This book by Donald and Lillian Stokes is well written, informative, useful and simply a joy to read. A great book for anyone who wants to attract and feed hummingbirds.
The weather is changing and we are beginning to feel fall in the air. When seasons change, people make changes as well. One thing they might do is take down their Hummingbird Garden Feeder, but should they? Here is a very informative article from The Daily News of Richmond Missouri that addresses this very question.
You may find yourself very busy filling your Garden Hummingbird Feeders right now. Many hummers are migrating and that means they are filling up on nectar to help them make this grand journey. If you have many hummers, then you may already have more than one garden feeder. In some areas, one feeder is just not enough. Having a variety of feeders can assist with feeding multiple hummers as well as cut down on any aggression from some of the male hummers and they can be aggressive towards each other. Especially when there is food involved. In addition to being useful, the garden feeder can also be a very ornate part of your garden and your garden design. There are many new styles to choose from. Some are traditional and simple, while others are a work of art.
Before choosing a new garden feeder, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Where will I Place it, hanging or post? 2. How hard is the feeder to maintain? 3. Will it compliment my garden? 4. What have others said about this feeder, are there any reviews? 5. Do I need more than one feeder?
Listed below are a few of the top Hummingbird Garden Feeders that you may want to consider for your garden.
Click on any picture to see further garden feeder reviews and designs.
Basic/Simple/Traditional
Co/Product Name: Perky Pet Hummingbird Feeders Pros: Attracts Hummers, No Bees, and Large Variety of Styles Cons: Some variations are harder to clean and may leak, read reviews Est. Price Range: $5.00-$22.00
New Age Design/Ant Mote/Easy Clean
Co/Product Name: Aspects Hummingbird Hummzinger Pros: Easy Clean, Attracts Hummers, No Bees, And Built In Ant Mote Cons: Design can attract larger birds that perch, read reviews Est. Price Range: $13.00-$30.00
Ornate/Hand Designed/Elaborate
Co/Product Name: Various Companies Pros: Attracts Hummers, Beautifully Crafted, Many Blown Glass Styles, And Unique Designs Cons: Some variations are harder to clean, read reviews Est. Price Range: $11.00-$55.00
Hummingbirds can go through quite a bit of nectar during a season. It is very easy to make your own nectar. The recipe is simply 1 part sugar to 4 parts boiled water. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my Girl Scouts made homemade nectar as part of a service project. I found this video that shows exactly how we made our own nectar, so I thought I would share it.
I just discovered this terrific video of a garden hummingbird using a homemade garden feeder. This is a very creative garden feeder made completely from recycled items. What a great idea and such a nice video.
Garden Feeders can be made from several different items. From simple to elaborate, your Garden Hummingbird will not care. The most important thing will be ease of use and access to nectar. With this in mind, items like small vials, insulin bottles, plastic bottles and even baby food jars can be used to create beautiful Garden Feeders. The nice thing about making your own feeders is that you are most likely recycling an item for a different purpose. Just last year my Girl Scouts each created several small Garden Feeders. They were made with baby food jars. Each one was unique, decorated with anything and everything RED. We used paint, ribbon, beads, sequins, rhinestones, small red silk flowers and anything else we could find in our homes. The only cost for this project was heavy gage wire, which is very reasonable. The wire was used to create a hanger for the garden feeder. This was a recycling service project for the girls. After the garden feeders were completed, they were donated to local senior centers and convalescent homes. Each garden feeder came with one bottle of homemade nectar, also made by the girls and instructions for creating more. The girls really enjoyed the project and if these girls can make their own feeders, so can you!
Baby Food Jar Garden Feeders:
Materials: 1 clean baby food jar Red adornments
Steps: Adults should do this step Using a nail or ice pick, poke a 1/8 inch hole in the lid of the baby food jar. Decorate the jar with beautiful red adornments Using heavy gage wire, create a hanger. Wrap around the lid area. Fill the jars with homemade nectar. Enjoy….
As I mentioned in an earlier post, it is very important to clean your garden feeder regularly. If you leave the nectar (sugar solution) unattended, it can cause mold and be very harmful to the Garden Hummingbird. I found a wonderful video shown below that demonstrates how to clean your garden feeder. Enjoy…
You’ve planted a beautiful garden full of colorful nectar bearing blossoms for your Garden Hummingbird. The rich red and orange colors attract them and they are a true delight to watch. Now that your garden is planted, you may want to continue to grow your garden by adding some wonderful elements.
A garden feeder is a sure way to keep your Garden Hummingbird coming back day after day or to attract more hummers. In their quest for nectar, they will visit 1000 flowers per day and they usually feed between six and eight times in an hour, but each feeding usually last less then 30 seconds in length. More than one garden feeder is recommended. Different species will feed at different heights and if you have more than one garden hummingbird, then more than one feeder will discourage any aggression. Placing your garden feeder in a shady spot is also helpful, so the nectar, (sugar solution) will last longer. Garden feeders come in a variety of sizes and colors although you will find red feeders are popular. They can be hung from your home or on a garden pole. The garden pole offers greater opportunity for height arrangement. To make it easier to view your garden hummingbird, you may want to consider placing your feeder near a window. Garden feeders that come with a built in ant mote are also very desirable and this can be an added benefit. One problem that can arise from the addition of a garden feeder is ants. Having the built in ant mote will deter this problem. Some feeders are very ornamental and others are very basic. They will all work, but the garden feeders that most closely resemble the flora will no doubt draw attention to your garden hummingbird. In other words, They want something as close to the original experience as possible, and it needs to be easy for the hummingbird to extract the nectar from the feeder, Ease of use and beauty are what make good hummingbird feeders There is some care involved with having a garden feeder but it is very minor. It is important to clean your feeder every week and more often in warm weather. Garden feeders can be found in any nursery, home improvement store or can be purchased on the Internet. You can also purchase commercial nectar or make your own. A basic recipe is 1 part sugar to 4 parts boiled water. Do not add any food coloring, as this is harmful to the hummingbird.
A garden feeder can be a nice addition to your garden.
So happy designing and remember it’s your hummingbird garden, so have fun growing it….
