The rain we had last Saturday made my plants very happy. Watering with a two-gallon can takes time and doesn’t do the job as well as nature.
After this good rain, I mulched around the plants with some fresh shredding mixed with llama manure. I just use it on top of the soil, so I am not waiting for the composting process — nature will look after this. This shredding includes some spent flowers that might have seeds and a few weeds also. If they germinate, I just have to pull them as they come. In the meantime, it will keep the soil moist and make it easier to work the clay.
Someone phoned me about what to feed the hummingbirds. The web site www.worldofhummingbirds.com is full of information but for people without the internet here are some of the notes copied from the site. There are two ways to go about providing your hummingbird with nectar, and you can either buy it, or make it. There are several commercially available hummingbird nectar products you can purchase, but try not to purchase any products that are coloured red. Red dye is unnecessary to attract hummingbirds and can be bad for their tiny little kidneys. You can make homemade hummingbird nectar which can be healthier and less expensive than the store-bought variety.
Recipe: 1 cup pure cane white granulated sugar and 4 cups hot boiling water. Add the sugar after boiling the water and stir until dissolved. Let cool completely and place in the refrigerator usually overnight.
Very carefully, take apart your hummingbird feeder and clean with soap and water, making sure your hummingbird feeder is clean and free from any debris and/or mold. Rinse carefully so you have no residue of soap.
Fill the feeder and place outside in a quiet location. The best place is usually outside of a side window so you can watch the hummingbirds come and go as they drink the nectar and enjoy what you have provided for them.
It is important to remember to change the nectar at a minimum of every three days. If you see white floating strands, or the nectar gets cloudy, or it just doesn’t look right, make sure to take down the feeder and clean it thoroughly. This will not only protect the health of your hummingbirds but they will be more likely to stick around for more.
Note: The recipe needs to be followed exactly as written. Hummingbirds are very sensitive creatures with tiny body organs. Not following the recipe exactly or using substitutions can harm the hummingbirds. Do not add red food colouring or dye to the hummingbird food. It has no nutritional value and can cause damage to their kidneys. If you have a good hummingbird feeder, there is no need to have red hummingbird food to attract them.
Do not put hot hummingbird food into a hummingbird feeder. This can cause the tank on the hummingbird feeder to break, and putting hot hummingbird food into the feeder can also burn the tongue of a poor unsuspecting hummingbird. Only use pure cane white granulated sugar to make hummingbird food. The chemical makeup of other types of sugars is not the same as pure cane white granulated sugar and can cause illness and death to a hummingbird.
For more information: 250-558-4556 plantlady1@shaw.ca
Jocelyne Sewell is an organic gardening enthusiast in the North Okanagan and member of Okanagan Gardens & Roses Club. Her column appears every other Wednesday.