder of the season, hoping we might see one of the male ruby-throats migrating north. This was probably a couple of weeks early but the weather was so nice he couldn’t resist. We usually put out two feeders but we’ll wait til we see our first hummer to do that. The picture below is the feeder we hang off our deck just above our lobelia cardenalis plant.
This saucer or dish type hummingbird feeder has become our favorite type of feeder. We found out this type of hummingbird feeder is easy to clean, easy to fill and unlike the bottle type feeders you can see the hummers no matter what port they are feeding from. If you would like to get a feeder like this here’s where you can purchase the Aspects HummZinger 12 oz hummingbird feeder
Here are some photos of the hummingbird flowers that our hummingbirds like best.
Salvia – Black & Blue
This Salvia – Black & Blue plant is a new addition to our garden. We purchased it from a local nursery because our research told us it was one of the best plants for attracting hummingbirds. Our research was right the hummingbirds love it.
Lobelia cardinalis – ( Cardinal flower )
It’s our second year for this Lobelia cardinalis – (Cardinal Flower) plant. It grows about three feet tall, needs lots of water and has to be stacked up at times to kept it from falling over. Even with the watering and staking problems this is a great plant. The color of the red flowers is almost indescribable. The purple reddish stems and leaves add great contrast to your garden. The best part about this plant is the way the hummingbirds love it. If you are trying to attract hummingbirds to your garden this is a must have plant.
Honeysuckle – John Clayton
This Honeysuckle – John Clayton picture was taken on our deck. We tried this type of honeysuckle for a couple of reasons. First, we read it was smaller than most honeysuckle and could be grown in a container. Second, we wanted a flower that would attract hummingbirds, it worked great for both reasons.
This is the first day of our new hummingbird blog. We don’t know much about blogs but we hope in a short period of time to have a very interesting blog you’ll like to visit.
According to the hummingbird migration map the hummingbirds should be at our garden soon.
