How Close Was the Hummingbird?

What is more delightful than a hummingbird sipping nectar, 18 inches away?

The drought was broken today, when a predicted light rain turned into hours of serious, cooling, enjoyable rain. 

I invited Sassy outside to observe the frantic activities of insects working the Joe Pye, Clethra, and Bee Balm.

I watered the new, scarlet Bee Balm - Fireball -almost every day during the drought, using the rain barrel in front down to the last drop.

 The smallest bird is the bravest. Synodical bullies should take note of that.

Today I was sitting on the bench with my leg crossed, my bare toe 18 inches from the red Bee Balm. A hummingbird came over to thank me for installing such an attractive, hummingbird-loving flower. It sipped every part of the flower and circled to make sure he had all the ports checked. Then he went to the next red Bee Balm, to sample the new one starting to flower.

As stunning as the hummingbird is, this photo delighted me even more.

Spring Fever Is Hatching the Bulbs of Last Fall's Fling

The first lonely daffodil has bloomed in the rose garden. That reminds me of the time I arrived at the Greek semester final a day early. The college professor, Harry S. B. Johnson, laughed and said, "That is great! Now you have an extra day to study."

Daffodils are inevitable in the Creation Garden. They do not taste good to the wildlife, gradually increase below ground, and bring a cheerful reminder that spring is close.

Roses were leafing out a few weeks ago, and other plants were greening up with optimism, only to remain at parade rest until we had genuinely warm, sunny days.

Of course, with some variation, winter (or hardy) bulbs are already flowers. When planted in the fall, they develop roots and grow almost to the soil's surface. They know winter is coming, whether it is by hearing the geese squawking overhead or the squirrels digging in food beside them. A bitterly cold winter helps hardy bulbs, so they reward the fall gardener ordering in snow country, who hopes to dig in bulbs before the soil is frozen. I remember having that problem in New Ulm, but the bulbs were glorious.

The day the agents came to visit our house for sale, all my bulbs bloomed at once, including some rare varieties. The agents were stunned, and the house sold at once. We moved to Arizona, where gardening dreams die under the merciless sun in a cloudless sky. Nothing except citrus and cactus grew well, so we had plenty of both.

Last year we had so many drenching rainstorms, dropping inches at a time, that few plants grew well. However, we set up five humming bird feeders and quickly became a destination.

Hummingbirds - They Like Me!

We had hummingbirds in the front and back gardens. I noticed them fleetingly on the Butterfly Bush and the Bee Balms.

As I wrote before, I shifted from seed feeders for the birds and squirrels when the rodent Mafia took over the feeders and created destructive messes in order to have it all.

The hanging of one hummingbird feeder in the kitchen window led Ranger Bob to setting up another in the rose garden. The front porch faces the front yard, which is all roses, herbs, and beneficial insect hosts. Sassy and Mrs. Ichabod join the men on the shaded porch for coffee, coconut crackers, and history.

The sun is on the garden but behind the house, so we enjoy view, breezes, and shade. The feeder has certainly leverages our hummingbird views. The birds not only have natural food from the plants, grabbing spiders and small insects, but also the nectar in the feeders.

This is a fascinating article about hummingbirds.

Yesterday, one hummingbird flew toward us in his head-up, tail-down position. That seems to be their way of scoping their surroundings, especially in looking at us humans. He got closer and closer. We are id-ed as good guys now, all for a little extra work in giving them extra food.

A group of them, four at the most, make regular trips to rose garden feeder, but they also work their way around the garden.

Most of my Bee Balms are blue.

I have sworn off autumn bargains in gardening, but I got a good one last year. (I am still addicted, but now - at least I am aware.) One company offered a large number of Bee Balms. It was a steal really. I thought they never would never make it through the winter. But they just kept coming up here and there and are still sprouting new plants, perhaps just from clumping growth. However that happened, they attract all kinds of insects and the hummingbirds.

 Mountain Mint is attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.
A butterfly plant is a hummingbird plant and a beneficial insect host. Gardening centers and catalogs mesmerize gardeners with this incantation - "Pollinators love this plant."

Hosta Garden Getting the Cardboard Foundation

Storms are on their way, very likely today, and perhaps on Friday and Saturday. I emptied the rain-barrels yesterday, on the fence roses and the Bee Balm transplants. Our helper spread cardboard out on the Hosta garden. I said prophetically, "Nothing brings on the wind like cardboard without the mulch."

Blue Hawaii Hosta

He said, "Are we putting mulch on the cardboard?"

"No, we are mulched out. We will weigh it down until we have leaves to add."

Mrs. Ichabod wanted a Hosta garden, and I realized one garden area was more in the shade than the sun, in spite of our massive pruning effort last spring. Mr. Gardener gave this a boost by donating some small Hosta plants to us. Direct Gardening then sent some bonus small plants reputed to be a different color than green. Not only that, Sassy kept taking me by a neat front yard, carefully managed and full of mature Hosta, so I was convinced.

How to view your new plants from Direct Gardening.

Even better, the tiny Hosta sent by Direct Gardening grew like weeds, even though the starts were tiny. They were actually more yellow than green, as promised.

Great Expectations Hosta

Hummingbird, by Norma Boeckler

Hosta Fans and the Hosta Garden
I first heard about Hosta when attending an evangelism conference with Mrs. Ichabod. The leader ran into Hosta fans somewhere and commented on that interest group - a plant he had never heard of. Later I recognized Hosta as part of our home garden in Moline. They are good pass-along plants, since they grow and spread so easily. Everyone needs shade plants.

Their reputation for attracting Hummingbirds increased my interest, and squirrels decreased my desire to plant corn again. Squirrels cleaned me out last year  and showed a distinct and passionate love for ripe Silver Queen corn, my favorite. They left the stalks.

Our helper just mowed that garden that was to be the Three Sisters Garden last year - corn, beans, and pumpkin. We had a thick layer of cut grass and weeds, including my 9 foot Pokeweeds (which the fireman eyed with concern). With two rows of Hosta already growing and soaker -hose laid along the house, that seemed like a good time to prepare the area for Hosta alone, plus one row of Blueberries.

Readers may remember how I saw a Blueberry stalk pulled down twice by a squirrel, so he could harvest the berries on top. Fortunately, the squirrels are allowing me to enjoy the Blackberries, which are so abundant that most would call them weeds. The State of Washington seemed paved with Blackberries when we were there, the woods mulched with them. They expand like Raspberries through their roots and are not fussy. Mine are Triple Crown  - thornless.

Our helper brought up the sunflower seeds we planted with abundance in the early spring. "Where are they?"

I replied, seething, "The squirrels and rabbits got to them, and they left one out of all the seeds we planted - hundreds and hundreds of seeds. Don't mention it again." We laughed about the second year of feeding squirrels and rabbits.

The bunnies are all over our area. He said, "I have five rabbits in my yard." I responded, "You have five rabbits you have seen, and 20 you have not seen." He has a large grassy yard. Sassy and I see them every morning in many yards.

Liberty Hosta

Hummingbird Blog for Addicts of the Little Creatures

Hostas for Hummingbirds

How to Plant

http://www.hummingbird-guide.com/hostas-for-hummingbirds.html

Hostas for hummingbirds are hugely popular. On account of their easy maintenance and shade tolerance, they are often called the perfect perennial. We can absolutely tell you that the hummingbirds certainly agree.

Taking Shade

On hot summer afternoons, my husband and I enjoy sitting in the shade. We find that we are not alone. There is usually a party going on. The hummingbirds are dancing all around our hosta plants enjoying the sweet nectar. These blooms are shade tolerant, so they are just right for the shaded areas of our property. Over the years we have purchased a few attractive and comfortable Adirondack chairs nearby, keeping cool, watching all fast paced hummingbirds. They have a special metabolism that allows them to keep a body temperature that is much higher than ours.

In our opinion, "Hostas for Hummingbirds" are definitely among their favorites!

How to Plant Hostas for Hummingbirds

1. Select some plants - Did you know that you can buy them direct at
   Direct Gardening and save money. You might like to do this because Hostas are so lovely and easy to grow that many of us find that one is not enough. We soon find ourselves with a number of these plants and our hummingbirds don’t mind at all.
2. Choose a location - Remember that these plants are perennials. Even though they can be moved, we find that it is better to plant them in the right spot the first time.
3.  Sun requirements - Hostas for hummingbirds are shade tolerant. This can mean many things. Like most plants, they require some sun. When planted in a very dark location, you might see little growth. It is better for them to receive some light for a few hours a day or filtered sun throughout the day. We plant some of ours under trees. This gives the hummingbirds a perfect place to perch. Hummingbirds need to perch often, they digest food quickly while perching.
4. Soil requirements - They thrive in a variety of soils. This is one reason for their enormous popularity. Now, if you really want to maximize growth potential, a rich well drained soil is optimum. We usually just add leaves or compost and our plants grow beautifully.
5. Water needs -They grow best with adequate moisture. Those of us who plant hostas under trees need to realize that the trees are competing for water in the soil so they may need to be watered in drier spells. I love to water my plants because I then have the chance to view them and the hummingbirds.
6. Pests - Hostas have few pests. Slugs will poke holes in the leaves of the immature leaves. Once mature, slugs can’t work through the thick, tough leaves. Deer and rabbits sometimes eat them. We do not recommend chemical pesticides of any kind. These will absolutely harm the hummingbirds. We use natural products…….. We are surrounded by forests and have plenty of deer. We use the old trick of tying a bag of ivory soap to a stick to keep the deer away.
7. Plant division - A great feature is that hostas for hummingbirds are maintenance free. It is not necessary to divide them unless you would like to create more plants.

My First Hummingbird on the Butterfly Bush - Near the Window

White Profusion Butterfly Bush

I decided to put the observational plants in the same area with the most sun, what amounts to the backyard extension of the sunny garden, on the south side.

There I planted butterfly, beneficial insect, and hummingbird flowers:

• Bee Balms
• Lavender
• Coreopsis
• Dill
• Gooseberry
• Beautyberry
• Chaste Tree
• White Profusion Butterfly Bush

I planted White Profusion where I could easily see it from the bedroom window. I was doing some laundry and peeked out the backdoor at that garden area. A hummingbird was darting from one white flower to another. I walked to the bedroom window and looked again. The hummingbird continued its work for a time and moved on.

White Profusion close up.

I began the year looking at lists of plants friendly to butterflies and hummingbirds, then added beneficial insect plants to my shopping list.

Diversity of plants is the main goal. As I mentioned with beneficial insects, the adults may live on one type of food (nectar and pollen) while the new-borns live on pests as they hatch. Having a large number of nectar and pollen plants - yea, even weeds and herbs - will help populate all the desirable creatures.

This is also the bird area, and they all get along fine. Birds, toads, and beetles eat pests. Those pests could be killed with insecticides, but that would eliminate the butterflies and beneficial insects. Hummingbirds do not simply sip nectar. They also need insects to feed that astounding energy level.

Driving away and killing the pests will always end in getting rid of the most attractive and useful creatures fashioned for that purpose by God. And best of all, these beneficial creations are a delight to the eyes and ears.

Below proves how one type of Bee Balm can attract the best of the delightful creations.

I Saw My First Hummingbird on Bee Balm, So I Took This Photo From the Internet. Blueberries Planted

I was watering the newly planted blueberry bushes when I saw an exceptionally large insect on the Bee Balm. I looked again and saw the hummingbird sipping from the flower. He slipped away and I believe I saw him darting around across the street.

The bee balms took forever to get established and bloom, and now they have their peculiar flower on top. One variety is white. The others are red, unless I overlooked a second outlier. Bee balm is quite popular among gardeners, bees, and hummingbirds. The plant has many names -

1. Bergamot, 
2. Horse Mint,
3. Bee Balm,
4. and Oswego Tea.

Bee Balm belongs to the genus Monarda, named after the Spanish botanist who wrote about it.

Here are suggestions for growing Bee Balm.

Medicinal uses for Bee Balm are here.

I bought some extra plants for very little from Walmart. They are doing well, but still small. The others were planted in the early spring.

I put one Bee Balm in Mrs. Gardener's Rose Garden. I also have coreopsis growing at the end of the row.

Sassy saw that I was up at 5 AM and she was ready to walk.  I made coffee and took her out at 6 AM, a great time to plant.

Yesterday I had 7 plants to put in - 6  Blackberries and 1 Beautyberry. Today I had 9 Blueberry bushes in the best soil, watered generously last night.

The shovel lost its magic and found almost no tree roots, only small ones, and two brick fragments. That was just the opposite of planting a circle of roses around the maple tree, which is now a beautiful rose garden, fully mulched, by itself.

I might get some pine needles to mulch the Blueberries,  but I began - as advised - by mixing in peat as I dug in the berries. I soaked each pot in rainwater first and hosed them afterwards.

I found a place to put two bushes  just outside the Jackson Bird Spa, adding fresh fruit to their resort - multiple baths, a community pool, feeding areas, and suet.

By Norma Boeckler