It's been dry this spring until the last week or so; we've finally have had some much needed rain. I started the hummer garden in the fall of 2006 and kept things limited to the back yard. I no longer feel that I have to restrict myself to the rules of suburbia.





Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Love your garden. What great looking plants

Your own rules are working quite well.

Wow! that Hamelia Patens is stunning. I am sure you get sticky if you walk beside it.

Suchie

The heck with rules of suburbia. Your southern garden is to die for! and I do mean to die for!

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

You have provided a perfect sanctuary, Joan! Feel proud of yourself!

Well geez Joan, I see some bare ground. This is what I'm aiming for when I get down south, I'd be burned at the stake in my development if I tried this now.

Pam NJ 6B

Thanks everyone. Just wait till the vines take off! I like it to look almost out of control.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

I went for a walk and when I got home there was a business card on the table from someone who works at the Code and Enforcement department. I thought I was busted! Not this time; it was concerning a neighbor who had neglected their above-ground pool last year. So far so good. The next knock at the door was from a man inquiring about Cuphea Schummani (sp.?) My Dad didn't know what to tell him other than it was for hummingbirds. Hope he comes back and I'll pass a plant along.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Looks like Eden Joan.

Beautiful even without the rain.

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

Jaon - My heart longs for the south and your perfect hummer haven Joan! It sure is bringing back memories of how lush southern gardens are in comparison to what we northerners can grow. Yours is magnificent.

Wonderful that someone came to compliment your Cuphea schumannii!


Carol
Milford, CT
Zone 6

Joan how cool that someone asked about the C. schumanni! My seedlings are doing well and hope they will have time to bloom before fall. I am going to keep some in pots and plant a few out around the yard since most plants seem to grow better and faster in ground.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Thanks y'all! The schumanni really took off after it went in the ground. At first I was a little concerned at how easy it seemed to break, but I'm finding seedlings here and there and it is blooming like crazy.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Neat-o, Joan! Remember, I had a guy knock on the door and ask about Cuphea schumannii just a few weeks ago. Maybe we aren't the only 'cigar lovers' in Metairie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

Beautiful Garden!!

Lisa

Lake Country
Southern Wisconsin
USDA Zone 5b
heat zone 4/5
sunset zone 41
http://thehummingbirdgarden.blogspot.com/

Hello Joan,

Your gardens are an absolute paradise!
I just purchased a Salvia leucantha (the one with the purple and white velvety flowers) because of how lovely they looked in your gardens. I can see how huge they are now...Wow! When do you expect them to start blooming?


Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Nancy, this neighborhood will be smokin'! Thanks Lisa. Susan Louise, I've seen the leucantha bloom in the spring and then again in the fall. It seems to be heavier in the fall. I found a picture from December with blooms, then the leaves turn yellow. I cut them back in the spring when new growth is strong.

This picture is from early september.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Wow, Joan! Your garden is spectacular. The hamelias and cupheas are so beautiful. I would count myself very lucky to be your neighbor.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

Why thanks, Priya. I'm sure some of them think I've lost it though...

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

This beautiful display is not allowed in all southern cities. In Fort Worth the code enforcement group came out with their little ruler and cited mom on the day she was entered into hospice. What a swell group. Grrrrr!

Gayla
Jackson, Mississippi
Canon XSi and S3 IS
Zone 7b; Heat Zone 9 (Ugh)

Amazingly beautiful, Joan! What a wonderful job you've done in such a short time. A hummingbird Paradise for sure!!! Thanks so much for posting your photos.

Gayla - sorry to hear of your troubles...how frustrating!

Diana
Upstate SC
Zone 7b

Thanks Diana. What a shame, Gayla.

I had purchased a plastic waterfall feature from Lowe's which was flat black. I wanted a shallow water feature with a bubbler that looked more realistic so I expanded on an idea of Lizette's. She used vinyl patch concrete to create a shallow birdbath and uses a bubble rock in it. I covered the waterfall with duct tape after rigging a garden hose and right angle fitting into place. The pump tubing fits into the hose. I added layers of concrete and mesh, and added dye and rocks to the top layer. Some areas I made with ledges using rolled up newspaper under the concrete. I am using the waterfall with a deep birdbath. Still wanting a shallow bath station, I added a leaf structure to cover the pump and to make the water not so deep. I had read about this project in a magazine years ago. You make a mound of sand and cover it with plastic wrap. Place a large leaf over the plastic and add the cement. I don't have the assembly in final positon, don't want it perched like it is and need to do some staining. I'll post again when it is finished; I have a mister on it while it cures. The leaf project would make a nice ground feeder also...

good golly molly Joan...........could you please move next door to me? I'd LOVE to have you for a NEIGHBOR!

Wait....what the heck kind of rules do these stupid code inforcement people have for plants? And Joan, what is this word "rules" you are using? I figure if I'm the gardener, I make the "rules"....but maybe I'm lucky with where I live that I can do that?
dell

Dell, aren't rules made to be broken? I think the main rule we have around here is to keep your grass cut. But if you don't have any grass?...

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Wow! Those gardens are fabulous. Thanks for sharing.