The Easy Gardening Task That'll Bring More Colorful Hummingbirds To Your Yard
Just like our favorite TV characters, hummingbirds have their favorite watering holes. The gang from "Friends" had Central Perk, "The Office" coworkers frequented Poor Richard's, and Norm had his own bar stool at Cheers. These birds are so faithful to their favorite spots that you might be seeing the same hummingbirds in your yard every year. The trick is to make your outdoor space as tantalizing as possible for these remarkable birds. Your yard may be the next Central Perk for hummingbirds if you set time aside for something as simple as deadheading your flowers.
The late author and editor of Bird Watchers' Digest, Bill Thompson III, listed deadheading as one of the easiest ways to attract hummingbirds to your garden. The longer your garden serves up delectable flowers, the more incentive the birds will have to favorite your garden. This common gardening chore will keep the blooms coming, and the hummingbirds are likely to follow.
Why should you deadhead?
Flowers live to bloom. Once their blossoms begin to wilt, they figure their main job is done for the season. They pour all their remaining energy into creating seeds for next year. Trick your flowers into putting on an encore performance by trimming away the dead weight. However, not every hummingbird-luring flower should be deadheaded.
Penn State University Extension shares that some of hummingbirds' most irresistible perennials are top candidates for a mid-season trim. Bee balm, larkspur, campanula, and evening primrose are a few hummingbird magnets that respond well to deadheading. Increase your chances for another bloom by avoiding these mistakes while deadheading your garden's flowers. You should let some of the blossoms they love go to seed. Columbines, foxgloves, cardinal flowers, and hollyhocks are tasty to the birds but are best left to reseed for the future. More blossoms equal more chances for the hummingbirds to feed, and giving them a reliable fueling station can keep them coming back for years.