Set out welcome dinner for hummingbirds

Every year on April 21, the male hummingbirds arrive at my back door. About 10 days later the females arrive.

They leave their Mexican winter homes in January and fly north at about 20 miles a day. I host three different species: rufous, calliope and black-chinned.

By August, most have headed south. During midsummer, when the hatchlings are flying on their own, my nine feeders are drained daily.

Many perennial plants, in my garden, provide nectar and attract small insects for hummingbirds to feed on. They are attracted to tubular flowers and prefer reds, oranges, magentas and pinks.

Some of the hummingbirds’ favorite flowering plants are those of the penstemon family. Penstemons will bloom most of the summer, when spent blooms are removed.

They prefer well-draining soil in full sun. Most can tolerate drought.

Try an early blooming penstemon pinifolius “Scarlet.” It has needlelike evergreen foliage and blooms May through June with many bright red, tubular flowers.

A new cultivar and later bloomer is penstemon “Party Dress.” It is tough as nails and will survive Zone 3 winters.

It produces multitudes of dark pink flowers.

Salvia is another group of plants that attract hummingbirds. Long-blooming pink and magenta cultivars to try are S. “Royal Distinction,” S. “Schwellenburg” and S. “Pink Delight.”

Salvias will often repeat bloom when spent flowers are removed, are drought tolerant when established, and deer resistant. Plant them in full sun and well-draining soil.

Crocosmias are like hummingbird candy. C. “Constance” has warm-orange tubular flowers, and C. “Lucifer” has fire engine red flowers.

Both lend a tropical look to the garden with their arching tubular flowers and strappy, irislike foliage. Plant them in full sun, and moist, well-draining soil.

There are several species of agastache, which hummingbirds adore. Try agastache rupestris with sunset-orange blooms, agastache cana “Purple Pygmy” with red-purple flowers, or the apricot flowering A. aurantiaca “Coronado.”

A new agastache, A. “Black Adder,” is a sure hummingbird attractant.

All are extremely long bloomers, drought tolerant once established, and deer resistant. They require full sun and well-draining soil.

Because hummingbirds return annually to their birthplace, after initially attracting them, each following year, you will host the original birds and their offspring.

Feeding solution is 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Boil the sugar water two minutes. Let it completely cool.

Use only table sugar, and never add food coloring.

Be sure to wash feeders thoroughly once a week. Dirty feeders can kill birds.