Several years ago we showed you the hummingbird haven that belongs to S.W. and Natalie Jordan in Raymond Mississippi. Well, we’re back and so are the hummers!
The ruby throated hummingbird flies thousands of miles to come to North America where they breed, and of course feed. In the fall, they travel back to Mexico and Central America, where they spend the winter months.
Mrs. Jordan has been feeding hummingbirds for about 36 years and has planted extensively to provide nectar rich flowers for these darting acrobats. Plants like salvias, cleomes, cape honeysuckle and cupheas are some of her favorites.
The Jordan home has more hummingbird feeders than you might normally see in a garden. In fact, Mrs. Jordan uses over five pounds of sugar a day in making her special formula of hummingbird food.
Her recipe for success is 3 and half cups of water to one cup of sugar. The solution is brought to a boil and then let cool. As you can tell by the activity the recipe works.
Hummingbirds are unique creatures when it comes to eating. When feeding, they lick up to 13 times a second. They eat every 10 to 15 minutes from sunrise to sunset, and devour more than half their weight in food.
By planting flowers with an overlapping season of bloom and using hummingbird feeders, you too can have a hummingbird haven like the Jordans in Raymond, Mississippi. I’m Norman Winter for Southern Gardening.