Southern Gardeners ~ gardening locally, sharing globally

Oh the joys of summer~ Dripping sweat, suffocating humidity, and the always well-loved mosquitos invade our lives making outdoor activity marginally fun at best. What can be found to bring a little joy during the dog days of summer? Remember the birds!! Remember those native plants!! With those things in mind, you should be reaping the joys of early Spring or Winter labor. When it’s too hot to sit out in the garden or the bugs chase you inside to safety, you can still enjoy the outdoors. Drought tolerant native plants will still hold their own during long dry spells, and the hummingbirds flitting around the blooms is reward enough for smart choosing of plants. Placing of a birdbath and feeders close to a nice window where you can sit in the cool and still enjoy the wildlife will bring you neverending joy and excitment. I like to think that my living room window is like a movie. Flowers are always coming into season, changing the colors and hues each day. Birds and other small mammals are constantly bringing in action and drama. Recently, I’ve had the joy of watching the parent birds bring their offspring to feed and drink here-securing the everchanging picture for yet another generation.

During the hot days of summer, mulch becomes a necessity. Even native plants can suffer and flag during super hot, long dry spells. With thick, well placed mulch, you will be able to take advantage of the few drops of midsummer moisture that may fall. During this time, you will often see birds scratching in the mulch and poking their nosey beaks into the wood. They are keeping bugs to a minimum around those plants- and in so doing, keeping the plant healthier. You may also see more spiders this time of year. MOST of them are harmless and necessary to all gardens. They keep harmful garden pests in check as well. (Of course, touching spiders is always a bad idea. Even non-venemous ones can and occasionally do bite. )

Even with the oppressive heat, it is very important to go out once a day (preferably morning) and do a ‘walk about’ in your garden. Keeping a close eye on your plants and such will help you keep a good pulse on what is going on with your plantings. By constantly checking, you are able to identify which plants may need a little human help to make it through a particularly harsh spell of weather or temperature. Sometimes just a cup of water poured at the roots of a new planting can keep it alive enough to send it through to another season. Remember when you are walking through to make a quick check of the birdbath and feeders. Fresh water is literally a life-saver for birds and small mammals. Make sure watering areas are kept very clean and full of fresh water. Hummingbirds are particularly sensitive to bacteria that grows in old sugar water. Make sure to thoroughly clean feeders once per week. Use a q-tip and pipe cleaner to clean out ports. Use very hot water and you can also throw a handful of tiny gravel in the feeder with the hot water and shake well to clean out stubborn bacteria or mold. Make sure to rinse feeder well before refilling.

The hummingbird nectar recipe is:

1/2 cup sugar mixed into 1 cup nearly boiling water and stir until dissolved. Then add 1 cup cold water and mix in and pour into feeder.

*DO NOT add in food coloring for any reason-it may actually harm the hummingbirds*

Keep up the good work gardeners!!!!!!!!!

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