3 Plants to Attract Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are said to be from another world.  They're a symbol of time's illusion and of the afterlife.   Besides all that, they are just so cute and fascinating to watch.  Hummingbird feeders are a high maintenance item that can sometimes hurt or kill the little birds, so they're not recommended by experts.  But, what if you could plant things around your house to attract them?  You can! Obviously, you never want to use any sort of pesticides which can harm both the little birds and the plants--and people. * Make sure children know not to put anything in their mouth that mama hasn't given them as some plants that are okay for animals are not okay for people and even edible plants can have poisonous parts. *

Hummingbirds love red hues and conical, tubular shaped flowers.   They don't really have much of a sense of smell, but look for bright colors and nectar yield.  Here are three plants that attract hummingbirds, but do ask your local nursery for the plants that work best for your area.

Bleeding Heart:  This is a gorgeous shade plant, it likes morning sun only.  It's pest resistant and easy to grow.  These are such cool plants with Dr. Seuss like flowers, they look great in hanging pots.

Foxglove:  These are cone shaped purple flowers that hummingbirds can poke their long noses into.  They grow tall, about 3 feet, and make a nice backdrop for other flowers.

Salvia:  They like sun and partial shade and will take you right into fall with their vibrant purples and blues.  They come in different varieties, all attractive to hummingbirds.


Image Credit:  hharryus

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Radius Garden Tools for Your Organic Garden

Radius Garden Tools combine beautiful design with comfortable ergonomic function.  I can't believe the difference they made in my gardening.  Weeding is now almost enjoyable!  First of all, they're gorgeous. At the same time, they're heavy duty.   The weeding tool gets weeds out almost effortlessly, rendering my old tool obsolete. 

"Garden more, hurt less," is the message from Radius and they are not kidding.   You don't have to work as hard with these.  I don't know how they figured it out, but it works.  The hand tools take the pressure off my wrists and I can get better leverage.   The soft cushy handles combined with the shape really make it possible for me to work in the yard longer and more effectively (you can watch a demo video HERE explaining why the handle is truly ergonomic and how it works).  The curve also makes them convenient to prop on the fence and to hang on to when you have an armful of stuff. 

I love this Transplanter Shovel which makes the job easier.  I have very rocky, almost impossible soil in places and just planted a cherry tree where I thought I'd never be able to dig a hole by myself.  It wasn't easy, but between this and the weeding tool, I got the job done.  It's hefty and well balanced.  All the tools I tried had some weight to them, in  a good way. 

Just seeing them around the yard makes me smile.  The bright cheery green and the cool shapes are functional art.  It's true I'm a design geek, but I'm sure I am not alone in appreciating their great looks combined with burly strength.  The tools come in a variety of sizes, blades, and colors.  Find these awesome garden tools HERE.

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Tub Trugs: Colorful Multifunction for Your Organic Garden and Beyond

Tub Trugs are fabulous for the garden.  I use them to weed, to transplant, to temporarily hold starts, to water...and to look beautiful out and about.  The bright colors are cheerful to see and set a fun tone in the back yard and inside.  I love them in the house for laundry, toys, camping gear, car or bicycle washing, arts and crafts, the uses are endless.  You can even drill holes in the bottom and use them as planters.

For me, you can't have too much color when it comes to utilitarian items.  Color affects mood, and when you're trudging round the garden, it's nice to have that bright color to sort of give you a boost.  I'm super tired of the same old boring colors you find--mainly forest green and that horrid beige.  These scream life, action, energy!  They're eye candy.  So they had me at first sight with the color.



But then they sealed the deal with function.  They're food grade plastic, are UV and frost protected so they won't break down in the sun or cold, are flexible but super strong, and come in many gorgeous colors.  They're so well made, you buy them once, but I recommend a variety of sizes for all the different functions you can think of.  They stack nicely and are easy to store when not in use.  Find them HERE.

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Plant of the Day

Check this out--botanical education coming right to your inbox.  I am not a fan of a ton of emails, so I choose wisely what I subscribe to.  When I saw this, I got excited to learn more about gardening and plants in such an easy and fun manner.  What a great idea!

Your Garden Show consists of a group of gardeners on a mission to "grow the global gardening footprint because we believe better informed gardeners improve the health, beauty and well being of all of our communities."

They will send you a daily email with an introduction to a plant.  From there, you can get more detailed information including gardening tips and demo videos.  Sign up HERE.

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