JimmyJoJo... I'm in southern Ontario too and this coming spring will be my first time to hang a hummer-feeder where we have moved to. Our neighbourhood is 3 years new so it's hard to attract hummers without many of the neighbours having planted gardens (or without planted gardens being very mature). What plants would you suggest for each month of May, June and July for southern Ontario? I'm mid way between London and Toronto right off the 401.

In the meantime why not do your Hummingbird exchanges right in this thread so you can gather the names of those interested in the appropriate plants/seeds?

I'm doing a similar initiative without a great deal of success with "Canadian Native Seed exchange". I think we've likely collected about 30 interested parties but the problem is that if you don't have enough interested members for the forum and it goes idle, the forum will be closed.

Have you contacted the "Field Naturalists Clubs" from Canada? You could send out a form letter to all the clubs via email and ask for an entry in their newsletter looking for Hummingbird Enthusiasts and give email contact as well as webpage information. Having info like that in hardcopy will gather a lot of interest because people can do it right away or save it till later and still have all the pertinent information at their fingertips.

Also, if you want to write an article to submit to the Canadian Field Naturalists Magazine, here's the info:

Editorial Office
The Canadian Field-Naturalist
Box 35069 Westgate PO
Ottawa ON Canada K1Z 1A2

Here's a nice big page of contacts you can send your info to:
http://www.web-nat.com/bic/ont/clubs.html

And here's the whole list of Canadian Birding Clubs:
http://www.web-nat.com/bic/society.html

It's a lot of work but it's do-able if you put your mind to it. I've done it myself and it's well worth the time and effort put into sending out either form letters with email and website contacts or writing and sending articles to magazines. Most times you will be pleasantly surprised that the magazines are more than happy to submit your little article to their magazine.

Like I said, it's a lot of work but if you put your mind to it and once you have the two types of printed material to email out, the work goes pretty fast and the rewards are substancial which is exactly what you need to fill a forum like "Canadian Hummingbird Enthusiasts Seed/Plant exchange" or bring attention to the website The Ontario Hummingbird Project.

Best of luck to you and Happy New Year!

Barb

Thanks for the links and advice Barb. Actually Hummingbirds are a tough one I'm finding. It crosses over gardening, birding, native plant, tropical plant and plastic feeder boundaries. I'll keep plugging away at it though.

We've got this going. It's a start :)

Here is a link that might be useful: HB Group

I love the hummingbirds, so any seeds you have would be greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance

I would also be interested in trading seeds with other hummingbird gardeners. Last year I had a hummingbird visiting some of the plants on my 14th story balcony. This year I am going to have more potted flowering plants that will appeal to the hummers in hopes of attracting a few more. I have never put up a hummingbird feeder before and it may just be too windy for one on the balcony but I think I will give it a try and will report any success.

The plants that got the hummingbirds attention were my potted Asclepias curassavica and Impatiens glandulifera plants. Next season I am going to try some potted Salvia species, Lobelias, more Impatiens species, a few Cannas, Nicotina species and Ipomoea quamoclit.

I would also be interested in trading seeds and have a variety of garden seed as well as tropical and unusual plant seed.

Mike

you already have Jewelweed don't you Barb - I don't think you could get any better than that for hummers - That has to be one of their main nectar sources

Jeff

Mike, I didn't know you were looking for Salvias for pots and other hummingbird plants. The best hanging basket plant for hummingbirds is fuchsia triphylla.

Jeff, Yeah, Jewelweed is a good native hummingbird plant. I lost most of mine though in the drought of '07. I'm sure hoping they make a come back this year.

I had decided to just buy some of the plants this spring becuase I have far too many seeds to start and not enough space. It's funny you mentioned the Fuschia because I was going to try one of the single flowered species to see how the hummingbirds would react. A few of the local nurseries have a good selection of Fuschias available.

Mike

The Native Texas salvia coccinea is hard to find at the nurseries (it's the best one) but they do sometimes sell and smaller version called 'Lady in Red'.

Another very good hummingbird basket plant is the red batface cuphea, sometimes called tiny mice in Canada. It's flowers are bigger than the cigar plant cuphea. The red batface has more nectar than the purple version.

http://www.damseeds.com/asp/product.asp?PG=15873

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Batface Cuphea

Thanks for the info on the "batface" cuphea. I tried the "cigar" cuphea last year and, while it formed a nice colourful mound, the tiny red flowers were ignored by the hummers. I think they were just too small.

My best hummer magnet last year was the Ipomopsis rubra (skyrocket gilia, Standing Cypress). The sources said it was biennial, but it bloomed in July from a March sowing (indoors) and kept blooming 'til frost. Prolific seedmaker, too. If it doesn't survive the winter I expect it to self-sow. Next summer I'm putting it in two spots so the hummers don't fight over it.

Hi Bev

I have not grown Ipomopsis rubra before but it sure looks like a good hummingbird plant. I did a quick search and it looks like this plant is hardy to zone 6 but it apparently can perform as a perennial, biennial or and annual depending on climate conditions. Did you happen to save any seed?

As for Salvias I have seeds for Salvia patens 'Blue Angel' and Salvia Whopper Lighthouse which is a very robust form of Salvia splendens. I will most likely pick up a few other Salvias at the nursery int he spring.

I have some extra germinated seedlings of Ipomopsis rubra (started in paper towel/plastic bag)if anyone wants them. I don't think they'll mail well though, so you'd have to pick them up in London. As Bev says (they're from her seeds btw), they germinate readily! If you'd like some let me know, I hate to have to throw them out and I have already potted up a lot for myself.

Mike,
If you can't get to Barb's place for the seedlings I could mail you some Ipomopsis seeds. Your trade list is mostly exotics and indoor plants. Do you have any outdoor things not listed? Other than Aesclepias-- I already have enough varieties of that.
- Bev

Hi Bev

Send me an email through Gardenweb and I will let you know what I have. I do not have any of my garden seed listed but I do have lots to trade since I moved to an apartment. I may not reply until the new year due to my holiday schedule.

Mike

Count me in for this also! This is our 1st yr anniversary in our new neighbourhood, and I went nuts this past summer with shrubs, trees and plants and managed to get a few hummers to visit.

I am in southern Ontario also, between London and Toronto ( where I work ).

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Glaswegian (aka Mike Bay / Mick Jordan / Mike Jordan / Michael Douglas)

I'm aware of the exchange on the Yvonne's Salvia Group on Y_hoo Groups.

and I concur with JimmyJoJo, who started this thread.

Bev

Bev.....

Good for you! I have already emailed jimmyjojo, it was a case of misunderstanding. I already posted the request on that other site, before he decided to offer to those seeds.

Anyway....

I adore hummingbirds in my garden. I would appreciate any adivce about different types of flowers that attracts them. joanne_1977@hotmail.com thanks

I have some Salvia coccinea ( Texas Native Hummingbird Sage) to trade, the Plants a quite large so you dont need too many, if someone is interested to have some , just send me an email

Since the last posting here is Jan 08 I am wondering if you guys are still here?
I am between London and Toronto (an hour from Toronto, minutes from the 401). I have some questions about hummingbirds. Most of the info that I have found on the net about hummers link to USA sights. I sure hope that this forum got going :)