Hummingbird Fueling Station

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There is a battle raging under our kitchen window. A small group of hummingbirds seem to be waging a war to have dibs on the feeder. I have read that hummingbirds are a bit territorial and can be aggressive with each other when it comes to sharing the feeder. For many years for that very reason we had multiple hummingbird feeders. This year we did not; therefore, each day we watch the world’s tiniest birds jockey to be first in line. The yard, of course, is full of other feeding stops for this marvelous little creature; porter weed, ginger lily, penta, and butterfly bush are some favorites. To encourage visits to the garden there are just a few things to remember. Hummingbirds are especially attracted to flowers with tubular blossoms. Although they may be partial to red or orange, they are not particular and will visit just about any flower. Be careful with chemicals in the garden and use them very sparingly if at all. Place a hummingbird feeder in your yard. Keep it filled with a solution of four parts water to one part sugar. Simply mix white sugar (not honey or brown sugar) and water; bring the mixture to a boil (but don’t boil it until it becomes a syrup)and store in the refrigerator. Keep the feeder clean and change it every couple of days in summer’s heat. My husband washes ours each time we change the liquid, every couple of days. Our feeder is outside the front kitchen window so we can watch the birds closely–what a treat while you are washing the dishes. I don’t use any red food dye to color the water, although I see products sold in the stores that turn red when you mix the syrup. A red mixture does not necessarily attract the hummingbird. I have actually read that red food dye is not good for the hummingbirds. If ants invade the feeder try coating the stake which holds the feeder with Vaseline. A feeder with a small moat filled with water (to keep the ants from climbing into the holes where the hummingbirds drink the sugar/water mixture) can be helpful in the efforts to keep the ants out. We put our feeder out around the end of April and leave it out until almost Thanksgiving so that hummingbirds making the trip South can stop for a little nourishment.

Our hummingbirds have become so used to me in the garden that they come right past me to eat. Attracting hummingbirds to your garden is very simple; the rewards are great.

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Asclepsis tuberosa or butterfly weed is a wonderful addition to the summer garden. Its bright orange flowers are irresistible to butterflies, especially the monarch. Although the flowers lure the monarch butterfly, the monarch caterpillar eats nothing but the foliage of this particular plant. One morning I discovered that the caterpillar had eaten every single leaf. Normally I would be heart sick to see a plant damaged but the presence of a monarch in the garden is a gift.

Despite being called a weed (milkweed more specifically), I do not consider it a weed. As a matter of fact, it is a well-behaved, easy - to - grow, beautiful perennial in the garden. After the blooms fade, green seedpods take their place. The seeds do eventually migrate through the air; this plant, however, seems only to have spread in my garden by forming larger clumps. Butterfly weed prefers full sun, although mine is doing very well in part sun. It is not a drought tolerant plant, but enjoys water during dry times.

Ascelpsis tuberosa provides a double gift for the gardener. It not only attracts flights of butterflies to the garden, but it also brightens any flower bed.

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Although the name ‘Endless Summer’ (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Endless Summer’) could suggest the title of a cable tv show or a soap opera, it is actually the name of a wonderful mophead hydrangea. What makes this hydrangea with its brilliant blue flowers so special is that it reblooms. It blooms on old and new wood in the same season, often blooming in early summer and then in fall. Another positive about ‘Endless Summer’ is that if a late frost kills the early blooms there will be more to follow. This easy- to-grow hydrangea likes the same things that other mopheads do: ample water (at least an inch per week), morning sun, and afternoon shade. Give it a good home in rich organic soil. If your soil is heavy, consider making a planting bed instead of just a single hole. Planting a hydrangea high as you would an azalea also will improve drainage. Just because a plant likes shade, planting it right next to a large tree is not often a good idea as the plant has to compete with the trees roots for nutrition and moisture. High shade in a yard is a blessing. A nice layer of mulch is always a good idea as it will help to conserve moisture and keep the soil cooler in the summer.

Pruning techniques for ‘Endless Summer’ are not difficult. Prune mopheads immediately after flowering. Because ‘Endless Summer’ reblooms, pruning it should occur in late summer to early fall. However, flower buds for the next season may begin to form from August to October so if yours needs pruning, you may have to sacrifice a few late flowers to get this garden task accomplished at the right time. It is a good idea to prune out all the dead canes and even to cut about one third of the older stems to the ground every year. This will encourage your hydrangeas to grow stronger, have a nicer shape, and have more flowers.

My mature ‘Endless Summer’ is about 5 feet high and almost that wide. It is a joy in the garden as the flowers look like jewels. With so many gorgeous hydrangeas on the market it is often difficult to choose a new one, but those that rebloom are a necessity for the summer garden, guaranteeing you a summer full of endless flowers.

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These are hard days for gardeners. We have talked about the heat to everyone we meet and we are suffering through it as I write these words. I can’t remember days of continual 100 plus temperatures, This kind of heat probably has happened in other years, but, like many other bad memories, I have forgotten those times. I have not, however, forgotten the drought of a few years ago when my town of Jacksonville imposed watering restrictions. For a plant person this can spell disaster. We saved water from every possible indoor source and carried it outside in buckets. Hope we do not face that same situation this year.

 By now, unless you have been watering your grass, it has turned an ugly shade of brown and is pretty crispy. It is not really dead, only dormant. As soon as it rains, it will green back up (unless it is a newly sodded lawn in which case the color may be a cry for help). Should you decide to water, please remember to water deeply and less often. Grass needs about an inch of moisture a week to look like a golf course. You can judge how much water your lawn is getting by setting empty tuna cans around to catch the water. The best time to water your lawn is between 4 and 9 am.

Although your lawn will bounce back from this drought and heat, these same conditions are much harder on many annuals and perennials, trees and shrubs, especially newly planted ones. Many or most annuals are water hogs. The sun coleus I planted are begging for a drink at least twice a day. The pentas are hanging their heads. If you put in new ornamental plants or trees last spring, they must have water to survive until they are settled in. Even those planted last winter need to be watered. Again water deeply and less often, early in the morning if possible. Watering at night may encourage the development of fungus and disease. By watering early you allow the foliage to dry. A good layer of mulch surely helps keep the soil from drying out as quickly (and keeps down the weeds). Overhead watering is never the best choice; drip irrigation wastes less water and gets the water where it is needed most – to the roots. Many of us, however, have the traditional over head irrigation systems in our yards – either through in ground sprinkler systems or rotating sprinklers. Some soaker hoses added to the mix will help.

Now is not the time to fertilize--struggling plants don't need encouragement to grow. They need to use their strength to survive. Good soil helps plants to be strong. Layers of compost mixed in the soil next winter will improve the structure of the soil and make it easier for water  to reach the roots.

The use of drought tolerant plants in the landscape is certainly a solution to reducing our water usage. There are so many to choose from: sedums, agaves, yuccas, and even cactus. These laugh at the drought and the heat. These drought tolerant beauties also make wonderful container plantings. (Note to myself; do not plant three dozen sun coleus in pots and beds next year).

Be kind to yourself on these sweltering days. For us humans working in the garden in the early morning or early evening will be the healthiest for us.  With a little patience we will survive another Alabama summer.

a Swallowtail Butterfly Visits a Penta

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One of the most wonderful rewards from a garden full of color is the visits by the butterflies. It is easy to make your garden hospitable to these wonderful winged creatures. Late summer and early fall provides a feast for the eyes when the yellow clouded sulphur butterflies visit. They love the red flowers of my turk’s cap hibiscus and at times there have been actual clouds of them flitting around the blooms. This plant is not only attractive to butterflies but also to another welcome visitor to my garden–the hummingbirds.

It is important to know and recognize the four life cycle stages of the butterfly so that you can be a good host to each of the four stages: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and the winged adult, the butterfly. Once you know and recognize the four stages, it is necessary to accommodate the four stages with whatever their needs are: food or shelter. The adult butterflies will lay their eggs on host plants so that the larvae will have the necessary food to grow to the next stage, the caterpillar. Most butterflies are fairly specific about what they like to eat. One of the most picky is the monarch who will only lay eggs only on milkweed. The black swallowtail which is very common to this area lays eggs on dill, carrot, fennel, or parsley. I frequently see the caterpillars crawling up the stems of my parsley plants so I plant lots of those so there is enough for me and the caterpillars. Caterpillars need a sturdy protected place to attach and form the chrysalis. Adult butterflies live on the sweet flavored nectar found in flowers. Since butterflies are near-sighted, large sweeps of flowers half attract them. They suck the nectar with their mouths which are straw-like, so they are partial to long tubular flowers found on butterfly bushes, lantana, pentas, and butterfly weed. They will also visit pansies, marigolds, and impatiens. Flowers such as verbena and daisies are good because they have compound flowers which provide many nectar containers for sipping. Butterflies have a great sense of smell which guides them to the flowers with rich nectar. Humans and butterflies are attracted to flowers that smell sweet.

Butterflies are cold blooded; their body temperature depends on the air temperature. They prefer full sun. But the flowers that are especially attractive to butterflies also tend to be ones that do well in full sun. Butterflies like to warm themselves on stepping stones or gravel. I have a cluster of smooth black stones that I purchased at local big box store in case the visiting butterflies need a resting place. Male butterfly adults like to puddle; take a shallow container and fill with sand and then keep it wet for them. On a visit to the butterfly garden in Houston Texas, I noticed bowls of fruit placed around for the butterflies to visit; I have seen special containers in garden catalogues to hold the fruit.

Butterflies also need shelter on cloudy, windy, or rainy days so include woody or blooming shrubs in your butterfly garden. These sturdy bushes can also provide a place for the caterpillars to attach their chrysalis. Many hosts plants, like fennel, can also provide a sturdy place for the caterpillar to attach the chrysalis.

The most important thing to remember in butterfly gardening is to be really careful with chemicals sprayed near your plants. It is best to spot-treat insects with insecticidal soaps or oils which leave no chemical residue which can harm the caterpillar. Even better is to pick some insect pests off by hand. Or try a big spray of water from your garden hose.

A few well-chosen plants (and the knowledge of a butterfly’s needs) can provide you, the gardener, with many delightful hours and as, Martha Stewart would say, "a good thing."

Sun Coleus

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Sun Coleus

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It has been several weeks since I had the time to sit long enough to compose a blog. Between preparing for and working at our Master Gardener plant sales and getting plants for summer color into the ground at my house and the Jacksonville Pocket Park, inside time at the computer has been at a real premium. Planting my summer containers has been really fun this year as I have tried to incorporate lots of sun coleus into the design. If you have not added coleus to your landscape, you are missing a real treat. In the old days coleus were relegated to the shade garden only, but now there are dozens of new cultivars who love the sun. On the plus side the plants with colorful leaves can take the heat; on the minus side they do need watering. Keep them pinched back and they will grow into thick, bushy plants.

If you would like to try something different in the ground and in containers, consider planting sedum and yuccas. These sun loving plants require much less water. And the variety is endless.

As you choose plants for summer color remember to plant those that are inviting to the butterflies, the hummingbirds, and the bees. These three are welcome visitors to all of our gardens.

Unfortunately, this time of the year has also brought lubber grasshoppers. These unwanted guests are black with orange stripes. My garden does not have just one, but it has hundreds. They spend their days munching on whatever tastes good to them. Meanwhile, they just get bigger and bigger. Sometimes spraying them with sevin when they are very small might kill a few of them. Once they have attained any size, the only way to get rid of them is with the flat side of a shovel. And when you kill them they make kind of squishing sound.

The joys of a warm weather garden are many, whether it is with a plot of summer vegetables, herbs, or blooming flowers. With the beauty that comes with our longer days we are able to overlook the mosquitos, the grasshoppers, and the heat to enjoy a bountiful crop of juicy tomatoes or a bed of breathtaking roses.