Attracting Ruby-throated Hummingbirds to Your Garden 

Seeing a hummingbird is always an exciting event! These tiny beautiful creatures who feast on the nectar of flowers are amazing to behold. Read on to learn more about the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) that makes its home in Massachusetts.

Fast Facts 

• Males have unmistakable glossy green feathers on their head and midriff and a stunning, glittering red necklace (hence the namesake).
• These brightly colored feathers around the throat of a hummingbird are known as a gorget.  
• Females can be distinguished from the males because they do not have a gorget.
• Hummingbirds migrate in the spring, arriving in the Bay State in April and May.
• The ruby-throated hummingbird the smallest breeding bird in the state of Massachusetts.
• Is the only hummingbird species that breeds and nests in the eastern US.  
• Hummingbirds use lichen, those crusty plantlike organisms found on tree bark, along with other fibers to form their nests and they cleverly hold it all together with spiderwebs!
• Their wings beat 53 times per second.
• Those fast-flapping wings burn a lot of energy so hummingbirds must eat more than their own weight in insects and nectar daily!

Hummingbird feeders.

Early Season Care for our Beautiful and Magical Friends 

• Put feeders out in late April or early May until flowers in your garden can offer a source of food.
• To make a nectar, dissolve one part refined white sugar into four parts boiling water and be sure to let it cool before adding it to your feeder. 
• Red dye isn’t necessary. It is neither helpful nor harmful –  it is the color of the feeding port (usually red) that attracts the hummingbird.
• Clean the feeder at least once a week to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. 
• Hummingbirds eat both nectar and insects so if you see ants on the feeder, chances are the hummingbirds will take care of them.
• Provide a source of water for bathing – it’s another chance to observe them up close! 

Planting a Garden to Attract Hummingbirds 

Like us, hummingbirds appreciate a variety of flowers, from annuals in containers to tall perennial specimens. They especially like flowers that are tubular in shape and brightly colored. 

Calibrachoa

Consider adding some of the following to your garden:  

Annuals 

• Agastache (red and orange varieties) 
• Calibrachoa (both superbells and million bells) 
• Cleome (spider flower – a good nectar source for hummingbirds and swallowtails butterflies) 
• Fuchsia (a hummingbird magnet) 
• Lantana 
• Nasturtium 
• Nicotiana (flowering tobacco) 
• Petunias 
• Salvia (especially fire cracker red) 
• Sunflowers  
• Zinnias (especially large size flowers)  

Perennials  

• Agastache (perennial varieties such as Blue Fortune) 
• Asclepias (milkweed) 
• Aquilegia (columbine) 
• Baptisia 
• Echinacea (coneflower) 
• Heuchera (coral bells) 
• Hibiscus moschuetos 
• Lamprocapnos spectabilis (bleeding heart) 
• Lobelia cardinalis 
• Monarda (bee balm) 
• Nepeta (catmint) 
• Phlox 
• Salvia (perennial varieties such as East Friesland and Caradonna) 

Shrubs 

• Azalea 
• Buddleia (butterfly bush) 
• Chaenomeles (flowering quince) 
• Clethra alnifolia (summersweet) 
• Lilac 
• Lonicera (honeysuckle vine) 
• Rhododendron 
• Viburnum 
• Weigela 

The Importance of Water

When we talk about the importance of newly planted trees and shrubs becoming “established” in the garden, we are referring to the development of a healthy root system. This root system is the basis for the plant’s top growth and long term health. And water is the key ingredient in developing that root system.  For the first two years of its life in your garden, the tree and its roots are particularly sensitive to water deficits. As the tree matures, its roots reach deeper into the ground and are able to tap water sources there. 

New shrubs and trees will require supplemental watering throughout the first growing season, right up to the onset of winter, and again in the second growing season. Water needs to be applied in the form of a gentle and deep soaking, down to the bottom and around the entire circumference of the root ball. Importantly, plants will require this watering at least once a week, and oftentimes twice a week in order to prevent any part of the root system from drying out.  

How much water a plant needs depends on its size. A small shrub will need 2-3 gallons of water each time it is watered. A larger shrub, 3-5 gallons. A small tree will need 5-8 gallons.  Mid-sized and larger trees, correspondingly more.

Water can be delivered in several different ways: 

1. Leave a hose on a slow trickle at the base of the plant sufficient to soak the root mass. 
2. Slowly pour large buckets of water around the plant, allowing each bucket full to soak into the soil. 
3. Hook up a dripper hose on a timer which will relieve you of the burden of finding time in your busy schedule. 
4. Know which of your perennials are more drought tolerant (ex. Sedum, Coneflower, Yarrow) and those which need regular watering to look their best. Using a watering can or a hose on a very gentle trickle applied at the base of the plant is the best way to apply water where it is needed most.  

Sedum are drought tolerant plants.

When and how much we water our plants is of course influenced by how much rain we receive. While it is tempting to skip your watering duties when we get a light afternoon shower, be mindful that a light shower is not likely to be enough to soak the depth of the root ball.  Knowing that established plants require at least an inch of water every week, it is helpful to keep an eye on your weather app or an old-fashioned rain gauge to track weekly totals. 

Two watering strategies that will not serve your plants well: 

• Watering frequently but lightly does not benefit the tree or shrub as it encourages root development at the surface, making the roots particularly vulnerable to drying out in times of water deficit.  
• Keeping a plant in soaking wet conditions day after day will deplete the oxygen in the soil, not a good thing for any life form! Hence the need for deep watering followed by a period in which the soil is allowed to dry out.  

Even as night time temperatures cool and the grass is moist with dew in the morning, it is important to keep up your program of supplemental watering until the ground freezes.

And remember, most plants prefer deep infrequent waterings to frequent shallow ones. See our planting guide for more information! 

Choosing the Right Pottery for Your Home, Porch, or Yard

Pottery is an investment that can add interest to your home and show off your personal style no matter what plants you choose to put in them. But with so many styles and colors to choose from, deciding what’s right for you and your plants isn’t totally straightforward. We are here to help demystify the process with a few things to keep in mind when choosing a container for your home, porch, or yard.

Size Matters.

When it comes to pottery, size is a major factor both for your budget and for the health of the plants you place in your pots. You may be tempted to go big so that you never have to re-pot but be careful! When plants are planted into containers significantly larger than their nursery pots the root system is not robust enough to absorb all the water in the soil and that can lead to root rot. A good rule of thumb when transplanting into a new container is that the diameter of the new pot should only be about two inches wider than the plant’s current pot.

If you fall in love with a decorative container that’s too large for your plant but you know that it will eventually grow into it you can slowly acclimate it to the larger pot using inexpensive grow pots that fit inside your decorative container or by using an Ups-A-Daisy, which will reduce the amount of soil you need in the pot until your plant’s root system is ready for more.

An Ups-A-Daisy can reduce the amount of soil needed to fill your pot!

On the flip side, you do not want to try to cram a plant in a six-inch diameter grow pot into another six-inch diameter decorative pot, particularly if the decorative pot has a tapered bottom. Never go smaller, your plants need room to grow.

Drainage and Airflow are Important.

You may have noticed that when you buy plants, they usually come in plastic containers with several drainage holes along the bottom. Air is every bit as important to a healthy root system as water. Roots cannot breathe when the soil is sopping wet, all the air molecules get crowded out by water molecules. If you are planning to transplant directly into a decorative container, drainage holes are a must. It is even better if you can get air moving under your plant. Pot feet or Ups-A-Daisys are a terrific way to do this.

Pot feet create airflow under your container.

Some decorative indoor containers are manufactured without holes so that indoor surfaces are protected. These are called cache pots and it is best to leave your plants in their grow pots (with all those drainage holes) and pop the whole thing into the container. Check out the video below for how to use a cache pot!

Different Materials Meet Different Goals.

Now that we understand the basics of size, drainage, and airflow, it is time to choose a container made from materials that meet your specific needs.

Terra Cotta

A favorite of plants everywhere and a classic that is making its way back into chic and modern home design, terra cotta is a smart choice for even moisture distribution and healthy roots. Because terra cotta is porous, oxygen exchange is facilitated throughout the root system, not just at the bottom. Additionally, terra cotta absorbs excess moisture to prevent plant roots from staying soggy for too long. These days, terra cotta is available not just in the classic earthy orange but also in attractive “chocolate” and “vanilla” tones to seamlessly integrate into any color scheme.

Terra cotta is the hands down favorite of most plants.

Glazed Pottery

Speaking of color, nothing offers the variety of hues like glazed ceramic pottery. Additionally, you will find a broad selection of shapes and sizes and many of these pots are crafted to be frost resistant. However, keep in mind that frost-resistant does not mean it is freeze-proof. Water expands when it turns to ice so moisture in your planters can push a ceramic pot to the breaking point during a freeze. Raising your outdoor pots off the ground with pot feet can help create airflow that will melt the ice during warmer days. When in doubt, it is best to empty your ceramic pots and bring them into the garage after Christmas to protect your investment. A dolly is helpful for this!

Glazed pottery at Mahoney’s in Winchester.

Lightweight Fiber Clay

Great for indoors or out, lightweight fiber clay offers the gravitas of stone with the easy maneuverability of durable plastic. Fiber clay is freeze-tolerant, making it a good option for year-round use but it’s important to keep a few things in mind:

1. Using ice melt around fiber clay will corrode the finish. Keep them looking great by avoiding the base of the pot when using ice melt.
2. Even freeze-tolerant materials like fiber clay can still crack if moisture in the soil inside them freezes and expands. To prevent this, we suggest raising all your outdoor pots on pot feet. Elevating them allows for better drainage and airflow, so water doesn’t accumulate and freeze.

By taking these simple steps, you can keep your outdoor pottery safe and looking great all year round.

Lightweight fiber clay, also known as fiber cement.

Plastic

If you know you will be moving your pots around to suit your design choices or crops each season, plastic is another great and affordable choice. It’s ideal for container gardening with herbs, veggies, and annuals and available in several different colors and finishes. Do be sure to bring these inside for the winter. Plastic will easily crack if it gets too cold. Fortunately, this is easy to do since they are so lightweight!

Plastic pots are easy to stack, store, and move throughout the season.

Cedar Boxes

The ultimate choice for New England, cedar boxes are classic, beautiful, and easily withstand freezing temperatures. Cedar will naturally weather to a lovely beachy grey tone, but you can preserve the original wood color by staining with a protective finish or paint to suit your color palette. Be sure to treat inside and out to prolong the life of the wood and if you are using the container for edibles, finish with non-toxic linseed oil.

Cedar boxes are the most durable choice for year round use.

Specialty Pots

Certain plants will benefit from specialized pots to live their best life. These include orchids, which are epiphytes and like their roots to be extremely well-aerated. That’s why orchid pots have holes in the sides to provide sufficient air circulation! On the other hand, African violets and ferns like to stay consistently moist and self-watering pots are great for this purpose.

The terra cotta inner pot wicks moisture up to the plant from the decorative reservoir!