“Attract Wildlife” is Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Principle #5 and one of my favorite garden visitors to entice and observe is the hummingbird. These tiny bundles of energy can fly in just about any direction to access nectar; antics include hovering, flying backwards, and upside down to replenish lost calories. All these aerial acrobatics require a lot of fuel, so to attract hummingbirds to your garden make sure to offer them the right kinds of flowers to meet their needs.

Fun Facts

• Wings can beat 50-200 times per second
• Hundreds of blooms may be accessed by one bird in a single day
• Hummingbirds can lick 13 times per second
• Feed every 10-15 minutes from dawn to dusk
• At night, hummingbirds enter a state called “torpor” where they lower body temperature and heart rate to conserve energy

Hummingbirds have very long tongues with tube-like structures that allow them to suck up nectar like the way a straw works. This long tongue allows them to reach nectar in deep, tubular shaped flowers that may be inaccessible to other animals. In addition to flowers for nectar, hummingbirds also need shelter and nesting sites which are typically shrubs or small trees. Bird baths are also visited by hummingbirds, so provide some shallow water sources for them, too.

Suggested flowering plants for hummingbirds

• Firebush Hamelia patens
• Firecracker plant Russelia equisetiformis
• Firespike Odontonema cuspidatum
• Scarlet Hibiscus Hibiscus coccineus
• Bottlebrush Callistemon rigidus
• Salvias Salvis spp.
• Beebalms Monarda spp.
• Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis

What about feeders?

Providing a sugar solution is fine but make sure to follow some guidance to keep hummingbirds safe.

• 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water is the correct ratio, do not add more sugar!
• Honey and sugar substitutes can be lethal to hummingbirds, never substitute these products in your feeder!
• Clean feeders every 3-5 days with a vinegar and hot water to prevent mold and kill bacteria – do not use household detergents
• Place feeders at least 10 feet apart and avoid direct sun locations that may cause solution to spoil quickly

Additional Resources

If you would like to learn more about hummingbirds here are some great resources!

Hummingbirds of Florida
Hummingbird Gardens
Audubon Society: Hummingbirds

1