The Blog for Your Entire Garden

I have so many great memories of playing hide & seek or some other childhood game with my cousins in my grandmother’s back yard.  Seeing the ever present, hanging baskets of fuchsias are a  big part of those memories.  Who knew a hanging plant could have so much of an effect on a child?  To me, they are one of the best things about this time of year. They are my personal favorites.  Early this month, I added two hanging wire baskets full of red and pink Fuchsias to my front porch and raised my eyes to the heavens thinking of my grandma.

I am not alone.  While reviewing materials in preparation for this post, I found that people spell fuchsia as many ways as the colors Fuchsias come in.  Fuschias, Fuchsia, Fusha, Fuchsias, Fushia, and Fuscia were all used to describe these beautiful plants.  No matter what you call them or how you spell it, Fuchsias are a favorite flower for many.  It’s one of the best selling plants in America!

Fuchsias are named for 16th-century botanist Leonard Fuchs.  The story goes that a British sailor saw the plant in it’s native South America and brought a small plant back to his wife in England.   When a nurseryman spotted the striking flower, he convinced the couple to let him purchase the plant and today they can be seen adorning the outdoor living spaces of many homes.

Native fuchsias found growing in South America are often large shrubs or small trees with rather inconspicuous flowers.  Modern hybrids, however, are anything but inconspicuous.  Hybridizers have developed these small flowers into gigantic single or double blooms that are up to 2 1/2 inches across.  Some are so heavy, the stems can barely support them.  Plant sizes vary across the country.  The smaller plants are generally used as hanging plants or planted in planter boxes while the largest ones can be trained as trees or shaped into hedges.

While these plants are hardy in a small portion of the U.S. (zones 8-10), they thrive as annuals almost everywhere else.  Pink, white, red, purple, and orange,  these flowers come in a variety of colors!

Fuchsias showy blooms attract admirers of all sizes and Hummingbirds especially love them.

Since fuchsias prefer mild weather, they usually don’t tolerate extreme heat, drought, or humidity, but some are more heat tolerant than others.  If you live in a hot climate like I do, ask your local nursery which cultivators work best in your area and plant them in a partially shaded area.

Trailing varieties are often displayed in hanging pots.  The upright varieties are used less often in colder climates but work equally well in container gardens as well as planting beds.

Fuchsias are fast vigorous growers and the have a big appetite.  Apply diluted liquid fertilizer to contain plants throughout the season to ensure strong growth and prolific blooms.  Be sure to water regularly, fuchsias are thirsty plants.  Once the plants are growing and thriving but before they are flowering, pinch the stems back to encourage fullness.  Pinching the stems back also forces the plant to produce side branches, which you can also pinch back.  Stop pinching 8-10 weeks before you want the plant to flower.

Yes, all this feeding, watering and pinching takes time, but it’s definitely worth it.  At bloom time, you’ll have a full well shaped plant that’s the pride and joy of your porch or patio.

For continuous blooms, remove the spent flowers regularly.  Don’t panic if the flowering stops during hot spells, as the flowering will resume as soon as it cools off a bit.

To produce extra plants, try taking tip cuttings.  Snip off the last two or three joints at the tip of a growing branch, dip the cut end into rooting compound and place it in a damp rooting medium.  you can also grow fuchsia from seed which is available through specialty seed catalogs.

Fuchsias can be overwintered in a cold dark basement, garden shed, or even your garage.  This way, you won’t have to buy new plants every year.  Prune lightly before storing and leave the in their containers, watering about once a month.  Cut back to live wood when you return the plants outdoors in spring.  Northern gardeners may want to jump start the plants indoors.  You can grow fuchsias as houseplants too!  Indoor planters need to be as large as the one it was in outside or even slightly larger.

Stop by our store and take a look at the beautiful hanging planters and other garden decorative items that we offer.  Shop around, come back often.  We love serving the people who love gardening as much as we do!

Happy Gardening!

P.S. For more information about Fuchsias, visit the American Fuchsia Society.  They are one of the oldest groups and they maintain a registry of all the new hybrids developed each year.  You can visit the American Fuchsia Society at www.americanfuchsiasociety.org

If you are like the majority of middle class Americans,  this year, you are probably planning to do more entertaining at home and you may be thinking that your outdoor living area is a perfect place to do it.   If new outdoor furniture isn’t in the budget for this summer, maybe you can renew the furniture you already have to make your outdoor entertaining area more attractive and comfortable.  Here are some easy and economical ways to update your outdoor living area.

Wrought iron Furniture is pretty simple to make it look almost new.  Remove existing rust with a wire brush, some sandpaper or a sandblaster if you have one.  I prefer the wire brush.  Using a rust inhibiting primer spray paint from your favorite home improvement center, spray the spots and allow to dry.  Finish in a spray paint color of your choice.  I like the new modern colors like blue, green, and yellow.  A perfect update!

Cedar or Redwood Furniture ages and gets a weathered and gray hue to it.  Some people love the look of weathered cedar but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.  You have a couple of options here;  Cedar furniture can be painted and if you want a real change this may be the way to go.  Keep in mind however that should you change your mind about the look next year you’ll be in for a LOT of sanding.  The other option, and my preferred method, is to stain the cedar.  Use a deep penetrating, water- repellent stain, that inhibits mildew and helps preserve the cedar’s beauty.  Ask at your home improvement store’s paint desk for suggestions on the right stain.  Follow the directions on the can and repeat in two or three years.

Mesh and Webbed Furniture can be repaired as well.  I haven’t been able to locate the materials locally but you can find them online.  Do a Google search for “vinyl mesh sling fabrics” or “chair webbing”.  You can sand the frames and  spray paint using a paint for metal finishes if you want to really want to jazz them up.

Wicker and Rattan can be cleaned using a brush and soapy water and then spray painted for a fresh look.  Try a new color and update your cushions.

Updating your cushions.  They aren’t your mother’s same old outdoor looking cushions any more.  The selection of cushions is endless in styles from elegant to casual. Be sure to look for a weather resistant fabrics which are available in an array of attractive fabrics and color schemes.   They are available at home improvement centers, discount big box stores, and of course, in hundreds of e-commerce stores.

Garden Decorative Items.  Why not update the decorative items in your outdoor living area as well.  Consider adding a water-feature or fountain.  These can be tabletop styles or can be free standing and  sit directly on your patio or deck.  The soothing sound of the water will ease away your stress  while adding an attractive feature to your outdoor living area.  Some large plants in colorful pots are a nice touch too, don’t forget to keep in mind how much sun or shade your outdoor living area gets when making your plant selections.

Lighting.  Last but not least, don’t forget about lighting.  It’s a bit more expensive initially, but solar lighting is a great option here.  There is no cost to run it and you’ll be doing something good for the environment at the same time.  Solar lights come in many different styles now in everything from spot lights to strings of individual decorative lights.

Invite your family and friends over for refreshments and enjoy your new outdoor living area!

There is nothing more relaxing than sitting in a chair or swing on your patio, deck, or porch and watching butterflies make a graceful trip around your yard.  Even in today’s hectic times, all “seems at peace and right with the world”, as a butterfly pauses to sip some nectar or relax on a warm rock.

Without a doubt, the number one thing you have to do if you want to attract butterflies is quit using chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides in your butterfly garden.

One thing people often forget is it’s important to provide “host plants”, not just nectar sources.  By providing host plants, you can watch the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into an adult butterfly.  Besides host plants, of course, you need nectar plants that bloom from the start of the season to late summer and fall.

Remember to provide butterflies a place to warm in the sun.  Provide a bath waterer or “mister” for them.  Put out slices of banana.  Fruit flies come to the banana and butterflies consume fruit flies which provides them with protein and minerals.  Put out a slice of watermelon or overly ripe fruit, and you’ll be amazed at all the butterflies that stop by for a light lunch of “fruit plate”!

At our shop, The Decorator’s Garden Supply, we offer products and provide further information to help you encourage butterflies to visit and stay with you. You will find advice for starting a butterfly garden, you’ll be able to browse butterfly houses, butterfly feeders, nectar, and garden decorative items featuring a butterfly motif.  You can shop for gifts for the butterfly lover, and watch a video on what host plants to provide if attracting butterflies is what you want in your garden.

To your success!

P.S. You’ll find more info and products to help in attracting butterflies here.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

In the United States, you can find over 16 kinds of Hummingbirds.  For people east of the Rockies, the most prevalent by far is the Roby-Throated Hummingbird.  In fact, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is the most widely distributed of the world’s 338 species of Hummingbirds, all of which occur ONLY in the Western Hemisphere.

The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is often found between woodland and meadow.  However, it has adapted well to human development but only if there is shelter, space and food.  Thus, it is frequently seen in suburban backyards with mature trees and shrubs, in wooded parks, and around farmsteads.

The Keys to Attracting Hummingbirds are to provide food, Help for nesting, and misters (water) for them to fly through. Hummingbirds are extremely loyal to feeding sites.  A hummingbird that feeds in your yard one year will return to that feeder the next.  If you aren’t attracting as many hummers as you want, read on…

As the male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is so territorial, on key is to offer losts of feeders.  We have several different feeders available for every garden decor.  No matter what kind of feeders you decide to use, remember two golden rules: Keep the feeder clean and the nectar fresh.  Fermented nectar can support the growth of deadly molds.  If a hummingbird gets a taste of fermented nectar from your feeder, it will look elsewhere for a drink and remain suspicious of the offending feeder for a long time.  Fermented nectar to hummingbirds is like drinking alcohol to humans.  Hummingbirds understand that they need a clear head for their acrobatic flying.

• Plant open throated red flowers.

• Tie a big red bow to trees and branches in your yard near feeders.  Hummingbirds have keen vision and are attracted to red.

• Provide Nesting material.

• Keep Feeders Clean!  We recommend the Brush kits below.

• Offer lots of feeders protected from ants.  Keep ants away from your feeders by using “Nectar Guard Tips” or hang a “Nectar Protector Ant Moat” above your feeder and fill it with water. (Ants can’t swim)  Recommended Feeders are listed below in the shop.

• Keep Bees and wasps away from your feeders by using a flat top feeder where the nectar is not at the feeding port.  Hummers can reach but the bees can not.

Nesting

A hummingbird nest is not much bigger than a quarter, and often it contains just 2-3 eggs no bigger than small peas.  it’s typically hard to see, as it blends in well to the tree branch it’s attached to, and is made of fine animal or plant down and moss or lichens.

Hummingbirds have been proven to really take to a product called “Hummer Helper Nesting Material, which provides a natural replacement for some hard to find materials.  This item is sold in a convenient holder in the hummingbird section below.

Water

Hummingbirds, like many birds, need and are attracted to water.  One of the best ways to attract hummingbirds is with a “mister” taht emits a fine spray.

Hummingbird Facts

• Hummingbirds beat their wings about 78 times per second.  During a display dive, their wings can beat up to 200 times per second.
• Hummingbirds take about 250 breaths per minute
• Hummingbirds like all other birds, have no sense of smell.
• They have about 1,500 feathers.
• Average Length: 3 1/2 inches
• Average weight: 1/8 oz
• They consume half of their body weight in food every day.  That would be like an average child eating about 40-50 pounds of food a day!
• During migration, they must fly 500 miles nonstop over the Gulf of Mexico to reach their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America.  To make the trip, they must eat enough so they weigh 1 1/2 times their usual weight.
• They can fly at speeds of 60 miles per hour and can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways, and even upside down briefly, but they can’t walk.  Avg speed is 30 miles per hour.
• The average life span is 3-5 years.  Maximum 12 years.
• Diet: Nectar and small insects such as gnats, ants, and flies.

More information is available in some of the books that are available in our shop below.

Artificial Nectar Recipe

• One part ordinary white cane sugar to four parts water.
• Boiling the water for several minutes before measuring can retard spoilage in the feeder by a day or two; if you measure first, some will boil away and mess up the proportions.  Stir in the sugar while the water is still hot.  let cool before filling the feeder.
• Store unused nectar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
• This mixture approximates the average sucrose content (about 21%) of the flowers favored by North American Hummingbirds.

Our hope is that you will find this information helpful in your ability to attract these wonderful little birds.  Hummingbirds will bring you many hours of pure enjoyment!

P.S. To browse our page of hummingbird supplies visit our store hummingbird feeders and supplies.

Hi, I’m Leigha and I am the owner of The Decorator’s Garden Supply Store.

I am passionate about gardening and recently opened a little  store selling garden decorative items, bird feeders, and the like.  All that being wonderful,  I wanted to do more.  After all, there is much more to gardening than adding some garden decorative items here and there!  In most cases, garden decorative items are the final touches.  It’s true, some of them are functional things, things that will make your yard and garden look better and are useful, but as a rule, everything that happens before the final touches are what really matter.  I wanted to share my knowledge about gardening, teach you how to attract birds to your yard if you want them, help you with your do-it-yourself projects, and talk about whatever else happens to be on my mind.  I also wanted to have the opportunity to learn from you, my readers and fellow gardening enthusiasts, so please feel free to comment.  Dive right in, all are welcome and perhaps we will all learn something together.

My long time friend Alison Dale, has agreed to manage this store for me and she has many great ideas to bring you.    She already has a long list of topics she wants me to cover in this blog.  I am lucky to have her and it is my hope that we will become a trusted resource of great gardening information to you.  You can find Alison on Twitter @Alison_Dale.  UPDATE: Alison’s husband has been transferred and I’m now on my own.

Once again, Welcome to our blog “It’s Not Just About the Garden Decorative Items”  If you have questions, comments, or ideas on what you would like to see posted here, let us know.  We’ll do our best to find the answers and resources for you.

Happy Gardening!