Hummingbird Garden, Take Two
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA
MAY 2022
A bit gardening obsession growing a bit wilder - here’s the kickoff into my summer patio garden 2022. [see 2021’s garden]
My poor fuchsias survived the aphid wars and lived to bloom again - even if they’re a little sparse. Hummingbirds are obsesssssed with these. Tiny birds actually come sit in the bonsai’d redwood to the right.
This is my first time growing a tomato seed. It’s probably too foggy during the summer here, but I have such high hopes for this tiny patch of sunlight.
I am in the valley of doubt when it comes to these tie dye colesia. Will they ever get bigger? Started from seed this January.
I went to the reddits and asked what milkshakes would bring all the birds to the yard. And now I’m the proud owner of a … Fountain in a yoga garden?
The pandemic was rough in our oddly circular neighborhood. No one has AC, everyone has conference calls, and even just sitting on the balcony means you’re listening to four Zoom calls. This fountain is my blessed white noise. Blessed, blessed white noise.
GREEN AEONIUMS FACE east so they don’t get sunburnt.
Fun trivia fact: When we ordered our fake turf balcony rug from Home Depot, it was stolen from the cage out back. It was the only item stolen. The associate told us: “Yeah, some one is probably living it up under an overpass with this,” and I think about that probably too much.
SAME SPOT, THREE DIFFERENT YEARS
2020: When the Santa Cruz mountains burned and it rained ash for days
2021: Bean Tower kept APHIDS from my peppers, who? Knew? And, became obsessed with hummingbird visits.
2022: In JUNE, I’ll add my tower of bean flowers which hopefully will lure tiny little hummers to my fountain.
my weirdo dahlias, which are supposed to attract hummers but mostly have attracted fungal infections.
I started growing these gothy dahlias from seed without knowing what horribly fussy benches they are. Ah. Wish me luck.
AH.
JUNE FUCHSIA blooms. She lives!
Nasturiums are not my thing but I can’t deny that the bugs hang out here and not on my peppers. So nasturiums it is!
Crested aeonium is such a weirdo.
Garlic chives, oregano, thyme, rosemary.
Chris’ wee bonsai along with my goth aeoniums
Cactus corner
Early June cherry tomatoes
This is how you make a bean tower.
Lavender to attract our bee pollinators
My first Kermit looking tomatoes
Cape daisies in my favorite gothy burgundy magenta
That one day it rained in August
Pink Champagne tomatoes which DO taste like strawberries
Mango Apricot tomatoes
Chris’ carnivorous bog which eats mosquitos
At last! The summer bean tower in all its too-hot, too-cold, all-drought glory!
Get in there lil dude.