CREATING A HUMMINGBIRD GARDEN

Rating:
Summary: Everything You Need To Know for Under $10!
Review: This beautiful little volume is a treasure of information. A concise 80 pages, it's packed with valuable information and 58 photos and illustrations. Including 17 of the most common hummingbirds in the United States and their regions. It provides illustrated landscaping and plant guides for each season and region, with a variety of colors. Red being designated as the color generally drawing hummingbirds first and strongest. This book taught me that hummers prefer the birdbath even more shallow then regular birds. Such a simple thing to correct! I've read several books on hummingbird gardening, but this is the first to encourage "island" planting and "layering" to attract hummingbirds. This book taught me that "island" planting increases the flower-surface area available for hummingbird use. Not only is this beneficial to attracting hummers, but is so beautiful. They encourage gardners to "layer", which is also so pleasing to the eye, not just the birds. The taller plants, in the "layering" technique, provide places for the hummingbirds to hide. Recipes for necter are included, along with instructions for taming! I enjoyed the bit of history the author included too: for ex., thousands of these little birds were exported to England in the 1800's to be added to collections and to be used on ladies hats! This book has taught me more about the hummingbird, it's habits, preferences, etc. then any other I've purchased. Also, it was one of least expensive! This book was so helpful I purchased it's "sister" on attracting butterflies. I highly recommend!

Rating:
Summary: Everything You Need To Know for Under $10!
Review: This beautiful little volume is a treasure of information. A concise 80 pages, it's packed with valuable information and 58 photos and illustrations. Including 17 of the most common hummingbirds in the United States and their regions. It provides illustrated landscaping and plant guides for each season and region, with a variety of colors. Red being designated as the color generally drawing hummingbirds first and strongest. This book taught me that hummers prefer the birdbath even more shallow then regular birds. Such a simple thing to correct! I've read several books on hummingbird gardening, but this is the first to encourage "island" planting and "layering" to attract hummingbirds. This book taught me that "island" planting increases the flower-surface area available for hummingbird use. Not only is this beneficial to attracting hummers, but is so beautiful. They encourage gardners to "layer", which is also so pleasing to the eye, not just the birds. The taller plants, in the "layering" technique, provide places for the hummingbirds to hide. Recipes for necter are included, along with instructions for taming! I enjoyed the bit of history the author included too: for ex., thousands of these little birds were exported to England in the 1800's to be added to collections and to be used on ladies hats! This book has taught me more about the hummingbird, it's habits, preferences, etc. then any other I've purchased. Also, it was one of least expensive! This book was so helpful I purchased it's "sister" on attracting butterflies. I highly recommend!

Rating:
Summary: a very basic book
Review: This is a very basic book but a good intro to hummingbird gardening. It recommends non-native plants in addition to native ones but you have to do your own research to determine which are which. By the time I bought this book I already knew what they hadto say and was well past it. Its very very basic - has lists of plants and drawings of gardens but doesn't tell much more. Common sense tells you that hummingbirds like flowers that are trumpt shaped and red. Other books can tell you more about the plants and its better to plant native plants anyway since they are "designed" to grow in your area and their blossoms are timed with the hummingbird migration (its the whole interdependency/web of life thing).

Rating:
Summary: a very basic book
Review: This is a very basic book but a good intro to hummingbird gardening. It recommends non-native plants in addition to native ones but you have to do your own research to determine which are which. By the time I bought this book I already knew what they hadto say and was well past it. Its very very basic - has lists of plants and drawings of gardens but doesn't tell much more. Common sense tells you that hummingbirds like flowers that are trumpt shaped and red. Other books can tell you more about the plants and its better to plant native plants anyway since they are "designed" to grow in your area and their blossoms are timed with the hummingbird migration (its the whole interdependency/web of life thing).

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This is a wonderful book to guide you in planting a garden that will attract hummingbirds. I highly recommend it.