Jungle Fan Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 (edited) @Patrick_G saw the funniest thing last night, I had just finished watering the flowers and the fragrance from the Agastache is always strongest right after; our tuxedo cat had followed my wife into the garden and as soon as he stepped onto the patio he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and just seemed to enjoy the moment and the fragrance for a while. He does the same thing whenever we have strawberries, he doesn't want to eat them, but he sure enjoys the aroma of the fragrance. Edited July 16, 2021 by Jungle Fan 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 On 7/16/2021 at 1:50 PM, Patrick_G said: @JettsPapa, there are some nice blue Salvias that you could try. Something like Russian Sage next to some Orange Day Lilies is a classic water wise combo. I do have a couple salvias. I had one I was especially fond of, salvia sinaloa, that had blooms that were closer to true blue than most salvias (not so much purple). Unfortunately it looks like that freeze got it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 @JettsPapa, is it the opposite face to when they discover a bad smell and freeze up, often when self-cleaning? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 On 7/16/2021 at 2:19 PM, Streetwise said: @JettsPapa, is it the opposite face to when they discover a bad smell and freeze up, often when self-cleaning? Or that funny face where they are open mouthed and showing their teeth.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 A few of the bug free flowers and last years Coleus. Can't remember the variety of the spotted petunia's, they are showy. The Autumn Glory didn't have any problems in the heat. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungle Fan Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 (edited) Quite different from the stinky face they can make! It just exudes enjoyment and contentment, almost like a smile.They are very sensitive to smell, funniest thing is when he uses the litterbox and seconds later you hear litter being flung, and next thing you know a cat shoots past you in the living room like a bat out of hell as if he's trying to get away from his own smell. Edited July 23, 2021 by Jungle Fan 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted July 16, 2021 Author Share Posted July 16, 2021 (edited) My Sedum Autumn Joy is looking a little ratty this year, but the two varieties of decorative Oregano are looking great. Edited July 17, 2021 by Patrick_G 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 On 7/16/2021 at 3:32 PM, Patrick_G said: My Sedum Autumn Joy is looking a little ratty this year, but the two varieties of decorative Oregano is looking great. Your garden is like a botanical species fairy land every place you look. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted July 17, 2021 Author Share Posted July 17, 2021 @Trish, thanks! I won’t be posting any wide pics. Things are looking generally scruffy. Certain spots are ok but overall I need to put in more effort. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 On 7/17/2021 at 1:23 PM, Patrick_G said: @Trish, thanks! I won’t be posting any wide pics. Things are looking generally scruffy. Certain spots are ok but overall I need to put in more effort. This is the difference between being a gardener and having a gardener, lol. When I'm doing it myself, I have to be okay with "Overall it's not a dreamland, but look, here's a really nice combo of textures and color...and this spot over there looks pretty fantastic today. Pay no attention to the 30 feet of dried up daylily scapes that need removed or to the ten feet over there where not a darn thing is blooming even though there are $XYZ worth of perennials planted there!" If I HAD a gardener, I'd be saying "Buddy, I think you need to re-assess". 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted July 17, 2021 Author Share Posted July 17, 2021 @PineSong, that’s a great attitude! I love watching Gardener’s World on BBC. The presenter, Monty Don, has spectacular gardens that look effortless, but I’m sure there a entire crew behind the scenes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted July 18, 2021 Share Posted July 18, 2021 On 7/17/2021 at 5:27 PM, Patrick_G said: @PineSong, that’s a great attitude! I love watching Gardener’s World on BBC. The presenter, Monty Don, has spectacular gardens that look effortless, but I’m sure there a entire crew behind the scenes. We love Monty's show, too. Pretty sure he maintains his gardens (with or without crew) as his job, whereas I have to maintain mine after working a 9 to 5--plus, it doesn't really get hot over there and I'm not sure if they even have mosquitos. I live in a bowl of swampy heat that turns simple tasks into a sweatlodge, so I will forever have to admire his gardens without being able to replicate them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungle Fan Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 We've got several hummers living in our backyard again now, also included a picture of my "outside angelfish" from Talavera Mexico LOL.The Hummingbird Carpet is still just coming in but with the Bee Balm, Red Birds in a Tree, Trumpet Vine, Larkspur, Anise Hyssop and Lilies it's a full time job for the hummers. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 On 7/18/2021 at 9:19 PM, Jungle Fan said: We've got several hummers living in our backyard again now, So very jealous of this - I've got one consistent hummer that visits my little rail box with the scarlet sage and the baby bells (Calibrachoa). I'd love to have a flock, but I think that means I'll have to make my yard foliage a little more tempting! 😂👍 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungle Fan Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 (edited) @BetsyWhen my wife and I bought this house the garden was just sandy prairie with rocks and weeds, some Cholla and Prickly Pear Cactus, a few clumps of Penstemon, but the builder was just going to put in more small rocks, I removed the big rocks little by little, except a few I kept for looks, added some top soil and planted the hummingbird and butterfly garden and our garden is about 15 degrees cooler during the summer than our neighbors' who are baking in the sun. As a young man before I went to college I had worked for a landscaping company for a while that built Japanese gardens, with koi ponds, and tea houses, and trained actual trees with rope and stone weights to look like bonsai. It sounds nice but was back breaking work, however I learnt, a lot from the horticulturist who owned the company. Now that gardening for the most part does not entail working with pick axes, I enjoy it a lot more, although now and then my back still protests. If you want to attract hummers I recommend Bee Balm, Penstemon, Anise Hyssop, Agastache, Hummingbird Carpet, and if you have space for climbers, Honeysuckle, and Red Trumpet Vine. With those plants you are pretty much guaranteed to get lots of shiny feathered visitors Edited July 19, 2021 by Jungle Fan 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 On 7/19/2021 at 12:55 AM, Jungle Fan said: If you want to attract hummers I recommend Bee Balm, Penstemon, Anise Hyssop, Agastache, Hummingbird Carpet, and if you have space for climbers, Honeysuckle, and Red Trumpet Vine. With those plants you are pretty much guaranteed to get lots of shiny feathered visitors Thank you for this!!! I will have to check these out - our back yard is pretty wild right now, and so we've been chipping away trying to make it a little more organized (read: less weedy) and to attract more fun wildlife...this thread is perfect for inspiration!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful outdoor spaces! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted July 19, 2021 Author Share Posted July 19, 2021 I’m going to add Crocosmia and Salvia “hot lips” to the hummingbird attractor list. They’re both plants that don’t care if they get water. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungle Fan Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 Today the youngest new additions to the garden made their debut, they must've left the nest this morning. Tiny little guys, and their feathers aren't quite as colorful yet. 4 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plutoids Mom Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 @Jungle Fan I used to work for a garden center and landscaping company and love having the hummingbirds come to the yard. I manage to get one or two to hang out starting in spring, but I end up with a few more in August when they start thinking about going south. To add to the hummingbird list, in my sandy Indiana yard, I've actually had really good luck with Windwalker Royal Red salvia, probably the only red salvia that will handle my wet winters. My biggest surprise this year has been that I accidentally got Black and Blue salvia to overwinter, even though I'm Zone 5 and it needs Zone 7. The miracles of oak leaves in garbage bags! Those two plants are heavily guarded by my resident hummer. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 You are all a bunch of show-offs! Please continue! 😁 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 (edited) This pretty lady is stalking my Hydrangea! She’s not happy with the all you can eat plum buffet. Edited July 22, 2021 by Patrick_G 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungle Fan Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 On 7/21/2021 at 6:14 PM, Patrick_G said: This pretty lady is stalking my Hydrangea! She’s not happy with the all you can eat plum buffet. She has "busted" all over her face.😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 (edited) On 7/22/2021 at 7:54 AM, Jungle Fan said: She has "busted" all over her face.😄 She has the scrawny look of a doe that’s nursing so I didn’t chase her away. I’m a softy. Edited July 22, 2021 by Patrick_G 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 I just saw one this afternoon browsing through one of my bee yards. My have they grown up quickly. It wasn't that long ago they were barely bigger than bunny rabbits and now they are the size of large dog. Still have the white spots though: 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 Summer in late July in North Carolina is beastly hot, but it is a good time for peppers and tomatoes. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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