I put out feeders by my window in the kitchen and computer room so I can see them all the time.

I do both :) Why do you ask? Christy

I have both feeders and plants but here in western NY when our hummers arrive in the spring there is NOTHING blooming that provides enough nectar for them. The feeders supplement their nectar requirements until it warms up enough for native plants as well as nursery plants to take over. I also keep feeders out during the late fall and winter for migrants and for the stray western vagrant that may show up. I also like to be able to see them up close and the feeders can be placed in areas where I can enjoy them up close and personal. Some people who live in appartments don't have a place to put more than one or two plants or maybe none at all. A single feeder will increase the chances of those folks bringing a little flying jewel into their worlkd. Senior citizens often times are not able to garden any more but they want to enjoy hummers. They are able to hang a feeder from a window or porch and enjoy nature at its finest.

There are lots of reasons for hanging a feeder instead of or in addition to growing plants.

Penny

I do both. I have started keeping a couple out all year around because there seem to be more overwintering in my area. And as Penny says when they start arriving next month there won't be all that many flowers blooming.

I like to keep a couple outside my computer room window to let them keep an eye on me while I am at the computer.

I hang feeders just because I enjoy it and want to.

Pineapple sage does't bloom for me until the late summer. I like this plant but can't depend on it for spring and summer nectaring for the hummingbirds. Mexican bush sage is the same.

Here in NE Fl, my pineapple sage doesn't even come up until mid-summer and starts blooming late summer. We haven't had a freeze yet this winter so it is still going strong. perhaps I will have the Pineapple Sage along with the coral honeysuckle which is also blooming right now for the early hummers which I expect end of the month!

amazon

I think everyone has posted a valid response to your question.

During the summer I do not put feeders out if there are plenty of plants for the hummers, and I will put them out if I have any hummers overwintering.

However, during the spring and fall migrations, I keep plenty of feeders out, i.e. anywhere from 24 to 36. And during the peak of the fall migration, I'm refilling these feeders up to 3 times a day. I generally go through anywhere from 50 to 60 pounds of sugar in the fall.

To try to answer you question about feeders vs. hummingbird plants, it has been suggested that during the height of the fall migration, that since they have to double their body weight, that any additional food is a benefit to the little hummers.

Also the weather can be a factor on whether or not to hang feeders. Last summer here in Texas, we were in a terrible drought, and as a result, many of the wild native plants that hummers thieve on, just were not here. They had died, so with that in mind, you can imagine that the hummers were really going wild at the feeders. I would have 60 to 80 birds feeding at the 10 feeders that I had hung around my gazebo.

I hope that this answers your question.