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Full Bloom Nursery Clermont, Ga
www.fullbloomnursery.com
Part 1: Hummingbirds
One good way to enjoy the company of hummingbirds is planting a hummingbird
garden. In addition to providing them a natural diet, a hummer garden is an excellent
way to attract birds to your nearby feeder: since hummingbirds feed by sight on
regularly-followed routes - called traplining - their inquisitive nature will quickly
lead them to investigate any possible new source of food. If you plan carefully and
select a variety of plants that flower at successively later dates, you will be rewarded
with happy hummers throughout the season.
Using pesticides around hummingbird plants is a very bad idea. Killing garden pests
will also eliminate the small insects hummingbirds rely upon for protein. In addition,
hummers might directly ingest pesticides sprayed onto flowers, which could sicken or
kill the birds.
Since hummers, like most birds, have virtually no sense of smell, the flowers
that attract them tend to have little or no fragrance, apparently directing their
resources instead toward high visibility and nectar production.
A few easy to grow plants to attract and feed hummingbirds:
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Butterfly Bush
Lantana
Abelia
Native Honeysuckle
Pineapple Sage
Petunias
Verbena
Salvia
Bee Balm (Monarda)
RECIPE FOR ARTIFICIAL HUMMINGBIRD NECTAR
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Pour four cups of hot tap water into a large pot or pan (glass, enamel, or
stainless steel, if possible; try not to use aluminum).
Add one cup of table sugar (DO NOT use honey, artificial sweeteners, or other
sugar substitutes).
Stir until all sugar has dissolved.
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Cover the pan, place on a hot burner, and bring the mix to a rolling boil for
1-2 minutes; be careful not to let water evaporate (if you do, the mix can
become too concentrated).
Let mix cool and pour into in well-cleaned feeders.
Boiling, which retards mold growth, is NOT necessary if your hummingbirds
are draining the feeders within three days.
Red food coloring is unnecessary, especially after birds have found the feeders;
besides, modern hummingbird feeders all have red plastic bases and/or yellow
flowers the birds can easily see. NOTE: There is no evidence that food coloring
currently available in grocery stores or in commercial hummingbird nectar
mixes is harmful to humans or to hummingbirds, but it IS an additive.
Store excess mix in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (check for fermentation
or mold; if the mix is cloudy, discard it). Some people freeze their mix and
safely store it for much longer periods. In any case, let mix warm to room
temperature before filling feeders.
The water:sugar ratio of 4:1 is typical of the sugar concentration found in
many flowers used by hummingbirds. There is no concrete evidence stronger
sugar concentrations will hurt hummingbirds, but even a 3:1 mix spoils much
faster than 4:1, and 2:1 is too syrupy and a real waste of sugar.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
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Put feeders up by mid-March to attract early migrants. DON'T
wait until you see your first Ruby-throated Hummingbird of
the spring, which may be well after the first ones arrive.
Early in the season just fill feeders one-third full; no need to
waste sugar water until hummers start draining the feeder.
Likewise, as the season winds down, re-load each feeder with
less sugar water.
Maintain feeders all summer; take most down by 1 October, but leave one up
until Thanksgiving (or even later if you can keep the mix from freezing); stray
hummingbirds from the western U.S. may wander in and stay all winter
Leaving feeders up will NOT influence when healthy Ruby-throated
Hummingbirds migrate south; their departure (and spring arrival) is linked to
photoperiod.
In cool spring or fall weather, you may be able to go a week without changing
the mix, but if it gets cloudy, throw it out.
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Clean and refill feeders at least twice weekly in hot weather. You wouldn't feed
your house pets or your children moldy food, so follow the same policy with
your hummingbirds.
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A mild solution of white vinegar may be used to kill mold in feeders for weekto-week cleaning. Invest in a curved bottle brush that can reach all parts of
your feeders; it's also useful to have a pipe cleaner or small brush that will fit
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into the feeder holes. Recent research indicates that bleach and other alkaline
cleaners can release toxins from polycarbonate plastics used in some feeders;
thus, chlorine bleach is not recommended as a
cleaning agent.
If you go on vacation or miss a week putting
out feeders, don't feel sorry for the birds;
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds know other
food sources for at least a mile in all
directions.
Hang feeders in the shade when possible, but
put them in full view of a window--especially
one near your breakfast or supper table!
If two or more feeders are used, put them
where birds at one feeder can't see the other.
Several 8- or 16-ounce feeders are far better
than one or two large ones.
Don't worry if Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
spend a lot of time drinking artificial nectar;
they also visit flowers for natural nectar and
also catch small insects. It is unnecessary to
buy fancy prepared mixes with vitamins and
other additives; besides, these mixes cost as
much as 20 times more than regular table
sugar, and many of them contain preservatives that hummingbirds don’t need
to be ingesting.
Do NOT use insect spray or pesticides to keep bees and wasps off feeders; these
chemicals may be fatal to small hummingbirds. A shallow saucer of 1:1 sugar
water in the sun will often lure these insects away from hummingbird feeders
NEVER use any petroluem-based product (Vaseline, Tanglefoot, Vicks,
Metholatum, etc.) to keep insects away from feeders. These products are
water-insoluble and can gum up the feathers of hummingbirds.
Try hanging your hummingbird feeder from a coat hanger wire. Straighten the
hanger except for the hook, which will hook over your roof gutter. Then bend
the last 10" at the other end of the wire at a right angle, but leave a small dip
where the feeder will hang. Coat hanger wire seems to be just the right
diameter for a Ruby-throated Hummingbird's foot, so hummers often will
perch on it and allow extended views and close-up photography.
Part 2: Songbirds
Understanding a bird's preferences will help you determine which plants to grow.
Different plants will provide for different needs, whether that bounty is in the form
of seeds, fruits, nuts, or nectar, as well as for a host of plant-munching caterpillars and
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insects. A garden filled with a mixture of plants producing flowers, seeds, berries,
and nuts will always attract the largest number and variety of birds. As a bonus, birds
are the gardeners best friend in the war against summer insects.
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For example, seed-eating birds, including goldfinches, chickadees, and
towhees, will seek out seed heads from an assortment of flowering plants and
ornamental grasses. Any daisy-like flowers such as sunflowers, asters, and
black–eyed Susans, in addition to rudbeckias, zinnias, and echinaceas, would
be good choices.
Finches, sparrows, and nuthatches are a few of the birds that will flock to
marigolds, cosmos, coreopsis, goldenrod, phlox, and a wide selection of salvias.
Remember, too, that birds are attracted to seasonal food. They will stay longer in your
garden if it contains plants that flower or fruit at different times of the year.
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For example, hollies and cotoneaster provide winter fruit.
Serviceberries offer late spring berries.
Blueberries and blackberries bear summer fruit.
Crabapple, beautyberry, and pyracantha round out the fruit season in the fall.
Shelter
Plants that provide shelter—a safe haven from predators, protective cover from harsh
weather, or a cozy spot, whether to nest or just settle in for the night—appeal to just
about any bird, regardless of food preference. But a plant that provides food and
shelter says, "Come on in."
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Pine trees provide evergreen shelter enjoyed by many birds as well as
nourishing pine seeds favored by chickadees.
Low-growing junipers not only hide birds from imminent danger, but also
offer an insect buffet for ground–insect feeders such as wrens, towhees, and
juncos, in addition to providing a bevy of berries for titmice and waxwings.
As you develop your garden, consider grouping your plants in layers. You'll be
creating a multilevel habitat of food and shelter for a variety of birds, whether they
feed on the ground, in trees and bushes, or in the air.
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Include fruit-bearing shrubs, deciduous trees, and evergreens of all heights in
your upper layers.
At ground level, consider planting ground covers as well as petite perennials
and annuals.
Fill the layers in between with perennials, annuals, ornamental grasses, and
low-growing shrubs.
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