Recycled Rocks and Humming Birds

AUGUST 24, 2010

So, I think I've narrowed down the plant possibilities for the berm- unless someone else comes up with a brilliant idea!  I'm thinking 2-3 different grasses, some golden rod, and maybe black eyed susan.  I also think a very large rock might be a nice focal point, but I want to leave space options open for vegetable plantings for next spring- maybe squash?  I'm thinking of planting a couple of smaller blueberry bushes on the east side of the berm garden, and serviceberry bushes along the west side of the yard.  We still have to decide if we want a fence there or not.

berm garden view-fence or no fence?

trumpet vine growing like crazy! Orange hummer feeder now filled!

another view of pond garden

recycled stone steps

tomato porn

I'm very excited about our latest visitors to the yard, humming birds!  I had put out a pretty orange glass feeder this spring and filled it once with sugar water- all that came to eat were ants and bees.  So, I emptied it.  Then one evening last week we were in the porch and I saw a little hummer flitting around- he paused close to the screen and looked in at us, and flew off.  He was attracted to our red sunflower feeders so we figured we needed a red hummer feeder.  We put it up and that evening and here comes the hummer, now happily slurping away at the feeder.  Feeding time seems to be early morning and evening, and he frequently sits in the redbud tree.
We went to the compost site Saturday morning to drop of decaying bags of compost, and that morning I was pondering where I could pick up for free some large empty tree pots to continue with my stepping stones project.  The garden gods were smiling down on me because there next to the giant compost pile someone had dropped off 4 very large plastic tree pots!!  My brilliant idea is to use all the rocks from the front hosta garden to make stepping stones with just stones, no cement.  Larry helped me cut each pot into 3- 5"deep step forms.  I already made a couple from the rocks we dug up from the garden, but it takes a lot of rock to fill a form.  We have to remove the hostas next spring when they first come up and find new homes for them, because they just get fried by the sun where they are now.  It will be much easier to dig them out with the rock gone.  So, now I must go recycle rock.  Hope to have pics of the humming birds for the next post.
Til then,
Greenie