Ridiculous argument... it is making it way more complicated than necessary. BTW...Sugar is NOT cocaine to a hummingbird.. it is sucrose, virtually identical to what naturally occurs IN FLOWER NECTAR. Just use plain white sugar diluted in water and quit trying to put together some kind of vitamin drink when that is possibly screwing up their sensitive metabolic systems. We give way more credence to our human intervention as 'helping' wild animals when in fact most if not all of it is unnecessary and is actually interference. I do put out a feeder in the summer to enjoy the hummers presence but I am not naive enough to think I am sustaining them when I have a yard filled with massive numbers of zinnias, bee balm, honeysuckle, milkweed, penstemon, phlox and many others. And skip the honey...hummers would never be eating it in the wild. And everything I've read says it can contain bacteria that is harmful to birds (not just hummingbirds) as well as human babies.

Thanks, for the nice comments. There wasn't anything in the gardens you see when we bought our house 8 years ago but river rock, 2 rose bushes, and some other shrubs. It has been a work in progress, adding and trying things to replace those that died or didn't grow. Big difference gardening here where we get about 10-12 inches of precip a year compared to living in Western New York near Penny for most of my life. But, here I get to plant xeric stuff like agastache and penstemons I couldn't grow in NY. Plus, more species of hummers here in WA! LOL. (But, I still miss the Ruby-throats). Here is a Calliope Hummingbird (female or first year immature) A Rufous Hummingbird (first year male) And a female Black-chinned Hummingbird visiting Penstemon barbatus. I only have photos of females and first-year birds as the males move through so quick I never have time to catch them. BN

I am trying to grow a seed crop for distribution to other seed savers of 3 varieties of long beans (Vigna unguiculata cultigroup Sesquipedalis). Many pix posted in Garden Galleries > Great Vegetables. Thus far I have successfully saved seeds from only one variety.. details below the questions. Hummingbirds still happily frequenting them wherever they are planted. They will leave first week October to migrate south again... 1) What is the coldest night temperatures at which these plants will mature quality seeds? We are about 6 weeks yet from frost, but we are now only 2 weeks from 50 degree nights, and I know these are considered tropical plants. 2) How many pods can I leave to ripen seeds and still get a vegetable harvest from these plants? I have an eager consumer for the Anna's Taiwan Green... I barter them for dinners in my friend's restaurant... This bean failed for 2 other growers (both Taiwan-born), so there is exceptional interest in my producing a crop of this favorite vegetable. Currently I am hiding ripening pods behind the foliage where they do not show when I send my friend internet photos of the wall of her beans.... More discussion: Thus far I have successfully saved seeds from only one variety.... Yardlong, Purple Pod. Most of these seeds I got from first bloom before the extreme heat and drought, but I am also bagging blossoms to ensure that all plants are well represented in my seed saving. During our month of 100+ degree heat, both purple varieties were blooming and setting pods but most of them were totally empty or had only a few seeds (2-3). The variety from the Philippines, considered day-length sensitive, is now blooming abundantly as the temperatures have dropped to 65 nites / 90 days and we near the equinox. The earlier bloom... apparently stress induced... succeeded mostly in causing me cross-pollination problems. I have hummingbird cross-pollination problems, and now a few bumblebees as well, so I am bagging scores of blossoms daily against these bigger nectar feeders. Another variety, Anna's Taiwan Green, was planted later and is just now blooming. I consider it isolation planted, as it is 150 yards from the purple varieties, separated by buildings, low trees, and a bamboo grove... and theoretically in a different hummingbird territory. The hummingbirds begin at dawn in this area with blossoms of okra, longbeans, and bitter melon, plus still some trumpet vine in uncleared areas. They got lucky... Those visiting the purple pod beans are adding them to a floral menu of maypops (Passiflora incarnata), a few wild morning glories, and blooms of cherry tomatoes and lima beans. Thanks for your assistance. I have posted... Under Forum "Beans, Peas, and Legumes"... a further discussion of problems growing these beans this year in Arkansas. They have failed for 2 Taiwan-born gardeners... and my own beginner's experience suggests they may have somewhat limited soil fertility preferences, plus I am unsure of water requirements.

I wouldn't plant trumpet vine . . . there are plenty of other plants beloved by hummingbirds that don't have the problems caused by trumpet vine in a suburban garden! Right now I have a native trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) 'Major Wheeler'; it will continue to bloom in smaller amounts all summer. Native columbine (Aquilegea canadensis) is blooming now and will be followed by Lupines, hollyhocks (Alcea), red hot poker (Kniphofia), Delphiniums, monkshood (Aconitum), Cardinal flower (Lobelia), Penstemon, and Agastache. I have hummingbirds every summer, but no feeders since I don't want the bears near the house. I sounds like you've done a good job with providing food (do you change out the solution often? It does go bad fairly frequently) and water for them - do you have anywhere they can create a nest? Are there predators such as cats nearby that might spook hummers? I am also curious about the ribbons. I find they are fairly sensitive to movement, and so I'd worry about flapping ribbons scaring them away. They are attracted to red, however, and I've seen them check out my red garden sun hat, red tomatoes, and other red objects, so you could add some stationary red objects. I usually hear hummers before I see them as I am working out in the garden at various hours of the day. I don't find they tend to be active only at certain hours, though they aren't active at night. Ultimately, the best you can do is provide food, water, and shelter and then hope that they stop by.