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| Trumpet Vine |
I was getting my last section of the Jackson Aerial Aqueduct when I drifted over to bird food for a bag of sunflower seeds. On the left was a large display of hummingbird nectar, plus any number of feeders, which are known to attract ants and bees. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Climbing roses are slow to bloom and yet some are known to become obnoxious in their prolific growth once established.
We have hummingbirds in the neighborhood, fed by the landscaper (bottled nectar, of course), so upon being urged to host a few with feeders, I said, "I grow them."
Vines are a great way to decorate trees. Ever since I read about using a tree as a living trellis, I wanted to send vines up the easy way.
Trumpet vines are an easy choice. They know how to climb on their own, and hummingbirds love them. They provide nectar and insects looking for pollen and natural cola. They do not require bleachy washing and refilling. We had them at home in Moline and kept them in check by mowing their sprouts in the grass. They like to send runners and drop seeds.
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| Honeysuckle, Scentsation |
Honeysuckle is new to me. I have often heard of it as a hummingbird plant, but I have not grown it.
Mine came early and I have nurtured it with rainwater. Real growth is starting now.
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| Passion Flower |
Passion Flower is another new one, but most people can identify it from the radically ornate flowers.
Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds often enjoy the same plants, although butterflies seem very particular about which food their babies will grow up on. Therefore a variety of plants will favor an entire convention of entertaining, beautiful, and useful creatures, as God intended.
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| Butterfly larvae love the maypop, the fruit of the Passion Flower, and people eat it too. |