This Gardening Mistake Might Be the Reason Hummingbirds Aren’t Visiting Your Yard

According to Birds & Blooms, hummingbirds may eat up to three times their body weight in one day. As a result, they need to eat pretty consistently. “Probably the number one reason hummingbirds are not visiting is they don’t see your garden as offering enough food sources. If you are trying to attract hummingbirds without feeders, you need to have a good number of plants, and they should be blooming throughout the spring, summer and early fall,” says Alice Madar, executive director at International Hummingbird Society.

Hummingbirds have long, narrow beaks that allow them to reach deep inside tubular flowers for nectar. “Plant plenty of annuals, perennials and shrubs with tubular flowers, making access to the nectar source very easy,” says Shauna Moore, director of horticulture at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Native plants are especially important for pollinators like hummingbirds as they offer a rich source of nutrients. “Ideally you are planting red-blooming, native species of penstemon, agastache and salvia. Hummingbirds also love trumpet vine and honeysuckle,” says Madar.

RELATED: 18 Plants That Will Attract Hummingbirds to Your Home Garden

If you’re going to incorporate feeders into your garden, it’s essential to care for them properly. “Feeders are a bit more of a pain to maintain. You can use one part table sugar in four parts water. You have to check them regularly — any black growths indicate fungus. Make sure to either boil the feeders in water or use a diluted vinegar to rinse and scrub them. Then rinse 3-4 times with water to wash the vinegar out. Hummingbirds can fall very sick and even die if they consume these fungi. So it’s better to avoid putting a feeder out if you cannot maintain the feeders well,” says Anusha Shankar, integrative biologist and physiological ecologist.

RELATED: 7 Best Bird Feeders, Reviewed by Experts

You might be waiting for hummingbirds to visit your garden at the wrong time. Research their migration patterns to make sure you’re prepared when the time is right. “It’s always best to check the migratory pattern to know when they are coming. The change in climate and bloom time for some plants in the garden can have a gradual impact on their migratory patterns,” says Moore.

RELATED: Find Out When Hummingbirds Will Reach Your Yard With This Interactive Map

Luckily, hummingbirds love colorful gardens, particularly ones with bright, hot shades. “Hummingbirds love red, orange and purple flowers. Increasing the number of flowering plants with these colors, with tubular corollas, will help attract more hummingbirds,” says Shankar.

Hummingbirds feed on insects as a source of protein, so be sure to avoid all sorts of pesticides and herbicides in your garden. “Insects and plants that have been treated with chemicals can pose an inherent risk to hummingbirds if ingested,” says Moore.

Give hummingbirds a place to bathe and hydrate in your garden. “It’s important to have a shallow, slow-moving water feature in your yard — something like a bubbler or gentle waterfall. Hummingbirds also love water misters,” says Madar.

Due to their small size, hummingbirds appreciate a safe atmosphere. “Hummingbirds don’t really like coming to an isolated food source in the middle of open ground. They’ll more easily visit areas which feel more protected — near some trees or a wall or some sort of continuous habitat,” says Shankar.

Unfortunately, hummingbirds do not get along with our furry friends. If you have cats in your yard, there’s a chance they’re scaring away hummingbirds (and other birds, too). “It is important to keep cats out of your garden. Estimates are that domesticated cats kill one billion birds in the U.S. every year,” says Madar.