How to Make a Hummingbird Garden

While hummingbirds will visit any yard that meets their basic needs, a carefully designed garden is not only more attractive to birds, but will offer better views, easier care, and more enjoyment for birders. When planning your hummingbird garden, consider each of these factors

1. Plan the Size

   A hummingbird garden does not need to be large to be useful, but remember that flowers grow and plants spread when determining the garden's boundaries. A larger garden will accommodate a greater variety of plants and give more birds room to enjoy the offerings.
   

2. Consider the Placement

   An ideal hummingbird garden will get both sun and shade throughout the day, but will also offer good views to birders from a nearby window, patio, or deck. Consider the growing needs, including sunlight requirements and soil type, of flowers you want to include when deciding where to position your garden.
   

3. Lay out the Shape

   A longer, narrower garden will provide more area for the birds to spread out and enjoy and will have fewer obstructed views of the flying visitors. A slightly curved garden or one with a more flowing shape will be more aesthetically pleasing as well.
   

4. Position Structures Well

   If your hummingbird garden will incorporate structures such as the side of a shed, a trellis, an arbor, or garden hooks, keep them in mind when planning so they are not overwhelmed with new plants. Position structures to be part of the overall garden design in a useful, practical way.
   

5. Choose the Right Plants

   The exact plants you choose will vary depending on your climate, location, soil type, and other factors. Choose several of the top flowers for hummingbirds to make your garden a beacon for these little birds. Mix annuals and perennials and choose flowers with staggered bloom times to ensure an abundant food source as long as possible. Flowers that bloom in early spring and late fall are especially valuable since nectar sources can be scarce at those times.

   Choose plants with colors that will attract hummingbirds' attention and lure them to your garden. Red and pink shades are the best options, but any colors that attract birds will be useful for attracting hummingbirds.
   

   Tip

   You can also add accents, such as a gazing ball, statue, paving stones, or other decorations to add more color to the garden.

6. Arrange the Garden

   Position plants carefully to create a tiered effect that will give birds greater access to more food sources without obstructing the best views. Place taller plants and trees either in the center or back of the bed, with shorter plants and mounding varieties in front. Grouping plants with similar watering and fertilization needs together will make caring for them easier as well.
   

7. Supplement the Garden

   Include space to add hummingbird feeders, water sources, and nesting material in your hummingbird garden to make it a one-stop-shop for these flying jewels. These accessories can also become great options for getting great views of hummingbirds as they repeatedly visit the same spot.
   

Care and Maintenance

A well-designed hummingbird garden will not need excessive care, and the birds are not fussy about pruning, weeding, or other garden chores. Nevertheless, simple care can help make the garden even more useful for hummingbirds.

• Avoid chemical use as much as possible. Even small amounts of herbicides or insecticides can contaminate nectar and be fatal to hummingbirds. Furthermore, using chemicals will eliminate many insects that hummingbirds need.
• Use compost to fertilize the plants and protect the soil. It will foster insect life that hummingbirds will happily feed on. Compost will also add rich nutrition to the soil so plants will produce more abundant flowers for a natural nectar supply.
• Care for flowers appropriately to encourage reblooming so they will continue to feed hummingbirds throughout the season. This may mean some pruning, deadheading, or otherwise keeping the flowers growing as long as possible.
• Be alert for hummingbird predators and take appropriate steps to keep the garden safe with baffles, sheltered perches, and other protection. Work to discourage feral cats and keep other unwelcome guests from taking over your hummingbird garden.
• Take steps to attract butterflies and hummingbird moths along with hummingbirds. These attractive insects share many characteristics with hummingbirds and butterfly-friendly plants are hummingbird-friendly as well. These insects will help pollinate flowers for even more blooms hummingbirds can use.