Attracting hummingbirds using California natives
Have you seen many hummingbirds in your yard lately? Use these 4 ways to naturally attract beautiful hummingbirds to your yard and start seeing more of these beautiful visitors in no time!
I’ve been paying more attention to hummingbirds since I planted some California natives like hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) and Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) in my own yard.
I was pretty sure the sage would attract them (given the name) but I’ve been really surprised by the buckwheat! The hummingbirds seem to really like the less colorful and showy blossoms as well.
My 4 favorite ways to naturally attract hummingbirds to your yard
If you try any, let me know how they work for you!
1. Add new native plant species to your garden.
I did this last year and it made a difference in all wildlife I saw and as a bonus there were barely any insects in my veggie garden because of the extra birds! This is the perfect time of year to plant new natives in your landscape.
2. Don’t remove your spider webs.
My favorite tip because less is really more sometimes! Yard maintenance can be time consuming. This is a natural way to attract all kinds of pollinators not just hummingbirds.
3. Deadhead your flowers to enhance blooming.
This tricks the plants into producing more flowers and seedheads, in the end producing far more than they would have. Later in the season, you can let the plants go to seed to ensure that you’ll leave enough for the local wildlife and also keep them growing next year!
4. Plan a continuous blooming schedule.
I’m trying this now. I’m choosing San Diego native plant species that have different blooming times. I think I’m going to try California Mountain Lilac (Ceanothus concha) for Spring flowers, an Island Snapdragon (Galvezia speciosa) for midsummer flowers, and a late-blooming Big Berry Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca) that will have little flowers in the late summer and fall. Here is a list of California native plants that attract birds to help get you started.
It Just Takes Some Planning and Planting!
Following the 4 ways to naturally attract hummingbirds to your yard using your landscape isn’t very hard. All you need is a little planning and a little work. I hope this helps attract more beautiful hummingbirds to your landscape. Take a look at some DIY ways to start your native gardening for some inspiration.
Have you noticed any specific plants and flowers that seem to really attract hummingbirds (native or not)? Please share in the comments!
Thanks for reading! – John
