How can I attract hummingbirds to my garden and keep them there?

Hummingbirds are visual feeders. Once you can catch their eye and draw them into your garden, they are likely to look around for other nearby sources of food in your garden. The most natural way to attract hummingbirds to your garden is to plant a hummingbird garden. Hummingbirds are very small and very quick. They have high metabolism that requires a rich source of food to sustain it. They drink nectar from flowers. They will also feed from feeders set up with a mixture of sugar and water at a 1 to 4 rate of mixture. Do not use the red food dye, but you can get a brightly coloured feeder to attract them to the mixture. Make sure you change the water often so it is fresh. Hummers also eat small bugs and spiders. They like flowers that are easy for them to get the nectar from. Columbine, sage, foxglove, impatiens, hasta, morning glory, mimosa, lantana and honeysuckle are some of the types of flowers hummingbirds like. Keep in mind that different varieties are available in different areas. You might want to check with your garden center or nursery to see what is the best for your area. If you do plant a garden to attract them, be sure to plant a variety of flowers so they will have different blooms to choose from throughout a growing season. That way they will have a continual source of nourishment that will draw them to your garden and keep them there for a longer period of time and keep them coming back to your yard. Hummingbirds are beautiful and fun to watch. Enjoy the hummingbirds! Mama Nono