Our Heavenly Haven for Butterflies and Hummers
An added attraction for our flying visitors is the concrete bird bath (barely visible in photo) we situated in this flower bed. It accommodates many species of birds for both drinking and bathing. A petrified rock in the bird bath also provides our butterflies with a cool place to land on a hot day. Next to the bird bath is a scarlet rhododendron that bloomed very early this year in spite of the cold spring we had. And, I simply must brag a bit about the divine pink peony that is now in full bloom at the far north end of this same flower bed. Still farther down are my burgundy, white, and pink and white variegated peonies, also in full bloom now.
In last month's article you'll see a photo of my new arbor we placed on our south patio to add a little pizzaz AND to attract more hummers. My initial plan was to plant a Purple Bell vine in the planters; however, I was unable to find any of those at our local garden centers. So I made a trip to our daughter's new local 15-acre perennial nursery (what fun!) and she generously gave me two very beautiful Honeysuckle vines. Although they don't have the red blossoms I would have preferred, the pale yellow blossoms are awesome and very fragrant. This photo gives you a glimpse of the newly planted honeysuckle vines. AND, they're climbing fast and blooming profusely! At the base of each vine I transplanted a few blue and white pansies, not only as a filler and an additional color spot, but also to attract more "flying flowers." Since I don't have many red or scarlet-colored flowers growing near this arbor, my next task will be to hang one of my hummingbird feeders at the top arch of the arbor. Hummingbirds don't have a sense of smell, but they are highly attracted to the color red. Hopefully, one or more will spot the feeder after I get it hung!
We really love our new arbor and find it a fabulous addition to the concrete patio just off our dining room. For more added color on this patio, I simply HAD to plant a couple of pots with hot pink trailing petunias, and old favorite of mine. Plus, petunias of any kind are always a great butterfly attractant. From
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