I also just moved into a new house and am starting from scratch on my garden. I was also intereted in a hummingbird garden. I think everything I'm naming is hardy to zone 4. This is what I've planted so far: *Catawbiense Rhododdendron 'Bourseault' (closest I could find to the species plant, I got mine at Home Depot) *Aquilegia canadensis Wild Columbine *Campsis radicans Trumpet Creeper *Lonicera sempervirens Coral Honeysuckle *Aesculus pavia Red Buckeye (It is hardy to zone 4 even though the linked website says 6) *Spigelia marilandica Indian Pink *Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower *Monarda didyma Oswega Tea *Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline' Lilium michiganense Turk's Cap Lily (more known is *L. canadense) Liatris pycnostachya Prairie Blazing Star Silene virginica Fiery Campion Dicentra eximia Wild Bleeding Heart Astilbe 'Larissa' Crocosmia Montbretia 'Fire King' Phlox paniculata 'Tenor' Tricyrtis hirta Toad Lily Among others (I don't want to exhaust you!) The ones with stars are recommended as the top 10 hummingbird plants. The only one I don't have is spotted jewelweed, only because I think it is weedy looking. I see it growing naturally around here. The others are things I liked and read in various websites, catalogs or forums that people found to attract hummingbirds. I try to select species plants because they are thought to have more nectar than hybrids. Although the hybrids I planted, I planted because they are much easier to find! This website along with the link I entered, I found quite helpful. Copy and paste http://www.hummingbirds.net/attract.html I started a journal on daves garden. If you interested in looking at it let me know. Here is a link that might be useful: Top Ten

Hi irish rose grower! If you have been following my threads you will know that I did the feeder a little longer than a full year before I saw a hummer at it and now I have one male that comes 3 times in the early morning and 3 times as the sun goes down. I now also have 2 or 3 females that come all day long. Looking back at it all now I am wondering if I may have had a few visit last year and not even known it as I looked at the feeder a few times a day, but I now see that unless we are as lucky as hummersteve that my approach to seeing hummers last year was not enough. Even with 3 or 4 regular birds visiting my feeders everyday it is rare that I just look out and see one there. It does happen, maybe once or twice a day, but the typical experience for me is to sit there and look and usually within 5 minutes one will come along. Usually one will come and feed quickly and run back off! I would say that the average stay at the feeder seems to be 20 to 30 seconds, with some as short as 5 and some up to a minute. They are small and fast! Not having a feeder could make it harder to just look out and find one as the flower possiblities are far more than just looking at a feeder quickly. If you have not done so I would suggest putting a chair outside at least 15 to 20 feet from some of the plants that you think they would like this time of the year and sit fairly still for a half hour and enjoy your garden. Best time might be 7:30pm. They might surprise you with a quick fly in and fly out. I grew up on LI. Moved one state over about 13 years ago.

THANKS EVERYONE: I just got back from Pittsburg Kansas where I handed the little hummer over to a Wildlife Rehabilitater she will be taking the little guy to a Master Bird Rehabilitater in the morning. If it had not been for the information and support you all gave me here on this forum the little fellow was as good as gone. Thanks, Kathy

If you want to see hummers by the dozens in central Texas without leaving your seat on the couch, just go to my dad's house, near Bastrop and Smithville - lol! I have never seen so many hummers, all year long, as at his place. He has only three or four feeders out but the numbers of the little critters is astounding. Oh, and not only hummers but birds of all kinds, such as bluebirds, painted buntings, cardinals, etc., etc., etc. I sit in the living room and look out the window at one particular feeder and am amazed. At my own house, northwest of Houston, I think I have a couple of mockingbirds.......maybe some blue jays and a cardinal once in a while. I keep trying to attract more but the mockingbird(s) run every one off! Once I spotted a blue bird hovering near the house and I ran to get my glasses and when I came back out the door, I was just in time to see the resident mockingbird chase him off - grrrrr! lt, your house must be amazing also and I cannot imagine keeping up with so many feeders! I am always finding hummingbirds in my garage and I have to catch them in a net and get them out. Sometimes I just find a dead one *gasp*. They can never find their way back out the door. Hope the celebration has a good turnout of people and birds! Lynn