There are few pleasures greater than that of standing amidst your flowers and finding yourself joined by the little Harrier jets of the garden, the hummingbirds. The smallest birds in the world, these acrobats will dart and delight as they pollinate a vast array of flowers, trees and shrubs. They are attracted to the color red, and may even be enticed to visit your feeder if you tie a red ribbon around it.

This writer prefers to plant flowers and shrubs such as Buddleia (the butterfly bush), Campsis radicans that creates a wall of brightly colored trumpet-shaped flowers, perennial bee balm, Russian sage, and surprisingly, dinner plate dahlias.

In fact, having fallen in love with the dahlias last year, I planted all of my window boxes surrounding the perimeter of my rocking chair porch with container-type dahlias. So, whether I was working amidst the 5' high blooms in my English cottage garden, or resting with a book on the porch, I was constantly visited by these miniature marvels, the hummingbirds. For you to enjoy the same pleasures, plant bell-shaped, trumpet-shaped and tubular flowers such as bellflowers, petunias and honeysuckle; gladiolus surrounding a deck is also a popular draw.

Plant your flowers in large blocks of color, and don't shy away from plants of height. Delphiniums and hollyhocks will provide an excellent back row in a tiered perennial bed, and are a strong attractant for the hummingbird.

Northern gardeners as far north as Canada are treated almost exclusively to the Ruby-throated hummingbird, as most are native to Central and South America. The Allen hummingbird, similar to the Rufous but with a green back, populates California almost exclusively, as does Anna's hummingbird which, more than any other North American hummingbird, sings.

Include a bird bath or shallow trough for your hummingbird garden; this is also important for butterfly gardens. Provide small trees and shrubs for shelter, and a place where they may build nests if you're favored with long-term residents.

And then sit back and watch the show!

This will be (hopefully) a very basic, non-technical guide to fertilizing (feeding) your plants.
First of all, when we fertilize keep in mind this is supplement feeding. Many nutrients are in our soil already but they are "locked up" or unavailable in a form that plants can utilize due to P.H.(have acid or alkaline-more about that later) or soil texture problems.

Remember- the more pliable your soil is, with lots of organic materials-the less added nutrients are needed. A good soil will feed your plants naturally. Supplemental feeding can make them grow bigger and better! (If there was any confusion last month), working the amendment into the top few inches of the soil is for small plants (they can sink and have crown rot problems). Larger plants would be amended according to their size needs- a good rule of thumb is to till or dig a shovel's depth and work/mix in any amendments very well.

-Organics vs. Chemical fertilizers-
The plant doesn't know the difference between them, but the soil does. Chemical fertilizers feed the plant. Organic fertilizers feed the soil so the soil feeds the plant naturally. Both have advantages: Chemical fertilizers are fast acting and may later take care of specific problems. In any case, remember to feed your plants organically or chemically, and remember to always follow the label directions.

Work the fertilizer into the soil at the drip line of the plant- that's where the feeding roots are. The drip line is where, if you draw an imaginary line from the outermost branches to the ground as rain would fall. Always water in well, fertilizers need to be in liquid form for roots to absorb- water plants first, never feed a dry plant!

-Understanding "N.P.K."-
All fertilizers have 3 numbers on the bag; the first (N) is nitrogen-for the green, second (P) is phosphorous- for fruit & flowers, and third (K) is potassium-for overall vigor of the plant.

For our soils the most important is nitrogen, it needs to be replenished because it moves freely through the soil and can be washed out. Complete or all-purpose type fertilizers are good to use at planting time (phosphorous and potassium need to be worked in) as they don't move well through our alkaline soils. It is especially important to feed plants in containers regularly or they won't have anything to eat!

How often? Follow label directions, usually it will say monthly during the growing season or with organics every other month because they are slower acting (you will also notice the NPK numbers on those bags are smaller). Follow label directions for specialty fertilizers such as those for azaleas or fruit trees.

An easy fertilizer for beginners and one of my favorites is Gro-Power. It has an acid-humus base and everything likes it. Dr. Earth products are very gentle and relatively safe around pets because they are all organic. Kellogg's fertilizers are easy to use and have fast results and work well for specific nutrient needs. Remember to water in well!

To review:
1. Check fertilizer choice for N.P.K. numbers and choose one with plenty of nitrogen.
2. Follow label directions!
3. Work into soil at the drip line
4. Water in well- Never fertilize a dry plant!