Not true its not the same. Hummers need energy to go get the insects. So whether they get it from flowers or feeders they still need the sugar. The nectar from flowers is basically sucrose. So you can look at it this way we are helping them have quick energy to go find the protein. So the person who doesnt want to put out feeders but give them flowers , they are still giving them sugar. I read once that a hummer has to visit 1000 flowers a day just to survive so if I help them a little by giving them sugar water, fine and dandy.

here we get frosts or even hard freezes up till mid may most years. there a few insects or flowers for the hummers till mid to late may. so they need the feeders

Can liquid feeders be near seed feeders?

i have two hummingbird feeders and one oriole feeder along with a tube seed feeder and a wire cage feeder on a long horizontal branch about 6 foot from my kitchen window.
just a few minutes ago i had three different hummingbirds at the feeders and at the same time a pair of finches at the tube feeder and a grosbeak on the oriole feeder all at the same time. its a little early here yet for orioles but in the next couple weeks there shoud be a lot more birds
showing up and they mostly share nice.

I have feeders and I try to plant plants that hummers will feed from as well. Remember we have destroyed a lot of their food source by building, so this is just giving back!

You 'can' put them together or close, but I have found that I have many more hummers if I separate them. I now put my hummer feeders in the midst of my hummer garden.