That was cool, Debra!

I just love hummingbirds. They seem to be attracted to all kinds of things. I have crape myrtle in my yard but I don't see them there much. They prefer the red honeysuckle. I also see them visiting the butterfly bush, Scarlett Runner bean flowers, Cardinal climber, Cleome, Morning Glories and even the Zinnias!

How Cool!!! I've been here almost 4 years and it seems it takes some time to build up a steady stream of "returners". I put my feeders out the end of March. Yes, sometimes I have to go thru the "fill, dump, clean and refill cycle" but this year I didn't. I've got 3 feeders in our front 2 acres and 2 right off our back deck. This year, every week I make 16 cups of necter ...and still run out within 7 days. This year we've got between 20 and 30 of them! Most days it's like watching a ballet around the feeders! Along with the plants you mentioned, I've got Mexican Petunia's, Moon Flowers (that I just found out are illegal!), red salvia, four o-clocks and Pinappele Sage planted in various places around the house and yard. They seem to really love these. I've even got a white butterfly bush that they like! They hit most on the Mexican Petunia's, Salvia and the Pinapple Sage. Almost everything I listed (except the Salvia) is a perennial and will come back every year. We've also noticed our mosquito problem has greatly diminished this year! I've heard they eat those too! Regardless, we can just sit for the longest time watching this little guys! Hope some of this helps!

Paula

Give them time and plant the nectar flowers mentioned. I have seen mine at the four oclocks, zinnias, evening primrose, morning glory, surprise lilies, as well as phlox and crape myrtle.

my father used to hang FOUR one quart feeders up around his house every day. And they would be empty by nightfall. Obviously he was raising hummingbirds. And he didn't have very many blooming flowers. But one of his neighbors had fed them for years and then gave it up due to poor health, so they all moved over to his feeders. I've seen 30-40 at a time at his feeders. Then he had to give it up too so don't know where they went.

Debra,

Great video! Isn't it fun having the tiny little birds buzzing around?

I see the hummers visiting all kinds of flowers around our place, including many that already have been mentioned. We planted American Cross Vine, a native vine that helps sustain them as they migragte in spring, as well as the orange flowered "Madame Galens" trumpet creeper, and the yellow-flowered trumpet creeper, which might have been called "Flava" (it's been a long time but I think that was the name) and a coral honeysuckled named "Pink Lemonade". They visit all of those and the morning glories, scarlet runner bean vines, four o'clocks, zinnias, and salvias, including Texas Hummingbird Sage and Pineapple Sage.

We have seven feeders around the house which gives them plenty to visit without having too many territorial battles. Of course, there is always at least one hummer that places itself in a strategic location and then tries to keep the other hummers away from 2 or 3 nearby feeders all at one time.

I don't know what kinds of hummers the rest of you see, but we've always had plenty of ruby-throated hummingbirds and, for the last 3 or 4 years, we've had quite a few rufous hummingbirds too.

Dawn

Paula, I think we had a discussion a little over a year ago about Moon Flowers, back when I was trying to get some started.

The consensus of opinion, though I had been told otherwise by a "master gardener" for whom I had worked in a non-related field, that it isn't illegal to grow Moonflower. Now, that said, it IS also known as Jimson Weed, or related to it, I'm not sure which anymore (LOL, I claim senility), but Dawn would know.

Jimson weed is not good to have around livestock so if I lived out in the country I'd be really careful about where I grew it.

My Moonflowers now self-seed. I can't believe how hard I struggled to get some to grow, at the beginning. I guess in the plant world there is such a thing as "trying too hard".

I will add that the little guys(and gals)frequent my impatiens, petunias, and the red & yellow fishing bobber at the end of the ceiling fan string! They check out the flags & have been known to admire my red shirt. They do not limit themelves to red, we see them working the hosta blossoms. Your sprinkler story reminded of one 100+ degree afternoon several years ago when I went out to the patio to water the wilting plants. I couldn't believe my eyes when a little hummingbird flew into the spray & stayed there. The bird sat on the edge of my little water feature and appeared to enjoy playing in the sprinkler. I am so thrilled by the 'little' things!!

Ilene - I never in a million years thought about the Moonflowers/Jimson Weed being illegal. I had heard the seed pods were poisonous, but the deer have never bothered them and neither have my grandkids. I think they're too "prickly". However, a week or so ago, I was watching the evening news and 2 young boys in Edmond overdosed on these. That's when I heard they were illegal! Now, I don't think the Sheriff's department is going to drive up and rip my plants out of the front flower beds, but I think I'll be a bit more careful starting any new plants from seed to share with anyone! LOL I've linked below the news story. I'm going to do some more research about this 2004 law on them.

Paula

Here is a link that might be useful: Jimson Weed overdose

I agree with all of you that these guys are so much fun to watch! I'm sure the hummers being chased off have a different opinion, but, at least in the case of my backyard, they do have other nearby options. My neighbor to the north has a rose of sharon at the corner of her house nearest mine, and I did not see my little sentry chase other birds off until they entered my yard. The neighbor also has some sort of bright orange trumpet vine growing along the back fence at the side farthest from me. So, even though the sentry wouldn't let them in my yard there were still other food options only a few yards away.

I do have several of the plants most of you mention. I planted four o'clocks behind the house this year. They haven't gotten very tall, but they are blooming. I also have Grandpa Ott morning glories on a 6'x6' trellis intended to shade my air conditioning unit. I have some Cardinal Climber, at least that what I asked Horn for when I bought seeds, although the leaves are not like the original Cardinal Climber I grew. These have palm frond-like leaves. However, these don't bloom much until/unless I abuse them. If I start cutting them back severely they'll start making blooms, otherwise they just grow foliage all over everything around. I haven't tried petunias since I moved into the house. I did grow them in containers, whisky barrels, on the patio at my apartment, but they always withered and died when hot summer temperatures arrived. Maybe they would do better though now that I can plant them in the ground.

Of course, the problem with all these is they don't bloom until either late spring or summer whereas the hummingbirds generally arrive in Oklahoma in late March. It does sound like the cross vine Dawn mentioned might be just what I'm looking for, and I would love to plant some native red honeysuckle. Now I just have to find out where I can get them and figure out where they might grow in my yard. Unfortunately, my backyard gets a lot of shade due to tall evergreens that line the entire perimeter.

Dawn, how much shade would the cross vine tolerate? Any idea where I might be able to buy some? Also, anyone know where I might find the native honeysuckle? And how much shade the honeysuckle would tolerate? I may have to get creative and figure out a spot to set an arched arbor or something similar just out in the middle of the yard for one of these. The fence from my house to the south property line gets sun in the morning and has a large evergreen branch that was seriously bent by the ice storms in Dec. 2007 that needs to come down. If I cut that branch off it would probably reduce the shade that piece of fence gets during the later afternoon. Might that be enough sun for one of these two vines to be reasonably happy?

Thanks for all the suggestions. If you think of more, please let me know. While I'm specifically trying to figure out early spring bloomers for the hummingbirds, eventually I wouldn't mind digging up most of my yards and replacing the weeds with flower beds of various types. Not only would that be more colorful and fragrant, but it would cut down on the mowing. :D

Debra

I can see the hollyhocks from my computer and I have been amazed at how many hummers visit them.

Debra, You might try Laura Bush Petunias. Dawn told me about them originally and I planted them from seed this year (wintersowed). I love the color and they have bloomed all summer.

Debra
That was a great video. Pretty yard you have there too, a nice place to enjoy your little cuties from :)

Barbara