Hummingbird Gardens [Hardcover]

Nancy Newfield (Author), Barbara Nielsen (Author), Roger Tory Peterson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1996

Of all the beauty a garden can cultivate, nothing equals that of the hummingbird. Little wonder that millions of North Americans attempt to attract these spunky birds to their gardens. Hummingbird Gardens provides how-to information on feeders, plant combinations, and garden design. It showcases the continent's 20-plus hummingbird species. By breaking North America into six regions, the authors give tips that are tailored for gardeners in all parts of the United States and Canada.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A guide full of sensible and easy to follow advice for gardeners in all parts of the country who want to experience the magic of hummingbirds in their garden. Hummingbird Gardens provides specific recommendations for the best varieties of flowers to plant in order to attract the elusive creatures, while integrating gardening ideas and designs with an informative introduction to the general habits, including migrating and nesting patterns, of hummingbirds.

From Booklist

An undeniable element of magic surrounds the unexpected discovery of a hummingbird paying a visit to one's own backyard. With that goal in mind, Newfield and Nielsen offer a compilation of material full of sensible advice for gardeners in all parts of the country who share the desire to attract hummingbirds to the home garden environment. Although the guide can be counted on to provide specific recommendations for the best varieties of flowers to plant in order to attract the lovely creatures, the appealing text integrates gardening ideas and designs with an informative introduction to the general habits (migrating and nesting patterns, etc.) of hummingbirds. A final section provides a detailed identification guide to various species and to plants (as designated by regional appropriateness). Alice Joyce

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881527883
• ISBN-13: 978-1881527886
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #701,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wealth of informative text and spectacular photos., October 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hummingbird Gardens (Paperback)

Long, long ago - experience taught me the smoothest way through life is to "never make recommendations to anybody about anything." Sam and I have learned to qualify those don't-miss-it things encompassing: great places to eat, visit, read, watch, etc. For example, we now say, "The food was great the night we were there," or "You would love the movie if you enjoy such-and-such."

With all of those lessons in mind, I'm unequivocally saying, "Get your hands on Hummingbird Gardens as soon as possible." I don't think the co-authors, Nancy Newfield and Barbara Nielsen, have yet realized the true scope of what they have accomplished.

I knew Nancy was working on a book with somebody, but thought it was strictly for the southern Louisiana area. When Sam brought home my unexpected copy, it took only a few minutes of browsing for me to tell him something like, "Good lord, this thing is really, really good - and I mean good!" That's saying a lot for a person who is not easily impressed, and the more I read, the better it got.

Somehow, Nancy and Barbara truly did it all in Hummingbird Gardens by combining a wealth of well written, informative text with spectacular photographs of both the hummingbirds and the flowering plants so loved by these creatures. The beautiful birds and blossoming plants are well covered in their own separate chapters.

At the same time though, the content flows smoothly into pertinent regional information for those in: California, The Pacific Northwest, The Southwest, The Western Mountains, The Southeast and The East and Midwest. They so skillfully blend bird and bloom with helpful tips and enthusiasts' experiences that you will want to read on and on about other hummers in other gardens!

As far as I can determine, they left no stone unturned. All who open its covers will soon learn to appreciate the inclusion of subjects often left out of other publications. This one did not forget such things as: References and Further Reading (great bibliography), Resources (supermarkets for the hummers' favorite natural foods), and an excellent Index.

One last thing. Although Hummingbird Gardens was primarily done for the millions of us who simply love and enjoy these particular bounties of nature - I sincerely believe ornithology, as a whole, will gain as well. The professionals cannot be out in the field all of the time, thus what we see "our" hummers doing in our yards can contribute a great deal to the science. Meanwhile, we are very lucky, indeed, that Barbara and Nancy decided to share their knowledge and discoveries with the rest of us!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource, October 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hummingbird Gardens (Hardcover)

Including information from real-life hummingbird gardeners around the U.S., this book will be useful to virtually anyone in North America who's trying to create backyard habitat for these fascinating birds. The main shortcoming of this book is in the depth of coverage of the plants, particularly photos. There were not enough showing an entire plant (though more than enough of the birds themselves), and the one feeder illustrated contained dyed sugar water (a no-no and contradictory to the text). Novice hummingbird gardeners should cross-reference the plant names with national and regional gardening guides for photos and cultural information such as size and temperature tolerance.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Informative, August 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hummingbird Gardens (Hardcover)

This book has incredible photographs and gobs of information about these amazing creatures. It's an unabashed sales-job to get you to become a hummingbird gardener. (That's not a bad idea!)