Valerie,

Hello fellow Badger! How funny, I too (a newbie whose garden is still pretty sparse) have had one consistent little female visitor at my feeder at dawn and dusk since early June. Now that my newly planted Monarda is finally blooming I have seen her there too. Just curious, what flowers does your Hummer prefer? It seems many of the favorites mentioned on this forum (salvia B&B, pineapple sage, etc) aren't perennials here...

Enjoy the rest of your summer and hope your feeder starts getting some use soon, too!!

Hi Val - I have come to about the same conclusion as you. This is my first year with feeders. I have 2 hummzingers and have tried changing their locations, tried COLD nectar, tried cleaning and re-filling every day. The hummers here only go to the flowers. I have only once seen a hummer investigate a feeder. Lucky for me that they do like flowers and I like flowers too! And hopefully for you, when the migration starts, yours will use your feeders. Best of luck to you.

Generally I agree, it is about the flowers. I rarely see hummers at my feeder, and when I do it's a quick hit. The feeder could probably come down and the hummers wouldn't care, but I like it there for times when nectar flags, and when there's quite a bit of competition in the garden. A bird can make a quick hit at the feeder to retool for the next event in the Hummer Olypics.

I'm still seeing the female only at the flowers and the male only at the feeder. The female is definitely crazy about the "Jacob Cline" monarda; she'll visit my other plants, but only briefly, before returning to the "Jacob Cline", and going to town! I wish I could keep it blooming alot longer, although this year, it's been blooming it's head off. I'm keeping it deadheaded, and more blooms just keep showing up, much to my surprise. Most of my other monarda's aren't rebounding from cutback and are extremely ratty looking...

Yesterday I saw a hummingbird use the feeder for the first time. Here, they visit the agastache, black and blue salvia and monarda regularly. My Monarda is Raspberry Wine and it is also making new blooms continuously when I deadhead. The foliage looks great and the deep red/purple color is beautiful.

I had deadheaded the Gartenmeister (sp?) Fuschia so it would grow taller and am now getting new blooms. Also the lobelia is starting to bloom. There are many hummers in my yard, but they seem more interested in the tall evergreens.

Over here I'm getting all my activity on the flowers.My earlybird this spring liked the feeder but for about a month now it's been all-flower summer.Tops are Salvia guaranitica,Jacob Cline B-Balm, Coral Honeysuckle,Tutti-Fruitti Agastache and Salvia coccinea.
-stephen in New Jersey

They use the feeders and flowers here but mostly love to chase and yell at each other. Favorite flowers here currently in bloom that are perennials are beebalm, cardinal flower coral honey suckle and trumpet vine. Also several salvias but they aren't always perennials. Sarah

these are great observations, and I've enjoyed reading them. good thread, val, thanks.
I have had good hummer visits on some of the ones above, and I want to specifically mention one that I'd never heard of last spring when I bought it, labelled 'cherry chief sage.' it was blooming when I bought it, and it hasn't stopped yet. it seems like it will bloom constantly for the whole growing season here, and did so throughout the heat and drought of june and july. I googled it before posting and just now learned it is a greggi hybrid.
the juvenile hummers spend considerable time on it daily when they check out the beebalm and B&B.

Here is a link that might be useful: cherry chief sage

Yea that Cherry-Chief looks like a good one!
thanks for the link Stan

My garden is pretty well established as I've lived here 14 years now and I have a variety of perennials, native and non native. My garden is primarily hummer/butterfly friendly. Now I have blooming 3 types of bee balm, red, magenta and light pink (native variety), jewelweed (garden balsam), cleome, cardinal flowers - several varieties, several milkweeds for the butterflies including common, white and swamp, have about 10 different hostas that bloom through out the summer. Monkshood, white phlox, butterfly bushes, coneflowers, black eye susan. Then some annuals round out the assortment, have lots of impatients, 2 fushias including the gardenmeister, pots of trailing petunias, hanging baskets of ivy geraniums on the front porch. I tried some annual pentas, tobacco flowers, red salvia. Then there are the roses and a lot of lavendar. Along with about 6 or eight different daylilies blooming at different intervals through the summer. Yet to bloom are turtleheads, autumn sedum, crysanthemum.
I've been collecting and trading plants since I've lived here. A rain garden and a spring native garden are in the works. I divide and share plants with friends and try to make room for new things all the time. We also have a small water garden in a 25 gallon whiskey barrel with lilypads and water hyacinth, a favorite place for birds to get a drink. Goldfish eat the mosquito larvae in the small pond.
It's been nice having a hummer around all summer. Since I never see her use the feeders, I have only one hummzinger hanging up now. Come migration, I will hang several as there will be many more hummers just passing through my area.
I really do enjoy reading all your posts and look for many of the flowers you all have suggested. Especially on the lookout for hardy perennials - many of my favorites don't make it over the winter, it always depends on how cold it actually gets here and the depth of the snow cover. More snow the better! It insulates my garden and protects my plants from sub zero temperatures. THINK SNOW! Yea, I know it's still July, but what the heck. That's life in WI! VAL