I never knew how much I enjoyed the birds, butterflies, bees and other creatures that visit my garden until I had the time to actually watch them. When I worked full time, I did have a long garden border on the sunny side of my house that I glanced at from time to time as I returned home after a long day in the city. In those days most of my time was spent designing gardens for other people, leaving little time to pay much attention to my own. Fast forward to a smaller house and a back yard that had only a handful of plants and a vitex tree when we moved in.
My current Georgia garden is only a few years old, but each season I see more and more birds and pollinators. In a few short years I’ve created a habitat where these creatures find food and shelter. Small trees and ornamental shrubs, along with perennial flowers (including some natives) attract the pollinators and birds that keep me entertained, and in turn keep things in balance by eating insects like aphids. As spring turns to summer each year, I’ve noticed that the birds stop visiting the bird feeder because they prefer to eat insects, and in my organic garden they find plenty of them.
It certainly does that in my garden and I plant it where I can see them zipping around through the day.
While the plants that attract birds and pollinators will vary from region to region, I want to share a few more photos of flowers that seem to be popular with hummingbirds in particular, as well as bees and butterflies, in my zone 8 garden. Be sure to follow me on instagram @RoxannWardDesign for weekly updates from my garden. Happy Summer!
