This year I have bright red-orange Zinnias and Crocosmia that the hummers are visiting religiously. They, along with the Marigolds, are blooming like crazy right now in the hottest part of the summer. Next month Cypress Vine a tiny red morning glory is a hummer magnet. They like my wild mint and salvia. Nothing has to take up a lot of room, also you might think about going vertical, a trellis or small arch for a vine. I find it helpful to check out local gardens and nurseries to see what's blooming and get ideas. There's a lot of info online about attracting birds and insects to your garden, and don't forget to check out your county ag extention. You should have a lot of options in z9b. Have fun. Donna

great job Eric! You're going to see hummers right on your porch this year I'm sure. OT, I've been trying to find the post you made a month or two ago about setting up a box for birds to take nesting materials. I can't recall if it was in the hummer or bird watching forum. Wanted to add a note that I put up a suet cage with scraps of fabric, pillow stuffing, dog fur, string, etc. I was sure it would be emptied right away, but have had very little taken by the birds, and I put it in a tree near where they all hang out. Then we groomed the dogs outside & all the fur tufts in the grass are gone! I give up lol.

novice 60, I hate red wasps, their stings are so painful. I have an old Dirt Devil canister vac that the DW has tossed many times. The wheels are missing and it's held together with duct tape, but it's small and has a powerful motor, so I keep rescuing it from the trash. I use it to vac wasps from my feeders - they go in, they don't come out. Could be because I also use it to vac loose fur from my dogs. The noise scares the hummers away, so they're not in danger. If they do become accustomed to the noise and start getting too close, I'll cover the end of the hose with a piece of 1/2" mesh hardware cloth. Each wasp makes a new nest in the spring, so every one that you can get now means you're destroying a whole nest. Try it, it works for me. AND IT'S FUN!!!

Hi Everybody! Molanic, I also live in a suburb of a big city. YES YOU CAN attract hummers to your yard or porch! Here is what my experience has been: a) Definitely have more than one feeder - maybe minimum 3. The more there are, the safer visiting birds feel since, yes, the males are EXTREMELY territorial over their feeder once they claim them (apparently they don't go to kindergarten and learn how to share). b) They like something safe and shady to perch on near the feeder; I've hung a regular wire coat hanger about 2' from the feeders and they like it; then a place to fly away to hide in - trees or tallish branchy not too dense shrubs nearby are terrific, just one will do fine. c) They don't like the feeder if it's placed in too remote/recessed/shrub-hidden/hard to access location; they like to have a speedy escape route! Easy in, easy out. But - they're still scared of people so it can't be too close to where someone might sit on a porch or they'll be too scared to approach it. Some will, but most won't. d) jjdbike is absolutely right about the nectar. NO FOOD COLORING! Doesn't need it. I use 1 part plain ol' white sugar to 4 parts water, that's all. I use a clear rectangular 1 qt. plastic feeder with a red top and red bottom, no yellow 'flowers' on it, pretty plain and simple, AND IT HAS A PERCH ALL AROUND IT so the little birdies can REST while they're eating instead of having to burn energy FLYING WHILE THEY'RE EATING - sheesh! Please Don't get feeders without perches. e) PATIENCE, patience, patience. If you keep the feeders filled & clean (empty, clean & refill them once a week; MOLD GROWS IN THEM NOTORIOUSLY!), The Hummers Will Come. Trust Me. Mine did! :) And if they consistently keep finding the smorgasbord you consistently provide for them, they will return, and others in the area will find it & come too. Happy Humming To You! ~ Susan in Reseda, CA