The Best Hummingbird Feeder and Food to Attract Beautiful Hummingbirds to Your Garden

The Best Hummingbird Feeder Should be Simple to Use,
Easy to Clean, and Bright Red.

It's almost hummingbird time! The most remarkable birds in the world (at least in our view) may be feeling the impact of climate change, and, happily, we can help. Around this time of year, these little beauties fly several hundred miles over the Gulf of Mexico from South America, without food, water, or rest, in their “commute” north from their southern wintering grounds. They naturally strive to time their arrival to coincide with the nectar-rich blooms they need to survive. But with climate patterns shifting, it’s likely harder for the little guys to time it just right, according to the Audubon Society.

So what can homeowners in DC, MD, and VA do to help hummingbirds?

Any or all of these three things:

1. Help scientists better understand the current state of play and sign up with Audubon’s new citizen science project to document hummingbird sightings and the plants that feed them. You can also start using Merlin by The Cornell Lab, one of our favorite apps at the Buyer’s Edge. Not only does it identify the sound of all birds, but it also helps Cornell keep track where they are found all over the world.

2. Keep hummingbirds in mind as you garden this Spring by planting perennials with deep-throated flowers.  

Among them: four gorgeous natives--trumpet honeysuckle (lonicera sempervirens), beebalm (mondarda didyma), red columbine (aquilegia canadense), and coral bells (heuchera sanguinea) All are currently available at the beltway location of American Plant. And avoid pesticides. Hummingbirds also rely on spiders and other small insects, and if the pesticides are in the bugs, they’ll accumulate in the birds, too.

Here are examples of the 4 gorgeous, native perennials that attract hummingbirds to gardens in
Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC. 

3. How to set up a hummingbird feeder. Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology has these tips:

Use a solution of four parts water and one part white granulated sugar (don’t use brown sugar or honey). No need to add red food dye—they’ll come without it. Keep it clean! Change the nectar every 2 to 3 days, especially when it gets hot. Remove and scrub it once a week—no soap is needed. The best way to follow through on this is to choose a feeder that’s easy to take apart. This one has an ant trap and is easy to disassemble. 

Cornell also recommends, ‘The sugar content of natural flower nectar varies and is roughly comparable to sugar water mixtures ranging from a quarter to a third cup of sugar per cup of water. During hot, dry weather, when hummingbirds risk dehydration, making your mixture no stronger than a quarter cup of sugar per cup of water is best. But during cold, rainy spells, making the mixture a bit stronger, up to about a third cup of sugar per cup of water, will not hurt your birds and may help them.’

If homeowners feel less ambitious, they can fill feeders with plain water. Change the water every few days. Like other birds, they need to stay hydrated during their long migration north and throughout the summer months.

Remember, the Best Hummingbird Feeder Should be Simple to Use, Easy to Clean,
and Bright Red.

Enjoy a number of different kinds of hummingbirds.

Video - The Best Hummingbird Feeder and Food to Attract Beautiful Hummingbirds to Your Garden
Cover Image by: James Wainscoat - UnSplash.com

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Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2013 and has been updated several times for accuracy and new content.