Hummer and Butterfly Garden...

Most of the flowers and shrubs in our garden were chosen because they attract hummingbirds and butterflies...


I took advantage of a non-rainy day a couple of weeks ago to snap these photos of our 'work in progess' garden. The red bee balm (monarda) and purple butterfly bush are both thriving, their first year after being planted.



This mess, which I lovingly call "Roswell crater," is what we were left with after dismantling our old above-ground swimming pool a couple of summers ago. Doesn't it look like we were paid a visit by an alien spacecraft? Anyhow, this is the area where we've been planting our hummingbird and butterfly garden...


I have two types of bee balm - the red, that you see here, and a purple (which hadn't yet bloomed when these photos were taken).


The same holds true for my butterfly bushes. I planted a purple and a white. The purple was in bloom when these photos were taken, but the white had not yet bloomed.

This is by far one of the hummer's favorite flowers - crocosmia. It grows on tall sword-like foliage and is brilliant orangey-red... A beacon for any little hummer passing by.

I love the combination of red and purple in a garden...

When we were at Home Depot a couple of weeks ago they had all their bulbs marked way down so, as you can see, I took advantage and picked up many packages of crocosmia bulbs, which I'll plant this fall.

I don't consider this plant attractive at all... It's a red hot poker plant. But since it's a hummer favorite (and if you look closely you'll also see a bee on it), I planted it in the garden.

I did love how this particular red hot poker blossom looked somewhat neon in the foreground of this photo I took of my Mary garden statue.

The other photos showed perennials, but this is a photo of my Mandevilla vine, which I consider an annual. At least they are for me. I've never had one come back, so instead of planting them in the ground, I just plunk them down somewhere (in this case, in an old chippy chair that's missing its seat.) Again, these were put in the garden with the hummers in mind.

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day! No humidity and gorgeous outside, so I took advantage and snapped photos of some of my flowers that weren't in bloom when I took these several weeks ago - my white butterfly bush, the phlox, and the purple bee balm, so I'll share those photos soon!

Wishing you all sunny days (if you've been inundated with rain) or rainy days (if you're broiling under the hot summer sun!)....

Donna