Want to turn your tiny home garden into a tiny bird sanctuary? Learn how to attract hummingbirds to yours, with this short guide.
Every year, in late August, hummingbirds start their migration. It is sad to see them go, but we can welcome these other valuable garden companions.
Never mind the charm of these slight birds that weigh less than a nickel. They are also very important to gardens as both insect predators and pollinators. And this is a good time to look at ways to keep those helpful birds hanging around (or coming to) our gardens.
Food to Bring Hummingbirds into Your Tiny Home Garden
Hummingbirds need eat 1/3 of their body weight daily just to fuel their frantic wings. A lot of their diet involves protein-packed insects and nectar for their carbs. Gardens have a lot of inherent growths that draw in hummingbirds. Shrubs, vines, and trees are all both a safe place for them to rest and also good places to find food. From there, you can make some smart planting choices to really bring in the birds.
Hummingbird’s favorite garden flowers
Hummingbirds are very attracted to red and orange flowers. That gives you plenty of options for what you can plant around your tiny home garden, to bring these wonderful birds in.
- Bee Balm
- Red Columbine
- Delphinium and Hollyhock
- Catawba Rhododendron
- Rose of Sharon
- Trumpet Vine and Japanese Honeysuckle
- Cardinal Vine
- Lantana and Fuchsia
You can also coral bells, honeysuckles (bush or vine), petunias, penstemons, hawthorn, and flowering crab apple. It’s also wise to plant nectar plants that bloom as a series. A well-planned collection can provide nectar from spring into fall. (Keep in mind that hummingbirds can like bright colors enough for that to be a danger to them. Some gardens have electric fences with red and orange insulation that can draw the birds to a fatal zap.
Invasive Plants Caution: Be mindful that some garden plants may be invasive, so be careful in your selection if your tiny house, cottage or cabin is situated near natural forest or bushland (as many off-grid tiny houses are). Lantana, for example, is highly invasive in Australia. Trumpet vine and honeysuckle are also known to be invasive plants. The potential invasiveness of a plant is also dependent on your climate and region – ask your local garden store for advice if in doubt.
Make a Sugar Solution for Hummingbirds
Hummingbird bird feeders can also cause problems, if not set up correctly. Keep them clean, and make sure that you’re using a sugar solution that’s fresh. They shouldn’t have any more sugar than they find in natural nectars.
Sugar Solution Recipe
The best mix is one part sugar to four parts water.
- Place the sugar and warm water in a small saucepan.
- Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved.
- Then boil that for about 45 seconds to prevent any mold from growing. That will also prevent fermentation.
Tips:
- Avoid using honey; it can go bad with fungus growth.
- You have to boil instead of microwave to protect the nutritional value of the sugar.
- No artificial sweeteners, of course.
- Food coloring is also a bad idea. Just use bright colors on the feeder itself to attract the hummingbirds.
There’s nothing sadder than the sight of hummingbirds fighting–and they’ll fight over too little feeders. Get many of them to spread apart, preferably in the shade.
Don’t forget to clean the feeder with vinegar as you’re trading out the sugar water.
How to get the hummingbirds back
By making the decision to attract hummingbirds into your tiny home garden, you’re making a commitment, too.
Hummingbirds growth is dependent on regular food sources. Therefore, you should keep yours going through October if you’re in the US northern states. They can certainly use the carbohydrates for their migration, and the birds will pay you back by ridding your yard of some late summer pests.
But we hope the hummingbirds stay away from praying mantises. Did you know a praying mantis can eat a hummingbird? Yes, they can–so let’s all hope we avoid that sight in our tiny gardens.
