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| Butterfly Bush |
Our front yard is completely in bloom:
- Joe Pye
- Feverfew
- Bee Balm
- Roses
- Mint
- Crepe Myrtle
- Pinks
- Clethras
- Hosta
The best time for observation is mid-afternoon. The sun is on the garden but the porch is shaded and cool. The Joe Pye is 8 feet tall and the Mountain Mint blossoms are about 6 feet tall. Bee Balm lives up to its name with enormous bees (new to me) crawling all over them, with other bees and insects working them at the same time.
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| Bee Balm |
The Bee Balms also grew up and around the mailbox, but nothing bothers me. They recognize my benign presence and I appreciate their beneficial work.
Three times in a row I have looked at the garden and a hummingbird has zoomed around, stopping to ID me. I had hummingbird pals in Phoenix and they buzzed me for attention. I gave them sprinkler baths.
The other homes have a few blooms in their front yards - and I have nothing but blooms and a little bit of grass. The abundance of food attracts an abundance of critters. On our walk back to the house this morning, Sassy and I saw baby bunnies in the street playing tag and hopping over each other. The mother was watching and headed the other way (diversion) so we would not follow the babies to the nest.
One day I hosed some babies by accident. They made funny little sounds and hopped away from Sassy's curious nose. She only wanted to be friends the way dogs always do with a meet and greet from behind. That motivated the baby to hop under a car, so Sassy stared, disconsolate.
Our little Paradise is so full of cover and food that rabbits walk casually by when I do early morning work among the plants. If I move the backyard Hosta up front, they will have a bigger area for cover, less for grass.
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| Hosta flowers are especially attractive to hummingbirds. |
We had so much rain this year that walking in the garden is like walking on a soft mattress. Also, the deep roots of perennials like Joe Pye hold water and channel it downwards for greater fertility and microbe growth.
Ranger Bob and I always drink pour-over coffee on the front porch and admire the Creation garden. Sassy sits with us and demands treats, only to hear her nicknames - "Chowhound" and "Ferocious Guard Dog." She loves to rest near Bob and listen to him talk. If we use the second computer in the chapel, she finds a spot in the corner while we order car parts or investigate car problems.
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| Trumpet Vine, aka Cow Itch, is a hummingbird flower. |
