Tag: blue salvia

Phlowers & Pheathers – April 30th, Growing in the Garden/The Hummingbirds Return

On By TimelessladyIn Pheathers, Phlowers11 Comments

We have been seeing a small ruby-throated hummingbird for two weeks. It has been visiting the feeder of nectar I have outside the kitchen window. Every other day, I bring the feeder in, soak it in hot, sudsy water, and refill with newly boiled sugar water. (2 Cups water, 1/2 Cup sugar) Hummingbird feeders can spread disease or become contaminated with mold. A great article on feeding hummingbirds can be found at EcoSystem Gardening.

NOTE: Thanks to a reader for the great comment about cleaning with vinegar. I did a bit of research on it and this is a good choice for cleaning the feeder. Also, another good idea is to use a brush to thoroughly clean all the nooks around the feeder openings. Here’s a link to more ideas for cleaning a hummingbird feeder. How to Clean a Hummingbird Feeder.

Mandevilla Vines come in a variety of colors. I chose to grow the pink flowers this year. These vines are beloved by hummingbirds. The vines bloom from Spring until Autumn, they do well in full sun, but also need to be shaded from the hottest late afternoon rays. I am growing the Mandevilla in a pot so that when summer is over I can bring it indoors for the colder months.

My mandevilla flowers are part of Cee’s Flower of the Day and also an entry in this week’s Skywatch Friday.

I have three hanging baskets a yard or two away from the hummingbird feeder. These are filled with plants I know hummingbirds adore. Blue Suede Salvia and Vista Red Salvia, also called sages, have the trumpet-shaped flowers that perfectly fit a hummingbird’s beak and tongue. These plants do great in full sun, but also can take a bit of shade too.

My beautiful Vermillion Cuphea, also known as Firecracker plants, are always a favorite with the hummingbirds. I grow them in the ground and also planted in pots. Last Autumn, the Firecracker plant I grew in a pot easily transferred to the house. It grew well all winter, and this week I placed it outdoors on the patio again. It is doing well, although some of the uppermost leaves, after growing in the lower light of the house, promptly became sunburned. Since I pinched the tops of these stems, new branching will soon leaf out and cover up the scorched top leaves.

Cuphea plants in a row will make a nice seasonal hedge. This plant is perennial in warmer climates.

Plants – Red, White and Blue in the Garden

On By TimelessladyIn PlantsLeave a comment

Let’s keep our patriotism going all year long! 🙂

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I am thrilled with the red mandevilla plants I planted this year. I am growing them in hanging baskets near my porch. They are beginning to send out climbing tendrils. So far, they haven’t succumbed to the very wet weather we have had in the Mid-Atlantic states this summer.

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I love the tall, beautiful shasta daisies that grow in my gardens. They are a very reliable perennial. Every year they come back a little taller and a little broader. Who could ask for anything more?

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Blue Salvia is a favorite of mine and also a favorite of the hummingbirds. I purchased this beauty shown above, but I was also able to grow quite a few blue salvia plants from seed by winter-sowing.