Last year at this time we sent away for some Blue Porterweed (Stachytarpheta urticifolia) and Cardinal Climber seeds. We made a couple of posts since, one showing the seedlings and one showing the Cardinal Climber blooming but we never posted about the Porterweed. Here are a couple of pictures we took last summer on our deck.
We tried the Porterweed because you see a lot of pictures with hummingbirds feeding on porterweed plants. That really didn’t happen with our plant, though. Since it was on our deck with the Agastache rupestris and Salivia black and blue it got very little attention from the hummingbirds. Regardless, it was still a great plant to look at and the bees and butterflies loved it. As for the Cardinal Climber we grew it in a large hanging basket and it grew great but didn’t look all that good. It probably would have been better off on a trellis, arbor or fence. It also didn’t get very much hummingbird activity.
Hummingbird Table Lamp ~ 12″”
from: Art-and-Home
This Meyda Tiffany hummingbird table lamp measures 12″H. SHADE: 5Hx7W BULB: CNDL MAX WATT: 40. Light bulbs are not included. It would look beautiful in any room of your home.
We got one of these Monarda ‘Jacob Kline’ Bee Balm plants from our local nursery this year and planted it right under one of our hummingbird feeders. We didn’t get many blooms from the plant this year but what we did get attracted hummingbirds. We even had one hummingbird that went to the Bee Balm first and then the feeder which is unusual for us. This plant did have some bug or slug problems that kept it from growing properly. Next year we hope to get rid of these problems so the plant will grow better.
On another note we saw our last hummingbird around September 21st which is about normal for us. We left the feeders up for about two weeks longer but it didn’t look like they were used much. After we took the feeders down we still had flowers blooming for any late migrators, especially the Agastache rupestris. All things considered we had a very good hummingbird year with many visitors.
I realize everybody emails a lot today but there are still times when a nice note to somebody is most appropriate. Lena Liu’s very pretty hummingbird stationery is a unique gift idea I would think most people would appreciate.
Lena Liu’s Flights Of Fancy Personalized Stationery
Lena Liu’s painted the hummingbirds in a garden setting much the same as you see in her other artwork. Personalization can be customized with several choices of distinctive lettering styles and colors.
Lena Liu’s Enchanted Wings Hummingbird Art Glass Pendant Necklace
Lena Liu handcrafted, sculpted, dimensional art glass pendant featuring hummingbird and hibiscus flower. Colors of gold, green, lavender and pink infused into the glass create a translucent glow. Comes with 4 free silken cords in goldenrod, lavender, peony and sage colors so you can coordinate them with your clothes. Measures 1-1/2″ H (including wings); 3.8 cm H; cords are 18″ L; 45.7 cm L. Certificate of Authenticity. Available exclusively from The Bradford Exchange.
Lena Liu’s “Hummingbird Treasury” Porcelain Table Lamp
This limited edition Lena Liu porcelain lamp featuring hummingbird and floral art celebrates her 25th anniversary as an award winning fine collectibles artist. It’s a ginger jar shape lamp and Bradford Exchange design exclusive featuring 24K gold trim, fabric shade, golden hummingbird finial and wooden base.
Lamp measures approximately 20″ H; 50.8 cm H; fabric shade measures approximately 12″ in diameter; 30.5 cm in diameter. UL-listed; 6-foot brown cord; includes a 13-watt CFL bulb; can also be illuminated with 60 watt incandescent bulb (not included) Any beautiful Lena Liu artwork would make a lovely addition to a room in your home.
August is our best hummingbird month because we have the most activity in that month. The Fall migration starts for us around the end of July or beginning of August. We’ll have three or four hummingbirds visiting the feeders and chasing each other around all day. Usually all of our hummingbirds are gone by the second week of September. As of today we still have a couple females that haven’t left yet.
This female hummingbird is checking to see if she’s going to be chased away. Sometimes it seems more time is spent looking for other hummingbirds than feeding.
This male Rubythroat hummingbird is one of two males we had visiting most of the season.
This female Rubythroat hummingbird appears to be chirping at an intruder. They’re always watching and listening for any others that may be nearby.
We feel fortunate again this year to have had a lot of visitors to our hummingbird garden. We’ve really enjoyed watching and listening to these little birds and will hate to see them leave.
Nature’s in Flight Wind Spinner
You have your choice of a hummingbird wind spinner, butterfly or dragonfly wind spinner. Each has different colors as the theme. There’s a matching color glass ball held in a spiral frame with the metal butterflies, dragonflies or hummingbirds above it. This hummingbird wind spinner would fit perfectly into a garden or other outdoor space.
This Cardinal Climber – Ipomoea x multifida picture is of the first blooms from the plant grown from seeds that we previously posted about. We put a few plants and seeds in a hanging basket and now they are growing in every direction. We haven’t seen any of our hummingbirds go to it yet but the blooms just started. We’ll make another post about this plant as it progresses.
