August 30, 2025

Six Favorite Hummingbird Flowers

hummer 3

Recently, as I watched a sweet little hummingbird swoop from flower to flower, I thought about the amazing little creatures' favorite blooms, and the ones I'd actually seen them enjoying.

Jewelweed

One flower that specific little hummer was nectaring on was Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), which is very high in sugar content. Known to be one of the birds' favorites, Jewelweed is an annual that re-seeds itself and tends to have good years and "meh" years here. This was a good summer for this plant because we had plentiful warmth and rain.

Hyacinth Bean

Another plant I saw that particular bird visiting was Hyacinth Bean vine (Lablab purpurea). It's not hardy in my climate--the seeds or the plant--so each fall, I collect the seeds from the pods and replant them in the spring.

Tithonia

Mexican Sunflowers (Tithonia rotundifolia), including 'Goldfinger' shown here, are bright orange-red, which hummingbirds are known to notice. The little buddy in the first photo in this post, from a few years ago, was perched on a patch of Tithonias.

Cosmos

In prior years, I've also seen hummingbirds enjoying Cosmos (C. bipinnatus). And I can see why: They're certainly inviting little beauties with a platform for landing.

Fuchsia

Fuchsia 'Marinka' has been a standby in my garden for decades, and I've overwintered two baskets of it in the sunroom for many years. I've enjoyed watching hummers nectaring up through the centers of the flowers, like poetry in motion.

Zinnia

Finally, Zinnias, like Cosmos, offer the little friends perching places and plenty of real estate with rich nectar. To see a previous post with hummingbirds enjoying Zinnias, visit this link.

The hummingbirds will soon be gone, and I will miss them. Their migration activity has been particularly busy the past couple of weeks. I noticed today there are fewer of them visiting. :(

It's "Six on Saturday"! Check out other "sixes" from around the world over at Garden Ruminations. Thanks to Jim for hosting!

August 25, 2025

Coleus in a Vase on Monday

vase 1

The Coleus (C. scutellarioides) plants in my outdoor pots were top-heavy. So, after deadheading them, I decided to create a display dedicated to Coleus, alone. Last year, I made an arrangement with foliage, alone, but it included foliage from several plant genera and species. This arrangement, in this post, (above) is simply several varieties of Coleus.

I gathered as many plant tags as I could to ID them, and while I didn't get them all, among them are 'Wizard Jade,' 'Rainbow Multicolor,' 'Red Green,' 'Wizard Scarlet,' 'Kong Lime Sprite,' and 'Black Dragon.' Here they are, in no particular order:

coleus 1

coleus 2

coleus 3

coleus 4

coleus 6

coleus 5

coleus 7

vase 2

They provide plenty of color and variety for their vase.

For more arrangement ideas from around the world, check out Cathy's 'In a Vase on Monday' meme, over at Rambling in the Garden.

August 18, 2025

Warm and Cool Vases on Monday

warm collection

I hadn't planned to do a post on cut flowers this week, because I simply cut the flowers and plopped them in vases. But the colors were so vibrant, I thought I'd share. The first vase includes mostly warm, vibrant colors that brighten their corner in the washroom.

dusty miller

A sprig of Dusty Miller (Jacobaea maritima) offers a bit of contrast.

zowie zinnia

'Zowie! Yellow Flame' Zinnias (Z. elegans) are the stars.

sfm zinnia 1

Also, a few warm 'State Fair Mix' Zinnias that compliment the color scheme.

lesser calamint

Some sprigs of Lesser Calamint (Clinopodium nepeta) provide lacy structure.

false sunflower

False Sunflowers (Heliopsis helianthoidesframe the edges.

gladiolus

One warm spike of Gladiolus (G. grandiflora) crowns the middle.

black-eyed susan

And a few stems of Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) offer structure and more warmth.

cool collection

Next, I plopped the cooler-colored blooms in their own vase in a different washroom.

sfm zinnia 2

More 'State Fair Mix' Zinnias.

cosmos 2

Many cuttings of 'Sensation Mix' Cosmos (C. bipinnatus), for their foliage and fabulous blooms, including white...

cosmos 1

And pink.

resurrection lilies

Finally, I rounded up some Resurrection Lilies (Lycoris squamigera) and framed them with Ostrich Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris).

What's blooming in your garden and gracing your vases? Join the "In a Vase on Monday" meme over at Rambling in the Garden. Thanks to Cathy for hosting!

August 13, 2025

Wordless Pollinators on 'Summer Beauty' Alliums

Rusty-Patched Bumblebee 2
Rusty-Patched Bumblebee

Mining Bee
Mining Bee

Two-Spotted Bumblebee
Two-Spotted Bumblebee

Orange Wing Moth
Orange Wing Moth

Sweat Bees
Sweat Bees

Western Honey Bee 1
Western Honey Bee

Bumblebee and Sweat Bee
Bumblebee and Sweat Bee

Common Eastern Bumblebee
Common Eastern Bumblebee

Bumblebees 2
Bumblebees

Western Honey Bee 2
Western Honey Bee

Bumblebees 1
Bumblebees

Honey Bee and Bumblebee
Bumblebee and Honey Bee

Rusty-Patched Bumblebee 1
Rusty-Patched Bumblebee