LoveForNature The hummers have always been around, you just didnÂt know it. They are difficult to "see" until you deliberatly start looking for them. I had the same problem myself until I put out a feeder. Then, when I learned how to "see" them, I realized they were all around the yard.

In answer to your questions:

1. Most people see resident hummers. From subtle looks of feet positions, tail angles, etc, I think I have repeat yearly visitors.

2. Hummers will stay wherever there is food when the weather is warm.

3. I think hummers like nesting in conifers (junipers, cedars, etc). And all birds like a water supply.

4. Hummers seem mostly attracted to red flowers, so you may have to reconsider your "no reds" desire. Mine do go to purple butterfly bushes. I think they are attracted to orange also.

5. Just put up feeders. That will bring them to you.

Yeah, hummers are about the most interesting birds there are!

Welcome! I'm also in zone 5 - Northern Indiana - and have had hummers for years. I had a feeder up one whole summer before I saw them, faithfully cleaning and filling it with no results . . . then finally they found it and now I have 5 feeders and pretty constant activity. Mine nest in the neighbor's arbor vitae.

Read through the posts here and you'll find lots of suggestions for plantings. They do like red, though!!

I'll be moving to Tennessee in the spring, to a ridge that has been wild until now. I wonder how long it will take for hummers to find me there??

Enjoy them and realize that they'll be moving on South soon -- but they'll be back in the spring! You can check their migration progression here in the spring.

lovefornature: I know your excitement! I saw what I realized
was a hummer a month ago! I was sooo excited.. now I know that
what I thought was a huge bummble bee at our previous house WAS a Hummer!! My hubby tells people he cant believe how excited I was over a bird!! lol But now he helps me clean and
fill feeders.. and is always watching with me!! :)
I thought we had only 2 Hummers.. but now I got my neighbors
putting up feeders and I know theres at least 5!! But they are
so darn territorial they fight each other off and its like
they dont spend alot of time feeding!! Just LAST NIGHT... there was 3 Hummers here one on each feeder!!! WOW was I excited! Posters on this site have said how they are eating
more to fatten themselves up for migration, so I guess they
each decided to take a break and EAT for once!! lol I looked out the window and saw all three was so excited I almost spit my coffee!! :) We are in a mobile home park in Michigan
where theres kids, traffic and noise.. but it doesnt seem to bother them. I have learned so much from this site and I
appreciate them so much. Now I just need to learn the
difference how a adult, male female and juvie Hummers look.
The smallest of the 5 we have is the resident BOSS.. and boy its tiny! Thanks for letting me ramble I get so excited lol
The posters on this site are experts.. im just an old lady
who looks out the window sees a bird and spits coffee out
of excitement! lol :)

*Congratulations* on discovering hummers, and your new favorite hobby/obsession! And yes I can relate,, I know that thrill of being studied up-close by curious hummer. It's thrilling and quite mesmerizing, isn't it? And they often make that chip-chip-chip sound the whole time. I think they are trying to figure out if we're food. :)

If you look up hummingbird plants/flowers, etc. on the web.. there's TONS of info, and from there you can find which plants suit your environment, your taste, budget, etc.
I try to do plants that are native or at least close to be being native, for the double benefit of supporting native butterflies, etc..and because so many native plants have been destroyed. But fortunately there are many plants that hummers love that are easy to grow, and if you have those plus a feeder or 2, you can't lose! Enjoy.... and keep us posted.... :)

Thank you all so much for your replies :)

I am still extremely excited, I am not over the thrill yet I guess, I just cannot believe one of them came two feet from my face and just looked at me for awhie. I am just mezmorized (sp) by these little creatures!! I am also happy to hear that others here get just as excited as I do.

Oh, but I am having some problems (at first it was hummer wars) or I think. There is a territorial one that sits on my pole line leading to our cable hookup and watches all of the time, it is a female.

That is the reason I went out and bought the second feeder. It is placed about twenty feet from the first. But she can see both from where she guards and every hummer that comes she is right there making them leave. Gosh, like there isn't enough for everyone LOL!!!!

Tonite I bought a third feeder and I am really trying desprately on my thoughts on where to place this one. My back yard is dog and squirrel territory (all fenced in). I have to find a place where she cannot guard all three, but would like it to be in a place where I can view it easily also, like I can already view the other two that I have.

I sure hope that she has not chased these other hummers away.

I am also glad to hear that most think that they are not just migrating thru, instead that they live here all summer.

OK, OK, I am willing to plant some red here.

Any suggestions and to what blooms red in the spring when they migrate and what blooms in the fall when they pass thru again. I just don't know, since I am really new to plants and these birds.

Oh, and how do I get rid of this territorial issue?

Everyone will have to forgive me, I just am the type of person that wants all the details, OCD I guess...... :)

Not only about birds and plantings but everything in life that I am interested in :)

Thanks again my hummer friends!!!!! By the way, I call them Zingers.

Hi lovefornature. I know how you love those little *Zingers* :) Im still just as excited as I was a month or as ago when I
got my very first feeder. However today I am a little sad..
only saw one Hummer today.. instead of the five. Dont know if
they are starting to migrate or if they at the neighbors.. but
the dominate one is here and isnt getting any fatter.. tho
we started mixing the nectar a little stronger. We planted some Trumpet Vine or Hummingbird vine, so Im hopeing it does well in the spring.. they like it. We will see.. good luck.

Hi Lovefornature,
I can relate to your excitement over seeing your "Zingers".....I too was like a crazy woman today !!!!! I saw 3 hummers today and have been waiting for 3 years. I was crying, laughing, and jumping. My husband was sitting with me (thank goodness) cuz otherwise he would think I have really LOST it....LOL Congrats on your new passion...they are really worth the wait I think. I hope I get to see more tomorrow. Already have the alarm set for 6 so I can get up and have coffee and "watch".. My neighbors already think I'm crazy...so be it!!!! :)

It does my heart good to see and hear more and more people discovering hummers and yes they are migrating and have been for the past month or so. Thats what makes it tough on folks just now discovering them for they will soon begone from the norh and eastern half of the united states. They only come up here to breed and then they stay where there is food and we get to enjoy them for about 4 months then they head south again for the colder months into southern mexico and points more south than that. For those of you just getting into it you should read up on their life cyles , plenty of info online.

Alii, don't be sad. I wasn't seeing much zinger action today either. I had a friend come over and just before dusk we walked outside and they were swarming all around us and the feeders like a nest of bees, "TONS OF THEM"!! Try investigating right before dusk. And Alii, you are so very funny with your posts "an old lady that just spits her coffee out"!!

I heard that the "Trumpet Vine" takes up to 3 years to start blooming. The trumpet vine was pretty cool, but I can't wait three years and it only blooms at summertime. I was looking up plants today, mostly red ones, and to tell you the truth they were all ugly. I know, I know, I just do not care for red a whole lot.

I heard that Zienna's (sp) are good because they pick the bugs off of them mainly. I am really looking for something that is blooming when they come here in the Spring....trying to enourage some to stay here. I also heard something about day lilies. Can anyone confirm??

I will be sure to keep everyone posted on when I am sure they have all migrated for the year and what happens next Spring. I just need to find some Spring plantings!! I like to think things thru early so I will be ready.

Oh, and one more VERY IMPORTANT question, I was reading here on the forum and a few people mentioned that if you have a lot of other songbirds/feeders for other birds, it will chase your zingers off. Is that true???

I am getting my SLR camera out tomorrow. Don't want to miss the action on my first year!!

Thanks so much everyone for your helpful and wonderful advice!! :)

I painted my garden bench a very vibrant red and every year put it out on April 1, along with the feeders. Even though I know that the hummingbirds won't show up in my area for a few more months, out goes the bench. One has to be prepared, after all.

Great idea Zebz!!! Thank you :)

lovefornature: What?? Trumpet Vine takes 3 yrs to bloom?
Well.. I didnt know that, I cant wait that long.. geezopete
we just finished planting them yesterday. Guess they will pull out just as easy. Theres no green thumb here ..all I know of
flowers is a dandelion when I see it.

Guess our Hummers are gone.. the bossy one may be at the neighbors but yesterday she was mad at the bees, and seening
no hummers she was threatening to take down her feeders lol .
Not me Ill wait till im sure they are gone.

Im glad to know you all are taking care if our babies when
they arrive. I am on the site often getting my Hummer fix..
love the pics and vidoes. My husband stays busy from me
hollering.. *DAD COME SEE THIS*! lol He knows he better
come see it now cause I wont let him rest till he does :)

lovefornature,
I saw three things in your original post which will help you get a good resident population established: junipers, a creek, and woodlands. And no, other birds/feeders will not scare your hummers away. If anything, I think other birds make them feel more secure - safety in numbers.

Alli, No, No don't pull your Trumpet Vine!! When I was looking last nite I must have gotton some plants confused. I just went back and made sure it was the plant and I was wrong. It is the Canada Lily that can take up to 3 years to flower if planted with seed. So sorry.

Alli, I have one question about the Trumpet Vine, is it OK to plant this late in the season?? If so, where can I find it? Thank you Alli.

Oh, I am so very relieved to hear that other birds will not scare these little zingers off.

The creek and woodlands are a little ways off--from 5 blocks to maybe about 7 blocks. The junipers are in my front yard.

It was wanting to blow up a storm tonite, so I did not get much of an opportunity to see the little zingers, darn it, I had my camera ready and all!!!

loulou1, did you set your alarm and see your Zingers this morning???

loveofnature,
I don't really like red either, although I do plant Cardinal flower to attract my hummingbirds. Their favorite plant seems to be a honeysuckle vine called John Clayton, which is yellow and re-blooms throughout the season. They also love pink hummingbird mint & catmint Sweet Dreams, pink Weigelia, my white butterfly bush, my orange crocosmia, and black adler Hyssops, which has a blue flower. They also seem to favor bee balm, which does come is red but I have Violet Queen planted, and they love it. I'm not sure which of these are hardy in your zone, but I always love spending my winter months doing garden research, and hopefully this will give you a start on your hummingbird garden for next year!

Judy

lovefornature,

Yes, I was on the porch at the crack of dawn..Thanks for asking!!!!!....My Husband and I are EXHAUSTED from sitting in ONE spot today....We were GLUED to our chairs afraid to leave our POST cuz the "Zingers" were very active today. I am still in a "State of Shock". I had hummers when I lived in VA. but have been trying here in FLA for 3 years so just hasn't sunk in that they are really here FINALLY !!!!!!!! I have appointments tomorrow so won't be able to watch much and I am sooooo SAD....Am I addicted or what????

I do have a question? I know ya'll say to watch at dusk but mine do not come in the evening.....any suggestions maybe why???????? Thanks in advance for any clues. LouLou1

Hi lovefornature, I sent you an e-mail thru here, let me know if you get it or not.

Please don't plant trumpet vine, unless you want to see it rise up from anywhere in your yard. Those plants are not what they're cracked up to be. And I've read on here people are complaining that they're not blooming till they've been in the ground for up to and over, 7 years. Lonicera sempervirens Blanche Sandman is a really good honeysuckle. It's a native plant and also reblooms. The flowers are showy with an orange-red exterior and yellow-orange throat. It also won't sucker all over the place. Monarda fistulosa is another great hummingbird plant. They bloom pink/mauve. Personally, I'd stay away from Buddleia (butterfly bushes) as they're increasingly becoming invasive in many states. Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower) is red, but very worth it.

A quick search on the internet turned up these sites specific to hummers in Illinois. You'll have to copy and paste into your browser window.

I help folks design their garden's as wildlife habitats and I highly encourage you to use native plants to attract your Zingers.

Welcome to the hummingbird world, enjoy!

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/perennials/hummingbirds.html

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/state/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=6626

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:3fCzzswa29oJ:www.thenaturalgardeninc.com/garden-tips/Attracting%2520Hummingbirds.doc+hummingbird+garden+illinois&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/264992/plant_a_hummingbird_garden.html

txspice, I agree on using natives. The plants I listed are native plants, but at least the first 2 websites aren't listing native plants. I believe the first website listed 3 natives out of 17 non native. By going to the local extension office, lovefornature should be able to get a list of native plants and work from it. The 3rd website is from one of my favorite nurseries for buying native plants, grown from seed from our local genotype.

Thank you for helping people design wildlife habitats by using native plants. I designed my own and it is certified.

lovefornature, the link below is directly to The Natural Garden, just click on "click here to open native plants" and it'll open up the lists of native plants they offer.

Congrats on the hummers! I lived near campus for years and never saw one - I've moved about 6 blocks away from where I was and see lots! I was lucky enouigh to move into a neighborhood with lots of gardens and other people feeding them. Once you get on their route your flowers are remembered and revisited year after year.

I have to agree with TerryR. on the trumpet vine. It's better than nothing but only blooms late summer and fall - if I only had room for one vine I'd consider the honeysuckle "Lonicera sempervirens" she mentions. It blooms heavily in spring AND fall and intermittantly throughout the summer. It's also a lovely coral color that's easy to use in the garden. I have "Dropmore Scarlet" and "Alabama Crimson". They may be easier to establish in the spring so shop for them then - we're within a month of our usual first frost, when I really envy southern gardeners.

Don't be discouraged if the hummers seem to disappear. Hummers migrate individually - each bird has its own instinct that tells it when the sun is too low in the sky and it's time to head south. This keeps them from all crossing the gulf at once in hurricane season. You may have a few birds disappear and have new ones head in. I keep my feeder up well into October in case any stragglers need a refuelling after the frost has gotten the flowers. Then we can get our hummingbird fix from the people on this board who have hummers all year.

Congrats again and welcome!

I have been wondering.. how can the little Hummers possibly
make it safely across the gulf?? I mean with the winds and weather?? Here when its so windy they are scarcely seen. How
to theire little bodies make it?

That's where the myth about them hitching rides on geese got started - people just couldn't believe it.

Not all of them cross the Gulf of Mexico. A few rubythroats overwinter in the Florida keys, and some of the western ones probably fly through Mexico. But others most definitely cross the gulf - although I'm saddened to think that not all make it.

That's kind of why I make it my mission in the fall to help as many get as fat and sassy as possible in my backyard snackbar and keep the feeders up so long. Just to be privileged to help them in any small way I can, ditto the other birds, bees and butterflies that stop by. With so much habitat disappearing our little gardens really can make a difference.

lovefornature: A friend told me now is the time to plant Trumpet Vine. She game us some of hers cause she has it growing everywhere. I guess Ill wait till spring and see how it blooms.. if it doesnt well will yank it. Im too impatient.
We dont have alot of room to plant things, we are in a mobile home park. Ill try to post a pic, also a pic of the very 1st hummer I saw lol but I was sooo exicted and shaking.. so its not real clear. maby if someone sees the pic of our home they
can give me a hint on what to plant.. I wanted blooming vines
to grow around the poles of the awning.. so I chose the trumpet
Vine after reading about it here. As you can see the pic the
feeders are pretty close together.. and our bossy hummer lives in that tree.. so the vistors lose out.
IF these pics dont show properly ill just crawl in a hole.

[IMG]http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c262/deee47/hummer-bee.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c262/deee47/yard.jpg[/IMG]

Please, be aware that a Campsis radicans can climb a two story house, go under the siding and also reach onto the roof and grow under the shingles. My girlfriend was trying to sell her house and the trumpet vine got away from her. She had quite a mess to repair. I'm talking they needed to replace siding and shingles. This plant can grow very tall and it can and does sucker immensely here in zone 5. It's very difficult to remove. It's almost like it makes it stronger when you do try and remove it or try to spray it with anything to kill it off.

ali, your friend has it growing everywhere because it suckers all over. I made a mistake years ago and planted a passion vine....it took me years to get it all. It should of dawned on me since I also got it from a friend who had them all over in her yard. I'm not talking in her beds, I'm talking in the turf.

Hi Everyone!! Sorry I was not around last nite, I get extremely busy. A little off-topic....my DD is a sports girl and we travel a lot, she keeps me pretty busy.

During the day, I am outside the majority of the time even though it is starting to get a little chilly. Took on too many projects this year and am trying so hard to finish up on them or I will be outside when it is snowing....LOL

I am so very much a night owl, so you won't catch me at dawn looking for Zingers. I am up by 7 am during school time though. Summertime in between 8-9.

Maybe some of you don't see your Zingers at dusk because wherever they bed for the evening is a little further away from your plantings/feeders. Just a thought, I am definately no expert.

When walking out to the car this am, I seen two of those little buggers at my feeders. It was only 43 degrees here, so I was a little worried. I absolutely LOVE having them, but worry it might get too cold for them here, I am in Central Illinois.

Oh, and trying to take pictures, difficult!!! They might be everywhere, but it seems like they know when you have a camera in your hand.

On to the more important things.....first of all, I am so very grateful to have so many people respond to this post and help me out. Everyone has been wonderful :) Thank you!!

Judyn6, ahhh someone else who does not care for red. Thank you so very much for giving me some wonderful options!!

Loulou1, I am so glad that you were able to see your zingers!!! Nothing wrong with being addicted either, I am too!! They are amazing little creatures :)

Hi Terry, I responded to an e-mail you sent the other day, hope you got that one. I will check again later on tonite, sad to say but it is hard for me to keep up on all my e-mails. And Terry, I did do some more investigating on the Trumpet Vine (because I kinda liked its looks) but did learn that it is VERY invasive, so I already ruled this one out. I am dealing with Pokeweed in my 30 ft. high Junipers right now, and I bet it will take me 3 years or more to remove them all, some are above my head. Just hope I can save the Junipers. Heard the Pokeweed had very large rootball and a tap that travels way into the ground. Read at the end of this post to see what I have picked out so far for plantings.

Tzspice, WOW I am so very impressed that you design nature gardens for people. That would be a great job to have!! I will definately going to the websites you mentioned to look around!!

Lucygreenthumb, I had heard to keep my feeders up till mid-October or so, the guy at WBU told me that. I just worry that the little guys will get too cold. Especially when I hear others saying theirs are leaving and they are further south than I am. And I absolutely hope that I am on their route now, I appears that I am :) Thank you for the warm welcome!! And....you are so very special in trying to help other birds, butterflies and bees also. And you are right, our forests and such are being taken away. We need to do our best to help out. I envy you.

Alii, I understand completely about the picture takings, they do all kinds of neat stuff when camera not in hand, I grab the camera and even sit and wait for awhile, but they must be reading my mind. I too, would very much appreciate some landscaping design pictures.

----------------------

OK, I already have some landscaping designs planned. I hope that I can word this right for everyone to get a clear picture. In between my two junipers there is about a 15 foot gap. I plan out putting up three lattices in this shape (lattice in the middle framed straight, lattice on two sides, framed just a little inward.

On the middle lattice, I plan on putting in Coral Honeysuckle, I have been doing some reading on this one and it does not seem invasive. Are there different kinds of Coral Honeysuckle???

On the two side lattice pieces, unknown, but I was hoping for honeysuckle too. Something to kind help mute the red. Is there a yellow or possibly another color of honeysuckle out there that is not invasive??

I should also mention that about ten feet in front of my plan in action is my WBU feeding station for other birds where sunflowers grow (when weather permits).

Oh and one more little thing, some are mentioning impatiens, is this just the normal ones you see at the nurserys?? I would love to put some in a hanging basket or two, I can mix up the colors a little.

How does this sound so far???

Again, thank you all for such the very warm welcome and all of the help, it is nice to have people around that are so caring and once I begin to learn more and more I hope that I can return all the favors back to people that are new also :) I know, I am long winded, but I try to respond to everyone individually because I think that is important.

Lovefornature I love your enthusiasm!

There are a few different kinds of coral honeysuckle, "Lonicera sempervirens" is the botanical name of atleast the one native I'm familiar with. "Dropmore Scarlet" is a hybrid of that and supposed to be one of the hardiest, though my "Alabama Crimson" seems to do fine here too. There are probably lots of others that I'm not aware of . Consider staying away from the asian honeysuckles - birds eat the berries, spread the seeds and they crowd out the natives and wreck habitats. Unfortunately our native types aren't scented which is a good way to tell who's who. I'm not slamming anyone who has and loves the scented types ( I wish the natives were scented) just be aware of the pros and cons while deciding.
Now as to the cold weather -hummingbirds do a mini-hibernation called "tupor" (somebody correct me please if I've misspelled it!). What this means is they slow down and go into a very deep sleep/hibernation if it's cold - which is their way of surviving brief cold spells (Do a search on this forum - I'm sure somebody has described it better than I can) .

If it's an extended cold snap they can be in trouble. But cold at night, warm during the day is typical fall weather and shouldn't really harm them. As long as they can re-fuel on enough "jet fuel" to fly them further south - which is part of why we feed them right?

A few things I know about hummers: a great plant for both them and myself is pineapple sage - in the CA Bay area, it starts blooming in late August and continues through the winter, it has tubular scarlet blooms, and the fruity smell of the leaves is lovely every time you walk past it. It can grow into a small tree out here, and you can keep it pruned as you like. They also like my bog sage, which has light blue flowers, and blooms nonstop. I have Japanese honeysuckle, but they ignore it, although my partner and I like to pull the flowers and sip the nectar.

I've had a problem with ants discovering the feeder - a bit of Vaseline on the cord holding it up is the best deterrent. I've had the hummers come to the feeder and find it empty or ant-ridden, and they'll start chirruping angrily to let me know I'm slacking off in my duties.

And they are VERY territorial. Except during breeding season, a male will defend "his" feeder against all comers - although other birds will sneak in when possible before they get chased away. You can put up multiple feeders, but place them in different areas so they can't be lorded over by a single bird.

Terryr: Well.. we are pulling it out soon.. its only been less than a week so I hope it hasnt taken hold. I just dont know what to plant that is a perrienial and will attract the Hummers.
Im so dissapointed. Can you please look at this pic and give
me some idea what to plant there in front of the poles? I dont
have a green thumb so I want somthing easy to take care of.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c262/deee47/yard.jpg

ali, what about putting an arbor in and growing a honeysuckle up it? From the edge and in from the driveway to the tree, I'd edge out the grass from that area and curve slightly to the end of the concrete pad in front of your home, the patio area. All the way to the end. Let's give you some curb appeal ;) Put the middle of the arbor in front of the edge of the concrete pad where the car is sitting, about 3 feet in. From the middle of the arbor to the drive and then going up your house, you could create a path that would curve over to the sidewalk and to the front door. For right now, using newspapers and a 5 gallon bucket filled with water, cover up all grass with layers of newspapers you've plunged into the water. Lay them down, overlapping as you go. I typically use about 10 layers of paper. The more, the better. If you can create your path first, either using stepping stones or gravel, lay down something like visqueen and lay the stepping stones or the gravel over to create the path. Remove the grass where the path will be so that nobody trips over stepping stones or gravel. Take out a V shape where you're going into the lawn from driveway to tree and up and over to the end of your home. Remove the dirt and the grass from the V, so that you've got a drop off of sorts and lay your wet newspaper to curve down into the area where the dirt is. Cover the area up with mulch or mushroom compost if you can get your hands on some, except for the path area. By next year, the newspaper will start to decompose and the grass will be dead, but it adds to the organic matter of newspaper and the dead grass. Worm heaven. From now and thru winter, study up on various perennials and possibly a few shrubs that produce berries for our other feathered friends. Next year, push back the mulch or mushroom compost and dig holes to plant. There should be enough room to the right of the path up to your front door, to add in a shrub. Then the other shrubs could go in front of the poles, under planted and going out to the edge with perennials. I prefer natives. They're adapted to our weather, our soil, they make up our ecosystem. Find a list of native plants for your area, and research those plants as to what hummingbirds like and also which ones make seed that other birds will like to eat on. The native plants won't require dead heading, don't need pruned or cut back so they look better....I just prefer them over all. Now an iris in there isn't going to hurt anything ;)...or a peony....both left by the previous owner that I decided to leave and a friend of mine from TN also gave me a beautiful iris that is sentimental to me. But again, those 2 are easy plants. Hummingbirds will love to sit and rest a spell on shrubs you provide and give you a closer look at their beauty. Too much?? Where do you live? Zone 5, but where?

lovefornature, you're doing a wonderful job! It's people like you who join GW that make it an enjoyable site to visit. If you like butterflies and are interested in attracting some of them to come to your yard, you could plant a Aristolochia tomentosa or Aristolochia durior. Another plant I love that I don't know draws anything in, but blooms in late summer, is Clematis virginiana. Another neat native clematis is Clematis glaucophylla. I also answered the e-mail you sent, I hope you got it.

terryr: Thanks for taking the time to type that reply. I copied it all for my hubby to see. He is better at visualising
than I am. But neither one of us are great gardeners, unfortunatly. Thats why I want somthing easy to attract the little guys. So all we have to do it pull weeds from around it and mow. Mostly we have to hire everything done. We are trying to get our lives in order.. so we can retire in a few yrs.. thats hard. I take alot of notes here and look thing up on the WwW then I see them mentioned.. I appreciate all the help. thanks.

ali, if you stick with native plants, all you have to do is some weeding. Using the newspapers and mulch makes it so you don't have to remove the sod and it also breaks down and give you some nice organic matter for all your plants. And with native plants, you don't have to be a great gardener ;) I think you're selling yourself short though! Good luck on whatever you decide to do!

Congratulations on you lst hummingbird. I hung a feeder 4 years ago and within just a matter of minutes I had a hummer feeding. I have been hooked ever since.

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to report that my Zingers are still here :)

Well, migrating thru anyways, but that one bossy female is still around trying to guard all the feeders. Today she got a little surprise. One showed up just about as bossy as her and kept divebombing her, funny!!!!!

I wanted to thank everyone for being so kind, giving me their insight and knowledge about these little birds, and for all of the plant suggestions. It has been great :)

loveofnature
Just wanted to answer a question from your Sept 12th post- the honeysuckle vine I suggested in my first post, 'John Clayton', is from the family Lonicera sempervirens. It is yellow, like you requested, it repeat blooms, is non-invasive, makes berries at the end of the season for the birds, and the hummingbirds love it. It doesn't get too big either, and tolerates some shade. Hope that helps!
Judy

Thanks so much Judy!! I did need a plant for semi-shady area. Sorry so much that I haven't got to check into the plant yet, I was mainly trying to check out the reds that people suggested. This one sounds like a good one....

MoBot says this about the plant

Lonicera sempervirens (trumpet honeysuckle) is a twining vine that is native to the southeastern U. S., but has escaped from gardens and naturalized in many other areas of the eastern U. S. including several counties in central and southern Missouri where it typically occurs along roadsides, along stream banks and in thickets (see Steyermark). John Clayton is a yellow-flowered variety that was found in 1991 in woodlands on the grounds of a 17th century church in Gloucester, Virginia. It is noted for its compact growth habit, yellow flowers, tendency to rebloom and profuse fall berry production. It typically grows to 6-12 long. Tubular, pale yellow flowers (to 2" long) in terminal whorls bloom primarily from May to June, with some sporadic additional bloom until fall. Flowers are mildly fragrant and are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. Inedible orange-red berries form in late summer to early fall and can be both profuse and ornamentally attractive. Oval to obovate leaves (to 3" long) are dark blue-green. Genus name honors Adam Lonitzer, 16th century German naturalist and physician. Sempervirens means always green. F. sulphurea plants have yellow flowers. John Clayton (1694-1773) was a colonial botanist and plant collector from Gloucester County, Virginia.