Show your butterfly and hummingbird gardens/plants

[SpookyShoe]

I haven't been able to get any good photos yet, but I'm working on it. Birds won't come to the feeder if I'm near it. I need to earn their trust. My neighbor was able to get this picture of a Ruby-Throat on his feeder.


Donna, Texas Gulf Coast

[GrowingCoastal]

Skittish, yes they are. I have noticed that they particularly do not like seeing my feet move on the ground. Must be predator awareness. The youngsters are much more relaxed but still will not tolerate much movement. There is one older male who leaves as soon as i flip my camera open. We do so much for them and they just won't sit still for the camera!

[bower]

All the birds and animals here seem to be very camera shy, to the point that I've been turning it on and setting it up before I even go close to the subject - or even step up to the window. My camera has a lens that retracts when off, so when I turn it on there's motion and their eye seems to catch it every time!

[SpookyShoe]

I was sitting under the shed, trying to catch a bird at the feeder. I got one, but it's not great, as the background is a tree trunk. I'm going to get better photos eventually. It looks like a female Ruby-Throated.

Donna, Texas Gulf Coast

[SpookyShoe]

If I try to enlarge these, they are blurry. This was a male Ruby-Throated. The neighbor's banana plants spread under the fence and are now in our back yard in the tomato bed. Those things are invasive.

Donna, Texas Gulf Coast

[bower]

Aw, what a little cutie.

[GrowingCoastal]

"The neighbor's banana plants...."
And here I was, admiring the lovely tropical look they give to your photo. Do they produce bananas? Do hummingbirds like their flowers?
Invading the Tomato bed??? Arrrgh!

[SpookyShoe]

[QUOTE=GrowingCoastal;714074]"The neighbor's banana plants...."
And here I was, admiring the lovely tropical look they give to your photo. Do they produce bananas? Do hummingbirds like their flowers?
Invading the Tomato bed???

They are pretty to look at, I agree. I have seen them send up stalks but the bananas are quite small. I have never seen any hummingbirds on the blooms. They are spreading and sent up shoots underneath the fence that divides are two yards and now we have the plants growing in the tomato bed. They have to be cut down and the roots dug up as much as possible. I'm sure some of the Florida gardeners in this thread have banana plants that produce better.

Donna

[GrowingCoastal]

Sounds like bamboo. Yuck

[GrowingCoastal]

I have a few seeds available for a salvia called Blue Angel. It forms a tuberous root and is a perennial in the right climate. Here it survives winter in the ground but grows a better plant in a pot (at least in my garden).

[GrowingCoastal]

Here's an old image of a youngster sitting in front of a cuphea. This plant I have to winter over in the garage.




And one with the Blue Angel above.

[roper2008]

GrowingCoastal, looks like you have a lot of beautiful hummingbird plants. Is that a
Wendy's wish growing in the background there.

[mannalon]

Originally Posted by GrowingCoastal

I have a few seeds available for a salvia called Blue Angel. It forms a tuberous root and is a perennial in the right climate. Here it survives winter in the ground but grows a better plant in a pot (at least in my garden).

Are you going to send seeds to the Annual Canadian seed swap? I would like to get some.

[SpookyShoe]

Beautiful pictures as always, Coastal.

Donna

[GrowingCoastal]

Originally Posted by roper2008

GrowingCoastal, looks like you have a lot of beautiful hummingbird plants. Is that a
Wendy's wish growing in the background there.

You have a good eye! Yes, it was a Wendy's Wish that year. I wasn't able to winter it over and have never seen another for sale here. It is one that does not have seeds.



Over the years I have grown a lot of different flowers to see what would attract hummingbirds but in the past two have been decreasing how many flowers I grow in pots and increasing the number of tomato plants.