As someone who’s been tending to hummingbird gardens since before many of you were planting your first marigolds, I’ve learned a thing or two about keeping these magical little visitors happy. These days, I’m seeing more and more folks struggle with their hummingbird gardens, not realizing that these ethereal creatures are quite particular about their surroundings.

Let me share some telltale signs that your hummingbird haven might need some sprucing up.

1. Your Feeders Are Collecting Dust

First, make sure your feeders are sparkling clean. During the summer, this might mean putting out a clean feeder every day.

Fresh sugar water solution spoils rapidly in the heat, causing mold and bacteria that can kill hummingbirds. If the nectar is cloudy, it’s spoiled–take it down immediately!

Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute recommends changing and cleaning hummingbird feeders daily but says it should be done at least twice a week in the summer and once a week in cooler weather at a minimum.

2. Your Garden Lacks Tubular Flowers

Plant plenty of native flowers with tubular blooms like honeysuckle, trumpet vine, bee balm, and sage. Supplement feeders with fresh edible flowers like nasturtium, fuchsia, and impatiens to provide more nutrients.

Second, plant native flowers that bloom in shades of red, pink, or orange. Hummingbirds are particularly drawn to tubular flowers that they can hover over while sipping nectar.

Good choices for New Mexico gardens include bee balm, cardinal flower, and trumpet honeysuckle.

3. There's No Water Feature

Hummingbirds generally get the water they need through nectar. But you should include water in your garden, so they have a place to bathe, and to help them feel comfortable and at home.

First, provide a source of fresh water. Hummingbirds are attracted to moving water, so consider installing a small fountain or waterfall.

You can also simply hang a birdbath in your yard and change the water regularly.

4. Your Garden Lacks Vertical Layers

Create diversity and layers by planting plants with richly functioning ecology, to keep hummingbirds happy and to attract a wide range of other wildlife to your garden.

Two extra ways to create a highly hummingbird-friendly garden is to include well-developed climbing vines with blooms and to have a few hanging baskets around the garden. Taking advantage of the different topography in your garden is a great way to produce a natural sense of foraging for hummingbirds.

5. Too Much Pesticide Use

If you’re reaching for chemical solutions to combat garden pests, you’re inadvertently driving away hummingbirds. These birds need insects for protein, particularly during breeding season.

Natural pest control methods and tolerating some insect activity will create a healthier ecosystem that supports your hummingbird population.

6. Overcrowded Feeding Stations

If you’d like to attract Rufous hummingbirds to your garden, be sure to set up multiple, widely spread bird feeding stations in your backyard to attract these tiny birds; the farther they are apart, the better! Because of their feeding habits, separating one hummingbird feeder from another will allow other wayward hummingbirds to get a fair chance to enjoy the sugar water.

7. No Safe Perching Spots

Place your hummingbird feeders near bushes to provide perching spots. Hummingbirds.net says these little birds spend 80 percent of their time perching.

They like to keep an eye on things, not for a long time but long enough to keep an eye out for predators. It’s easier to protect yourself if you can see your predators coming.

Ensure that there are plenty of shrubs and trees in your garden for hummingbirds to use as perching places. Male hummingbirds, in particular, spend time on lookout duty.

These territorial hummers have to defend their territory from other males and look out for hummingbird predators to keep themselves and their ‘families’ safe.

8. Poor Seasonal Planning

If your garden only blooms for a few weeks in summer, you’re missing out on extended hummingbird visits. Plan for continuous blooming from spring through fall with early bloomers like columbine, mid-season salvias, and late-season favorites like cardinal flower.

This ensures your tiny friends have natural food sources throughout their active season.

9. Lack of Shelter from Predators

Hummingbirds require shelter for resting and safety from predators. Small bushes and trees within 10 to 20 feet of the feeding and watering area will work well to provide this necessity.

Hummingbirds need a place to rest and raise a family. Most hummingbirds build their nests safe in the shelter of trees, shrubs, or bushes.

10. Wrong Colors in Your Garden

Hummingbirds are drawn to flowers of bright colors that stand out in the garden and are especially fond of the color red. One reason that hummers are particularly drawn to red flowers is that other pollinators such as bees can’t see red at all.

First and foremost, color does matter. Red flowers are without a doubt the best but there are plenty of flowers that are not red that still attract hummingbirds.

Strong, bright colors, long tubular or cone-shaped blooms and high nectar content are the most important factors to consider when designing a hummingbird-friendly garden. Hummingbirds aren’t known for being fantastic smellers so they rely on identifying colors – and are drawn in by bright red, purples, blues etc.

11. Dirty or Moldy Feeders

Dirty feeders are a deterrent to hummingbirds. Mold and mildew can make them sick, and nectar that is spoiled or ant-filled is going to make hummingbirds avoid your feeders.

Hummingbirds are very particular about their feeders and will leave a feeder that is too often dirty or empty. Leaving a dirty hummingbird feeder in your yard is a guaranteed way to send the hummingbirds you want to see to find somewhere else to eat.

If you can’t commit to regularly filling and washing your hummingbird feeders, it’s best to plant lots of nectar-producing flowers and let those do the work of attracting hummingbirds.

12. Missing Native Plants

Choosing native plants is always the best option. Native plants are best suited to the conditions and provide hummingbirds and other native wildlife with what they need.

You might include, for example: Native plants are best, if possible. While hummingbirds may be attracted to any number of plants in your yard, hummingbirds have evolved with native plants, which have adapted to local conditions such as soil and climate, according to the U.S.

Forest Service.

13. Exposed Feeding Areas

Position feeders in shady areas out of direct sunlight to prevent nectar from overheating and spoiling. Space them apart from each other to avoid territorial behaviors at your feeders.

In more mountainous and exposed areas, planting trees and shrubs to create a more sheltered micro-climate and shade can be an excellent idea for hummingbirds in your area.

14. Insufficient Sun Exposure

When feeding, hummingbirds prefer flowers whose nectar has been warmed naturally by the sun. This nectar usually has a slightly stronger scent, which will attract the birds and other pollinators.

15. Wrong Nectar Recipe

The Audubon Society’s basic hummingbird nectar recipe is the standard: bring 1 cup of tap water to a boil on the stove. Mix in ¼ cup of regular white sugar and stir until dissolved.

Let it cool completely before you put it in your clean feeder. Nectar Recipe: Make your own nectar using 4 parts water to 1 part white sugar.

Avoid sugar substitutes, brown sugar, honey, and red dyes as they can be harmful to the birds.

16. Competing Food Sources Nearby

If your neighbors have created a hummingbird paradise while your garden offers minimal attractions, you might be losing the local hummingbird popularity contest. Take a look around your neighborhood and aim to create a garden that’s equally or more attractive than nearby options.

Remember, hummingbirds are creatures of habit, but they’re not above changing their regular route for a better buffet.

Hummingbird garden fixes at a glance

What you see	Likely cause	What to do
Unused dusty feeders	Spoiled or dirty nectar	Put out a clean feeder daily in summer
No hovering at blooms	Missing tubular flowers	Plant honeysuckle, trumpet vine, bee balm, sage
No bathing	No water	Add moving water, a fountain, or a birdbath
Flat planting	No vertical layers	Add climbing vines and hanging baskets
One bird owns the yard	Stations too close	Spread multiple feeding stations widely
No rest stops	No perches	Place feeders near bushes; they perch about 80% of the time
Skittish feeding	No cover	Shrubs and trees 10 to 20 feet from food and water
They skip the beds	Wrong colors	Red first; other bright flowers still work
They leave the feeder	Mold or empty ports	Dirty or empty feeders get abandoned

Keep reading

• 13 Must-Have Features of Every Successful Hummingbird Garden
• 13 Budget-Friendly Ways to Create the Ultimate Hummingbird Garden
• 12 Secrets to Creating a Drought-Resistant Hummingbird Garden