<p>April is Hummingbird month:</p><p>I have never met a gardener who didn’t also love the birds. We are date-driven as gardeners … plant annuals after May 24; prune in the early Spring; plant Spring-flowering bulbs in the Fall. But it wasn’t until I read an article, 15 years ago, about hummingbird migration patterns that I realized most of us were missing a very important date if we wanted to support the hummingbirds that grace our summer gardens. Did you know that hummers start arriving back north earlier than we think? In Southern Ont., I have seen the first hummingbird between April 19th and May 4th! They have just flown from Central America and are tired and hungry, so it is best to have feeders up early. Now is the time to get the feeders washed, the syrup made, and decide how many and where to hang them. One syrup feeder works very well but if you want many hummingbirds (which is great fun) you need multiple feeders. I have 7 feeders and every morning and night they put on an airshow with 20 to 25 birds. It is quite a spectacle!</p><p>Fill feeders with sugar-water syrup; 4/water-to-1/sugar, boiled. DO NOT ADD RED FOOD COLOURING. Replenish syrup regularly. When warm weather arrives hang red or fuschia coloured flowering plants next to the feeders. </p><p>Why not forward this e-mail “hummingbird reminder” to your friends? I know the hummers will appreciate it! </p>