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How to create a Hummingbird Garden in Orange County

Since hummingbirds have to eat twice their body weight in nectar and insects each day, they’re protective of their good food sources in the garden and will fight aggressively to defend them. Hummingbirds do tend to try the red flowers first but their sugar content is what they really are looking for regardless of color.

Hummingbirds prefer the native species (commonly Sambucus, Ceanothus and Arctostaphylos) for nesting. They prefer a mixed diet of nectar from multiple sources for their daily diet.

Here are some locally native plants that are great nectar sources for hummingbirds:

  • penstemon-centranthifolius-mgl81t0il3upobpjiqlku7dcab0ycmu124xawokx9s

    Scarlet Bugler

    Arctostaphylos species, Manzanita

  • Comarostaphylis diversifolia Summer Holly. If you live in Coastal Areas of Southern California it is a great summer flowering bush for hummingbirds.
  • Diplacus species, Monkey flowers of all colors are used by hummingbirds, but they really prefer the red ones, Diplacus puniceus and Mimulus cardinalis. Monkey flowers are a showy addition to a hummingbird garden.
  • Dudleya species, Live Forever is an excellent rock wall plant. And as it is a succulent it is very drought tolerant. It naturally occurs in rock outcroppings.
  • Erysimum species, Wallflowers are randomly worked in an opportunistic way. Hummingbirds prefer manzanitas but like to add a little spice to their life with a tasty treat from a wallflower.
  • Keckiella antirrhinoides, Yellow bush snapdragon is a garden shrub with fragrant yellow Penstemon flowers, March – May.
  • Keckiella cordifolia, Heart-Leafed Penstemon
  • monkeyflower-mgl7d3t6zu1gl7l5r28ibfrabsrq2yrybvrywx7cs0

    Monkeyflower

    Lilium species, the California lilies almost swallow the birds when they work the flowers, but the orange forms are used regularly. Lilium pardalinum and Lilium humboldtii are both happy to help out the hummingbirds.

  • Lonicera subspicata, Southern Honeysuckle is used in varying degrees.
  • Opuntia species, Cacti. Yes, the hummingbirds use cacti.
  • Penstemon species, most notably Scarlet bugler, Penstemon centranthifolius, a hummingbirds dream.
  • Fuchsia flowering or fuchsia flowering gooseberry, Ribes speciosum, is a four foot nearly evergreen shrub with red fuchsia-like flowers that appear in Jan. It is pollinated by hummingbirds.
  • Salvia species, Sages, such as Salvia mellifera and Salvia clevelandii are all well liked by hummingbirds. And not to forget hummingbird sage, Salvia spathacea. A sage garden can be an experience when eight or ten hummingbirds fight continuously around you.
  • Ribes speciosum Pursh fuchsiaflower gooseberry Grossulariaceae: Gooseberry Family Point Sal Road Point Sal Ridge,  Casmalia Hills Santa Barbara County, CA January 26. 2004 PLANTS symbol: RISP DSCN4439

    Fuchsia flowering gooseberry

    Stachys bullata, the hedge nettle is used as a side dish as the hummingbirds protect the Diplacus species. Put the Stachys in a moist shade section of the garden.

  • Symphoricarpos species, Snowberry. Many of the snowberries flower April through July. The hummingbirds are not crazy for the flowers, but will live on them when more tasty flowers in the garden are not available.
  • Zauschneria species, California fuchsia, should be everywhere in your garden. The California fuchsias can flower from July through December. They flower and flower, trim off the old flowers, and they flower more. They are excellent in rock walls. California fuchsias can tolerate garden water as well as being very drought tolerant.
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