For a Summer We Had Hummingbirds
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA
Gardening Zone 9b Coastal
For my pandemic birthday, I kept it simple. I requested a bag of dirt and some sticks.
And what a delight it was: the beginning of a Hummingbird Garden for Summer.
Hummingbird visits the bean flowers during summer lockdown. Watch carefully for the bird’s perch on a tiny stick (top right) at the end of the video.
DIY HUMMINGBIRD GARDEN INSTRUCTIONS
If you’d like to create one of your own, place 6 foot bamboo poles in a design around your pot. Stake a large garden pole in the center of your pot. Using coated wire, gather your bamboo into bundles, and then attach to the center pole for stability. Make it easy to disassemble. Add small bamboo skewers to create perches for your tiny visitors.
MID JULY Planted late, in early June.
MID AUGUST Together with the fuchsia and my middling peppers, we have a hummingbird feast!
EARLY SEPTEMBER What a treat it was to see the hummers adjust their flight plans to drink nectar even as those elusive top blossoms undulated in the coastal breeze.
This sneaky dude living in the tree, trying to crowd out the rest.
MID AUGUST We positioned the tower on our back balcony where we could watch the birds during pandemic lockdown. View from the couch!
Of course with skies like these, the beans were happy.
Lest I give the impression of expertise, I would like to clarify that the EXTRA SEEDLINGS that I abandoned in the backyard are thriving and still blooming in LATE September. Not watered. During a drought. YUP!
We harvested juuuust enough beans to try again next year.
Oh man check out that purple goodness. ROLL THAT BEAUTIFUL BEAN FOOTAGE!
Here are the seeds I used.
“Includes one packet each: Scarlet Runner Bean 'Magic Beanstalk,' Nasturtium 'Summer Charm,' Zinnia 'Scarlet Flame'
[Shop ReneesGarden.com]
This image from Renee’s Garden was about all I knew about growing beans for birds!