A Story - "Hummingbird Competition" - and Unusual Hanging Basket and Spirea

A Story

Hummingbird Competition

As a newcomer to the neighbourhood, Stella was going to have to try hard to attract hummingbirds to her yard. The ruby-throated hummingbirds were only in the area for a few short months and not many travelled that far north.

Wanda, who lived next door, had the advantage as she had several feeders up and had been creating a pleasant habitat for the hummingbirds for years with gardens full of colourful flowers.

It felt a bit sneaky to be trying to lure some hummingbirds over to her feeder, but Stella really wanted to see and hear these little dynamos in her garden. She planted some salvia and bee balm near her solitary feeder. Occasionally, she saw a flash of green but most days her feeder saw no action.

When she bumped into Wanda at the store, Wanda enthused over her busy feeders and Stella couldn't help but feel disappointed at her lack of attraction.

One morning, she started watering the flowers with a fine mist.  Suddenly, a hummingbird zoomed in and carefully flew into the spray.  It fluttered its wings as it enjoyed the shower. Stella held her breath. Just before it flew away, the bird gave Stella a keen intense stare.  "I'll be back", the bird seemed to say.  "Thanks for the bath."

I found an interesting hanging basket at the local store. I like the W shape to it and the unusual use of the tradescantia.

Tradescantia Nanouk is usually used as a houseplant but it is just fine in an outdoor setting for the summer.

The flower buds are covered in fuzz and the little white flowers are delicate. The variegated leaves are thick and the stems are sturdy. If I wanted, I could take cuttings in the fall and have it as a houseplant.

A couple of fuchsias in traditional fuchsia pink and purple add whimsy to the basket.

Lantana is always fun as each flower cluster has different shades of colour - yellow, orange, pink. Lots of pollinators like to visit lantana. It enjoys full sun.

It seems like the dragon wing begonia might have been an afterthought in this arrangement.  I really like this kind of begonia but I'm not sure that this was the best spot for it. Anyway, I'll see as the summer progresses if it was a good idea after all.

Spirea is a great little shrub for any part shade or sunny locations.  The flowers can be pink or white.

They can get a bit leggy over time.

I cut this plant back to about 4" inches this spring and now it has a really nice rounded clump form. Its blooms are coming out a bit later than the unpruned plants but that doesn't matter at all. I probably won't prune it next spring and hopefully it will still be short enough next summer.

A Story -"Abundance and Scarcity" - White Native Wildflowers Late Spring - Daisy, Yarrow, Solomon's Seal

 Big brother Sam debated whether the next block on his tower would be blue or red. Just as his hand reached for the blue block, little brother Jacob toddled over and send the whole stack flying.

"Aargh!" cried Sam. "Don't do that!"

Grandma, who was nearby, swept up Jacob and asked Sam if he would like her to read the book on construction machines. Sam's anger dissipated and he clambered up on the couch beside Grandma ready to hear about giant dump trucks and complicated paving machines. Grandma settled Jacob on the floor by her feet with a toy with lots of knobs, and musical sounds.

At bedtime, Mom asked Sam if he wanted to sing a lullaby to Jacob with her. Sam gave Jacob a hug and a kiss, and after the toddler was in his bed, Sam joined Mom as they sang a soft song for Jacob.

After Jacob fell asleep, Dad asked Sam if he wanted to go the petting zoo the following day. 

"Yes!" Sam squealed. "I want to feed the goats again."

Kevin was trying to draw a picture of an airplane. It was almost finished. It just needed another wing when younger brother Maverick wandered over, grabbed the paper and tore it half.  Then he started to chew on the corner of the page.  Kevin yelled at him but Maverick just continued. Finally Kevin, smacked his brother on the back.

"Why is Maverick crying? Did you hit him again?" Mom shouted angrily from the kitchen.  "Go to your room!"

Kevin stomped to his room where he brooded about ripping apart Maverick's favourite stuffy .

When Sam got married, Jacob was his best man. They both worked in the same town and often got together for a game of golf. Family barbecues with little cousins playing together were anticipated.

When Kevin turned eighteen, he left home.  He went up north and got work in the oil fields. He only saw Maverick at Christmas and even then they kept their distance. Kevin didn't anticipate ever getting married.  Too much hassle. And who wanted kids? Just an expensive pain in the butt.  A good drink with his work buddies was all he needed. 

I have always loved the native daisies. So bright and cheerful.  Here they are in a scruffier part of the property beside the parking area for our cars. I mowed the grass around them but left this patch so I can enjoy their sunny beauty.  When they finish blooming, I will mow them down and next spring they will come up again, strong and dependable.

I started a small rock garden. When I was mowing the grass, I noticed some native yarrow in the lawn. I dug some up and planted it in the rock garden where it will happily grow in a dry environment. Butterflies enjoy the little white flowers of the yarrow. I also like the feathery bright green leaves. All the plants in the rock garden naturally spread so over time they will fill in all the bare spots between the rocks. I'm waiting for some purple campanula carpatica that I started from seed to get big enough to transplant into the rock garden. I have some rock cress, some hens and chicks, some sedum - short and tall- already planted.

Solomon's seal has a lovely structure to it. The stems are gracefully arched and the leaves are glossy all through the growing season.   It prefers a moist shady spot but is pretty tough. It is best planted where it has room to spread and can form a nice big clump. Hummingbirds and bumblebees like the flowers. Later in the summer it will make dark blue inedible berries. After a frost, the leaves will turn yellow but still stay on the stem for quite a while.