Humming Birds

Oh we love the birds! We especially like the blue jays since they hide peanuts in the garden for us to find, but the buzzing humming birds are a close second. They spend a lot of time in our garden the year round, but are a special delight in the winter. We love to watch the humming birds at the feeder! Sarah keeps the feeder clean and replaces the sugar and water solution often (one part plain white sugar to 4 parts water, boiled for two minutes, then cooled; store in the refrigerator for no more than 3 weeks. Do not use honey, do not use food color, just plain white sugar and water). The hanging baskets look a little rough, but there are still blooms on the Million Bells and the Bacopa, so they will stay hanging until we have some really cold weather. The Hummers also enjoy the flowers on the Meyer Lemons, and they eat little tiny bugs on several plants.

Sarah starts filling the feeders in mid-fall and will continue through until late spring; she takes the feeders down for the summer...The nectar can mold very quickly in the heat and there are plenty of things blooming in the garden once the weather has warmed up; so there isn't really a need for the feeders year round.