Show Date: 25 Jun 10
The Ruby-throated hummingbird is no larger than a big bug but much cuter!
Female Ruby throated hummingbird
NEVER put any sugar substitute, honey or kool aid mix into a hummingbird feeder. Mix 4 parts water with 1 tablespoon of table sugar.
Attract these jewels of the garden with flowers like lobelia (pictured above), salvia, petunias, heuchera, heliotrope and anything that delivers nectar for them! Put feeders where you can see them.
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Want to attract hummingbirds?
Mix 4 parts water to 1 part table sugar. Boil it to get the chlorine out and to kill any mold, cover it and let it cool. Don’t use honey, jello or sugar substitutes or food coloring. Change the sugar solution every 4 days when temps are above 80 degrees.
Provide a mix of plants. Here’s a list to get you started:
Oh joy! I have a couple of plants that I call the “workhorses.” They give and give, sometimes too much! The Obedient Plant (aka Physostegia) tops the list:
"Obedient" plant
Zone 3 hardy, good for sun to partial shade and drought tolerant, could be considered invasive. I can’t kill it. A newer variety is called ‘Miss Manners’ and apparently she minds hers. Another workhorse is Wild Bergamot (aka Monarda or Bee Balm):
Wld bergamot
It blooms all summer with a wonderful scent. This cannot be killed and I TRIED back at my old place. Our newer place has more land, more room to set Monarda free! Bees and Hummingbirds love this stuff. Some cultivars are more susceptible to powdery mildew:
Monardo gardenview
Leave them in the sun with good air circulation and you can help lessen that problem.
I recently read an article about how much bacteria is on those bags and it was frightening. We use them for all kinds of things and then don't always think to wash them.
It's easy to just toss them in with a load of clothes or, if they're the more plastic type, hand wash them.
