Hummingbirds!
When you're sitting in the garden, enjoying a cold drink with friends, it's exciting to hear the humming buzz of wings and look up to see hummingbirds taking a drink from blooms nearby! If you want to attract these colourful birds to your garden this summer, then take a look at our list of plants that are sure to do the trick.
Why Are Hummingbirds So Great for Your Garden?
Hummingbirds are pollinators, like bees and butterflies, so they help to spread seeds and propagate your favourite plants. About 75% of the world's flowers rely on pollinators for their survival. These birds are superheroes in the plant world! Fill your garden with blooms that they love, and watch them work their magic. They bring your garden to life with excitement and wonder and you watch for them all summer long.
What Kind of Plants Attract Hummingbirds?
Hummingbird's long beaks make them experts at extracting nectar from plants with fluted blooms, such as those with trumpet style flowers. They also favour bright colours, such as red, orange and yellow. Here is a great list to get you started! (Many of these plants also attract other pollinators such as bees and butterflies, for bonus beauty in your garden.)
Our Favourites:
- salvia
- calibrachoa
- petunia
- fuchsia
- canna lilies
- honeysuckle
- nicotiana
- alstroemeria
- crocosmia
- lobelias (perennial)
- wild columbine
- hollyhock
- digitalis
- red hot poker
- penstemon
What About in the Winter Time?
To keep hummingbirds in your yard all winter long, you can put out a special hummingbird feeder with sugar water nectar for them to enjoy! Some hummingbirds in BC head south for the winter, but there are other species that will stay during the season and will love to eat at your feeder.
Ingredients for Hummingbird Nectar Recipe
- Refined white sugar
- Water
- Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water (for example, 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water) until the sugar is dissolved
- Do not add red dye
- Fill your hummingbird feeders with the sugar water and place outside
- Extra sugar water can be stored in a refrigerator
- Change feeders every other day and thoroughly clean them each time to prevent harmful mold growth
Enjoy watching hummers in your yard all year long, as well as the added benefit of gorgeous blooms! If you're interested in also attracting butterflies to your garden, take a look at our blog post with top plants that will attract these beauties. 
