Hummingbird Feast

"monarda" originally uploaded by corsiphoto

I thank my Bee Balm for attracting hummingbirds to my garden. They are such a delight to watch and such a surprise for many visitors who have never seen a hummingbird before, or even believe that we have them in the Chicago area. Then, when I tell them that these beautiful little creatures fly to Mexico for the winter, they're really amazed. Supposedly, hummingbirds will return to the same flower beds year after year. Well, ours seem to be pretty comfortable with having us around. The birds will fly within a foot of us and especially enjoy flying through the water spray when we're sprinkling the flowers. The Bee Balm, or Monarda, are an easy to grow perennial. They grow about three feet tall, and from a distance, look like clouds of red in the garden. Close up, you notice their nice, spicy scent. Even closer, and you see massive, fat, bumblebees harvesting nectar, and of course, the hummingbirds. In this article, Nancy Newfield describes the bee balm and twelve other plants that attract hummingbirds.