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Black-chinned hummingbird

Auntie and I were gossiping and sipping tea in her hummingbird garden. How I loved her English style garden… almost as much as I loved my Auntie Elizabeth!

I don’t know exactly how it started – our companioning. More than likely it was during my visits while a toddler. Among my first memories are of sitting on her lap, blowing dandelion tufts into the breeze.

As I smiled with the memory, she whispered, “Do you hear him? He’s behind me somewhere.”

Looking past her, maybe two feet, was her friend, The Deacon. “Yes, Auntie. He’s just behind you, working his way along the honeysuckle trellis. In just a second, he’ll be along side you. Ok, you should be able to see him now. Why do you call him The Deacon?”

How The Deacon, a Black-Chinned Hummingbird, Got His Name…

Slowly, Auntie Elizabeth turned toward the soft rushing sound… and smiled her magic. When she had that look, a memory always followed… and she always shared the moment.

She began, “I know this isn’t my original Deacon, but these precious creatures never fail to revive that moment of grief overcome.”

“When your Uncle passed away, I felt so alone and afraid and lost… grief just took over my life. Nothing would lift me out of it.”

“Until… one morning, I was awakened by a tapping sound at my window. Something made me put on my robe, go outside, and sit on your Uncle’s morning bench.”

“Then, the most remarkable thing happened. A tiny hummingbird came within two feet of my face, looked me straight in the eye, and hovered there. I slowly raised my hand and held it out toward the little fellow. Without hesitation, he flew to my hand and rested there! He watched me quietly as tears flowed down my cheeks.”

“Soon, he lifted softly into the air a bit and backed away about ten feet, hesitated, came back to me, and then retreated again. It just felt as if he wanted me to follow him… so I did. He took me all through the garden, “showing” me how beautiful and peaceful and alive life was that morning.”

“When he was finished, he flew off. And my grief was gone, replaced by life seen through the eyes of this little fluff of love.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and all I could manage was, “Oh, Auntie…”

She patted my hand and continued. “The next morning my new friend greeted me with a cheery trill and several swoops through the air in front of me… and he was off about his business.”

“It was then I noticed his coloring… just like this little fellow over by you. What really stood out was the white ring around his neck… like a deacon’s collar.”

“So you see, sweetheart, whenever I see one of my Deacon’s relatives, his blessing still touches me. His sermon that morning was of life… of joy, goodness, hope.”

She turned to me and grinned. “My life was renewed by a tiny, deacon-collared little hummingbird.” She paused and whispered, “Just like this little one.”

As she held up her hand, he rested there a moment, looking at her… and then was off. She turned that magic smile toward me, and I understood.

As a child, everything always seemed better when Auntie smiled. It still does… for her tiny hummingbird and me!

Select plants that appeal to you as well as to those little hummers

Designing Small Hummingbird Gardens

Are you a “couch potato” gardener?

Wait… no offense intended! I am, too. It’s just an expression describing those of us who enjoy flowers and birds and butterflies, but don’t enjoy having to traipse through the garden looking for them.

Actually, my husband is more precise… he calls me a “garden potato”. He must love me, though… he rewards my “potato-ness” by placing potted plants close to the patio and porch.

Actually, we both relax every day watching our treasured hummingbirds feed and squabble and play. Only when you’re close to them can you appreciate how anatomically marvelous they are. And, container and patio gardening is the answer for the easy-does-it gardener!

A Hummingbird Garden Easy-Does-It Action Plan…

After a bit of experimenting, here is the seven step method my husband came up with.

(1) Research plants in our hardiness zone that attract hummingbirds, and that we would enjoy, too. (2) Develop a design for container planting on and near the patio and porch… including, misters spraying into bird baths and into shrubs. (3) Research prices on the internet and in local stores. (4) Purchase plants and containers and misters. (5) Connect misters, and plant and water everything. (6) Tidy up the area. (7) Relax with an ice cold lemonade (I added this last one).

At first, we didn’t notice much activity. Then we reasoned, why not try to lure our tiny “regulars” over to the new plants. By this time, it was noon. So, while I fixed us some lunch, my husband moved the feeders closer to his new container plantings and misters.

The Rewards of Landscaping for Hummingbirds…

Sure enough, while relaxing on the patio late that afternoon, they showed up!

Normally, our hummers would queue up mid-air until they managed a turn at the feeders. Now, they noticed all the new flowering plants and started investigating.

They darted excitedly from one blossom to the next. One little fellow found one of the misters and flew right through it and went straight up in the air and told the world all about his new discoveries… but then zoomed back down to the feeders before it all went away!

Almost as enjoyable, were my husband’s remarks… “Look how funny and brave they are! They usually fly away while I’m working in the garden, but now look at them. As long as we sit quietly, they stay close by.”

Looking at me, he grinned and said, “You ‘garden potatoes’ are onto something here. I could get used to this!”

Can you see the hummingbird?

(For the 1st part this article, see…
Blueprint to a Hummingbird Garden-Part 1)

Now that you know which shrubs and flowers to plant in your hummingbird garden, the next essentials are water, shelter, and food.

Step 2: Provide Water Misters to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden…

Just a simple hose attachment aimed into the air makes a nice arching spray, and will work just fine. As long as it’s beyond the range of cats and dogs, it will draw hummingbirds like a magnet!

It’s also helpful to direct a mister toward shrubs to turn leaves into miniature water-puddle bathtubs.

Territory squabbles are often forgotten in playfulness… and on very hot days, it’s essential for them to cool down.

If the hummingbirds are brave and let you get close enough, be prepared for a unique experience. (You’ll know where to look when you see tiny water droplet splashes.) These little feather-weights often snuggle into water caught in cupped leaves, and have a splashing good time.

Step 3: Locate Potential Hummingbird Nesting Shrubs and Trees Near Water and in Secluded Garden Niches…

Their usual choice is a downward-slopping, lichen-covered limb or branch. The nest is situated on a branch crotch or a bud scale.

The female hummingbird weaves a collection of downy materials (dandelion seed puffs, cottonwood puffs, and feathers) with spider webs. She’ll also include bud scales for strength, attaching them with spit. Finally, lichen is woven and spit-glued to the exterior to blend with the branch.

Are you ready for this? A hummingbird nest is an engineering marvel the size of a walnut half-shell. It’s plenty big, though, because she lays two pea-sized eggs. To really put it in perspective, each little egg is the size of HALF a jelly bean!

Step 4: Hang Several Hummingbird Feeders – At Least One Feeder Should Be Isolated…

Male hummingbirds are extremely territorial. If you have a “bully” or two, give them small feeders all their own. Hang them where you can enjoy watching them, yet satisfy their need for “ownership”.

Make sure to locate a large feeder just for the females. It should be hidden from view of the other feeders to enable the females to have plenty of nectar while nesting and raising their young.

Step 5: Prepare for the Next Hummingbird Migration…

This part of the Hummingbird Garden Blueprint is a delayed step, but it’s an essential element for “your” hummingbirds’ survival.

Depending on your location, some males will start migrating as early as July or August. Females and youngsters start leaving late August and September.

This means these tiny machines need plenty of fuel for their journeys… and your hummingbird feeders can be their life line. So keep close watch on the feeder levels… they’ll need replenishing more often.

You might also keep the feeders up for a while after “your” hummers have left. There may be some stragglers from further north needing an extra boost to help them on their way south.

Well… there you have it. A simple 5-part blueprint to create a hummingbird garden landscape. You may even have some of the elements already.

By the way, you’ll also enjoy a freebie. Butterflies are also attracted by many of the same elements! (But that’s another article…)