Hi Penny. I didn't see this post when I responded to the other one. Glad to hear that hubby is on the mend. Sounds as if you are in hummer heaven once again. That's fantastic!!

That patio project sounds huge. Do you have some help or are you tackling it all by yourself?

My garden balsam started blooming about two months ago, and the cleome started blooming about three weeks ago. It is really stunning.

Hi P,

It's not right without you here;glad you're back ;)
Hubby mending nicely I hope.

Great to hear from you, Penny! Sounds like you are having lots of fun with your hummers and your flowers are going strong. Glad your DH is making progress. Welcome back!

Yeh! Penny is back and in full swing it seems! I didn't see the post about your DH- even so from these last 3 posters it seems he is doing better and I am glad for that. Sounds like your garden is just going crazy too. Awesome!

Didja hear I *finally* gots visitors?! Weee....happy day.

welcome back, penny!! glad you are getting lots of good hummingbird activity in your yard. that's great you are making more beds to plant out next year. we've missed you!

Penny, Welcome back!! I'm glad that you husband is doing better, and that you have time to enjoy your hummers again...wish we could have stopped by on our way through wextern NY to say hi and see all of your wonderful hummer garden plants! Enjoy the rest of the summer.
Verna

Hi Penny!!

So glad to hear things are going well for you and your hubby!! I've missed posting and reading all your garden activities!!

Welcome back Penny!
I pop in here when I can and i've missed you.

Jan

Welcome back, Penny. I have missed you too.
I'm so glad your husband is getting better.

Your garden sounds spectacular and the hummers are loving it!

OH WOW! Thank you everyone! Yes hubby is doing better but still in a cast so I am still doing all his yard duties (more quality time outside and then of course I have to take a break every now and then to cool off LOL).

Still not nearly as many hummers as last year but I am having fun with the ones that spend the days with me. Garden has really kept me busy this year since it has been so dry and hot. In fact we are back up to the high 80's low 90's again today after a three day break. With the rain last night I won't have to water today. Just finished pulling out some of my beautiful hollyhocks that were covered with white fly or aphids and black sooty leaves. But that is ok because now I have more room for more salvias next year. Most everything else has been doing very very well. One of my purple coneflowers has reached the 6ft. mark and I have been battling those darn beetles since they arrived. They should be just about done and ready to die off now so pretty soon they will be gone for the year.

Oubliette
No I have been working on the patio by myself. I am actually only digging out the sod and squaring it off. I will wait until my husband can get out there with me before I start the edging and adding the stone just to be sure I am doing it right. So right now it is all dirt but it has leveled off and packed down nicely. As soon as I get the edging in I can start my lasagna beds around the perimeter for for next year.

Hi Bob! You are so sweet! Thank you! Hope you are getting lots of activity now too!

Verna,
I sure wish I had known you were in the area I could have sent you back to Ind. with some hummer plants!

Jardines,
It is good to have a few minutes to pop online and read everyone else's activities. I see from Alan's post that the western migration has been uderway now for a couple of weeks. I am not looking forward to losing my few little ones. My one adult male left about a week and a half ago and I sure have missed seeing him in the morings.

Dakster,
I did just read where you have hummers now. Isn't it the pits when everyone else's hummers are all settled in and you are still waiting? I hope next year we all get at least a few early!

Roberta
Yes I have to admit I have been having a ball watching the hummers. I guess because they arrived so late and their early visits were so hit or miss I have been enjoying them more than ever this year. They have really been putting on quite a show for me.

Stan
I owe you an email or two I am sure but I haven't checked my email yet. I wanted to jump over here and say hi to everyone and see what is going on. My hummers just love that dreamsicle as much as they do the lady in red. They also have been all over the standing cypress. I didn't think it would bloom this year but it has been blooming for about 3 or 4 weeks now. I think I will be replacing my hollyhocks with the standing cypress and it won't overpower my beautiful phlox plants that have been blooming so well. Also my hardy hibiscus has been blooming for about a week now and is just gorgeous but I haven't seen any hummers use it either. Just caught a hummer on one of the cannas. I haven't seen them use them too often. I tried to get a picture but don't know if I got her in time or not. Japanese beetles have been having a field day with the cannas.

Penny

Penny it is so good to have you back. I am glad to read about the great time you are having with your hummingbirds.

Like others have said it is just not the same without you checking in with us everyday and visiting with us. I do hope your husband continues to heal and things get back to normal of you.

Yea! Glad to see you are back lady!!! You've been sorely missed here! So glad your poor dh is on the mend! Say hi to your hummer babies for me! I've been going thru seed catalogs looking for more and different Salvia's lately... didn't know there were so many kinds! Am already looking forward to next spring!

glo

Welcome back Penny!! It's just not the same here without you. So glad your DH is doing better. Glad also about your hummer activity. Linda

Welcome back, Penny - glad you didn't miss out on all the fall migration excitement!

Penny,
Welcome back. I've been here, but don't have much time to read all the posts. Lots of reading to catch up on.

Welcome back Penny! I,like Oubliette only saw your other post. As you can see we have all missed you so much! I'm so glad your husband is doing better and will have his cast off in less than two weeks. That's wonderful about the hummer activity picking up. Your male left already? That's awful!!! I am not ready for migration it seems that summer just arrived ! Sarah

Welcome back Penny. We've missed you and hearing about your flowers and hummies. Glad your husband is on the mend. Take care of yourself and don't overdo...easy to do when back.

Charlotte

Penny - good to see you free to post more! I'm also glad that you are now spending some quality time with your little hummers and they are giving you a show! :-D

penny, I'm thrilled the pink dreamsicle salvia is working out so well for you. mine didn't reseed as liberally as the lady in red, but I got a couple, so it can and will reseed. I must have ten thousand cleome and balsam seeds from the ones you sent last fall, thank you. I fried the ipomopsis standing cypress in the winter sowing container, and didn't save any seed back for direct sowing. an important lesson, that. did you winter sow yours? I've heard it doesn't take well to transplanting. (?) go ahead, get rid of those hollyhocks! more standing cypress!
although there are jb here, they are nowhere near the numbers like in rochester. they all ate one canna only. it looks like a giant flyswatter or something. left the others alone.
biggest garden disappointment this year: the largest bumblebees have punctured the calyx and wiped out every single B&B blossom here within hours of its opening all summer. haven't had one good solidly blooming spike of it yet!
after july 10th, activity here really picked up. I've seen 5 birds at once, and had one about a foot from me with a handheld feeder yesterday.
everyone sure is glad to see you, penny. welcome back.

Penny,
I'm glad you are back too. I know I have more hummingbird action in part because of some of the things you have suggested. August sure is an exciting humminbird time here in Western New York, isn't it?
Carol

glad you're back. hope the only excitement you get the rest of this summer is more hummers.

Lisa

Hi Penny...nice to meet you and best wishes to your hubby!

Hello Penny and welcome back, youve been missed !
I'm glad to hear your husband is ok and you have your share of hummers.We have been having hot dry weather here as well and there are alot of beds to water. Enjoy and best wishes !
-stephen

WOW! You all sure do make a person feel missed! Who says people online are impersonal! I am still spending as much time as I possibly can outside so I can visit with my hummers as much as possible before they leave which will be all too soon. as Sarah said I feel like they just arrived and before we know it they will be gone.

Stan,
The holly hocks are history and it is giving the standing cypress lots more room. Yes I did wintersow it and had very good germination. I did let some seedlings die for lack of room at the time I needed to transplant them but I still have 3 different stands of them with about 4-6 plants in each group. I was actually surprised that it bloomed this year. I didn't expect it to bloom until next year. I tried to get a picture of my hummer on the canna but he was on the other side of the plant when I snapped it so I missed him.

I have to tell y'all that I think one of my hummers has come to recognize me. Yesterday every time I went outside this one little hummer would fly right up to me and hover just above my head and follow me around the yard. When I went into the house she/he came and hovered in front of the patio door like she was looking to see where I had gone. When I sat down at the table outside she would perch on the closeline or on the tomato cage a couple of feet away. I am definitely going to miss that!

Well haven't been outside yet this morning so I better get with the program!

Penny

Please don't think I'm crazy. Do you post on everything science or the physics forum?

Sorry! Mistaken identity.