Created on: June 8th 2005

IDAHO Hummingbird Gardening

[Dale Donahue of Desert Design (Boise, Idaho) submitted the following letter to me in May 2005.
It is very useful for the SW Idaho gardener hoping to attract hummers,
so I have reproduced it here with his permission.]

I have visited the Idaho hummingbird site several weeks ago and kept the web address on my computer, and was intrigued by the hummingbird visits, etc., and some the comments about plants.

I do specialty desert and xeriscape landscape design here in the Boise area, and incorporate many hummingbird and butterfly plants to attract them. I have several clients that have much success attracting the tiny birds without the use of feeders. I have sat in their yards, and counted sometimes more than fifteen hummers at one time going through the various flowers, and resting on stems and twigs in the gardens.

These are not traditional gardens, but very natural type gardens with plenty of salvias. I have found that the more you plant of one species or combinations of species, the more likely the birds are to visit the yard. I have many birds that stake out the same yard every year and some get very territorial because of the abundance of flowers that they prefer. No chemicals or pesticides are used and that helps to minimize any problems that the birds may encounter. I have seen just about every species that one can see in Idaho, except the Broadtail, which seems to prefer more of the forest locations apparently.

Many species of plants are magnets for hummingbirds, and again I emphasize it is the quantity and quality of the plants. I have many hesperaloe parviflora plants that they just return again and again to. One of the greatest plants for hummers is the chilopsis species [desert willow] related to the catalpa trees. They produce nectar laden tubular flowers all summer and into fall, and are quite showy and fragrant. Many of the agastache species are sure-fire flowers for the birds as well as many species of bees and butterflies. There are 2 native ones that are sometimes available locally. Most of the agastaches, salivias are available at many of the nurseries, especially Edwards Greenhouses and lately even at Fred Meyers Garden Centers. You have to get the right type of penstemons to really attract them. The extremely showy butterfly bushes are also useful to the birds as well as many cacti species. They love the triglochidiatus types of hedgehog cacti and many others.

Salvia greggii and related species including the native salvia dorrii attract them in droves. Plant many clusters of these plants and you will be rewarded handsomely. These salvias are very cold hardy but also love little care and little water. They bloom almost non-stop from spring into October.

The stachys family is another [nettles]. I love to include these in my native plant/desert garden designs, and you all might be interested in some of these plants and how they attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

Thanks,

Dale Donahue
Desert Design
208-331-2388
Boise, Idaho

by Stacy Jon Peterson
Mtn Home AFB, ID

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