Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
Ruby Throated Hummingbirds – the species most commonly seen in our area of the country – return by early May. You’ll recognize the male by his ruby-red throat, white collar, emerald green back and forked tail. Females have a green back and tail feathers that are banded in white, black and gray-green. Males arrive first to stake out feeding territories. Be sure to hang out feeders now, even if your containers with flowers may not be available until late May.
You may not have a large flower garden in which to plant flowers that will attract hummingbirds, but you can place one or two containers on a deck or patio and the hummers will find them. Hanging a feeder nearby increases the likelihood that they will visit often as they need to eat an average of seven times per hour for about 30-60 seconds. They remember every flower they have visited and even how long it takes to refill with nectar.
A Container Recipe to Attract Hummingbirds
To attract hummingbirds, the shape of the flower is as important as the color. Blossoms that are tubular or trumpet-shaped are perfect for their long, tapered beaks. Red flowers are hummingbird magnets, but orange, yellow, and blue blooms can also be alluring. Hummers don’t suck nectar through their long beaks. They lick it with fringed, forked tongues, 10-15 times per second. They digest natural sucrose in 20 minutes with 97% efficiency, converting the sugar into energy.
A combination of just five plants in a 14-inch pot or hanging basket will provide lots of beautiful blooms from spring through early fall. Plant them in sun to partial shade. Here is a combination to start with.
- ‘Bonfire’ begonia (Begonia boliviensis) – Bonfire begonia has delicate, trumpet-shaped flowers and jagged, red-edged leaves. You could substitute another six-to-eight-inch, low mounding, trailing plant with nectar-rich flowers such as a fuchsia
or verbena. - Cigar plant (Cuphea ignea) – The red, tube-shaped flowers of this plant are especially tempting to hummingbirds and the plant is also beautiful. Alternatives include zinnias or zonal geraniums.
- Calibrachoa (Calibrachoa) – The sunny, nectar-rich flowers of Superbells Saffron Calibrachoa contrast beautifully with the red leaves of the begonias, zinnias or geraniums. Other types of trailing petunias would also work.
- ‘Tropical Bronze Scarlet’ Canna (Canna) – The broad, deep purple leaves of this Canna variety provide a great background for the other vibrant colors in the container. Another 18-to-24-inch tall, upright plant with nectar-rich flowers, such as hummingbird mint or Texas sage could be alternatives.
For a hummingbird container located in a shady area, shade-loving plants can be substituted. Try hummingbird attractors such as coleus (Solenostemon scutellaricides), impatiens (Impatiens), browallia (Browallia), shrimp plant (Justicia), wishbone flower (Torenia) or cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis).
You may hear hummers before you see them; their wings make a distinctive whirring sound you’ll soon recognize. They don’t flap their wings up and down, but move them in a swiveling motion, much like swimming in the air, to remain in place to feed. They can fly backward and even upside-down! You may hear two or more communicate with sharp chattering as they swoop and dive.
Provide Feeder Stations
In addition to planting containers, you can provide feeder stations. There are many types of feeders available. Just be sure to keep them 
clean. Clean them with hot water to prevent the growth of mold.
Cleaning when you change the nectar – every three or four days – is a good plan. If you fill the feeder less than half full, most of it will be consumed before it needs to be changed. Feeders hung in shadier areas will attract fewer yellow jackets. Yellow colors attract yellow jackets, so if there are yellow parts on your feeder, paint over them with red nail polish. You can purchase ant traps to attach to a feeder to prevent ants from reaching the nectar. Remove feeders in late September after hummingbirds have migrated.
Make the nectar solution for your feeder with one part granulated white sugar and four parts water. Boil for one to two minutes. Cool before filling your feeder and store extra in the refrigerator. Do not add red food coloring. Don’t substitute honey, brown sugar or artificial sweeteners for granulated sugar as they will harm the hummers.
A Hummingbird Look-Alike
Don’t be fooled by the hummingbird moth! With a five-inch wingspan, it can fly strong and fast like a hummingbird, with rapid wing beats. In the daytime, it travels from flower to flower and will feed much like a hummingbird. But instead of a beak and tongue to lap the nectar, it has a proboscis to sip nectar from a flower. You might notice little feathers on top of its head, which are actually antenna. Brown striping or yellow and black striping along its back definitely identifies it as a hummingbird moth. It may let you get closer to it than a hummer would before it zips away. Let them enjoy your flowers and feeders, too. They are great pollinators.
I hang a hummingbird feeder off the bottom of a hanging basket of pink or red impatiens and the hummingbirds visit it daily. Hummers are very territorial and will chase away other hummingbirds from their favorite feeder or flowers. Plant several containers and place them in different areas of your yard so the birds can share the bounty peacefully.
Special Note: If you live in Brecksville or a nearby community, you’re invited to sign up for “June in Bloom,” an event offered by Emerald Necklace Garden Club on Thursday, June 15. Tour five beautiful gardens in Brecksville, enjoy a spring luncheon at Woodside Event Center and shop for distinctive crafts at artisan boutiques also at Woodside. The event is a fundraiser for Emerald Necklace Garden Club. Proceeds provide funding for scholarships for horticultural students in Ohio colleges and support gardening programs for children and community members. Details are available at emeraldnecklacegardenclub.org. Click on the June in Bloom button to register or use this URL to go directly to the registration page: june-in-bloom-event.cheddarup.com.
Article information sources:
Garden Design online newsletter – “How to Plant a Container Garden for Hummingbirds” – by Anne Balough. worldofhummingbirds.com
Photos courtesy pexels.com
