Hummingbirds are amazing and almost everyone would love to see these creatures visit their yard. Whether all you can do is a pot of flowers on a deck or you have an entire yard to work with, you can still attract hummingbirds easily.

The first thing to consider is doing it the natural way. Hummingbirds love tubular shaped flowers. They extract the nectar from these tubular flowers with their long, thin bills while hovering in mid-air. In the early spring before the flowers emerge, hummingbirds will drink tree sap, often from wounds on a tree that woodpeckers have made. They also will supplement their diet of sap with insects for protein. The natural way to attract hummingbirds is, of course, to incorporate plants into your landscaping that have tubular flowers. They will be attracted to your garden by bright orange and red colors, but once they are in your yard, they will check out all of your flowers no matter what the color.They also love annuals, so you can attract them right onto your deck with plants such as hanging Fuchsias.

Hummingbirds will also require trees and shrubs for shelter and nesting. Once you have incorporated a few hummingbird attracting plants to your yard, and have a few trees and shrubs, you will be enjoying the fascinating beauty of hummingbirds this year.

Supplemental feeding is popular too. You’ve seen those little feeders filled with a hummingbird sugar-water. Supplemental feeding should be only that...supplemental to the natural food they will find with the plants.

Here is a partial list of plants that hummingbirds love:

Trees and Shrubs:Redbud, Hawthorne, Crabapples, Butterfly Bush, Azalea, Rhododendron, Lilacs and Weigela

Vines:Trumpet vine, Morning Glory, Honeysuckle

Perennials:Hollyhock, Columbine, Butterfly Weed, Delphinium, Bleeding Heart, Foxglove, Daylilies, Coral Bells, Hibiscus, Hosta, Liatris, Cardinal Flower, Bee Balm, Beardtongue, Sweet William,and Garden Phlox

Annuals and Miscellaneous:Snapdragon, Cleome, Impatiens, Nicotiana, Geranium, Petunia, Nasturtium, Salvia, Verbena, and ZinniaAlso, Fuchsia, Gladiolus, Tiger Lilies and Strawberries

Note: The photo is a Weigela Shrub...notice the tubular red colored flowers.