Hummingbirds are beautiful, fascinating little creatures and it is easy to attract them to your garden! Alberta is home to four species of hummingbird- the ruby throated, rufous, calliope, and very rarely, the black chinned. All are very tiny and weigh less than a penny! The best way to bring hummingbirds to your garden is to plant lots of brightly colored, nectar-rich flowers; some people also like to hang up a feeder for them. If you have been trying to attract hummingbirds to your yard but haven’t seen any, don’t despair. The chances are that they have been visiting but they are so quick and so small, you may have missed them! Hummingbirds are also most active very early in the morning (around sunrise) and they are highly territorial- they spend a lot of time perched and watching for other hummingbirds- which they will promptly chase away! (This can be very entertaining to watch!) Some of the best plants for attracting hummingbirds include the following:
Columbine– Available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors and hummingbirds love them! Be sure to plant only the single flowered varieties- double flowered forms have little or no nectar.
Bee Balm– Also called Monarda, these beautiful perennials favor moist soil and have fragrant foliage that smells of oregano. The flowers look like fireworks displays! They can be red, white, mauve, purple, or pink.
Fuchsia– Shade loving annuals, fuchsias feature gorgeous, tubular blooms that dangle from leafy stems. Great for baskets and containers and available in a wide range of colors.
Coral Bells– Small perennials with fiery, bright red flowers in early summer. Plant in sun or shade!
Honeysuckle– There are both perennial honeysuckles (which grow as vigorous, twining vines) and shrubs. The shrub versions have a less tubular shaped flower and a stronger scent, but hummingbirds will gladly visit both!
Weigela– Weigelas have varying degrees of hardiness depending on the cultivar, but they produce a great profusion of brightly colored, very showy flowers in early summer. Hummingbirds can’t get enough of them!
Scarlet Runner Bean– This is a very fast growing annual vine with bright red flowers all summer, followed by beans that are perfectly edible. The more you pick, the more they bloom! Children especially seem to like these and they are easily raised from seed.
Hollyhock– An old fashioned favorite, hollyhocks are loved by bees, hummingbirds, and gardeners! They will self seed if allowed to do so.
Petunia – Available in a myriad of colors and habits, petunias offer up a tasty meal for a hungry (and thirsty) hummingbird. If you choose a trailing variety, be sure to get it in a basket and hang it somewhere you can see it!
Let the hummingbirds know they are welcome to your yard early and they will come back several times over the course of the spring and summer. Just this morning, I had a lady tell me that she saw her first hummingbird of the season while visiting a friend in High River. “Aha! I exclaimed – must be a sure sign of warm weather coming!” I am heading home after work tonight to dig out my hummingbird feeder; hopefully I can attract one or two with it and then entice them to stay once it is warm enough to set out flower-filled pots!
