Still checking out what we have left and extra - I have listed a few plants on my page. I will add more as I discover them. Should also have some water plants, since my little pond just got overtaken. I will have all sizes of extra pots and trays good for transplanting (and swaps :-); some hummingbird feeders, and a few odds & ends garden decoration items (small ststues, etc. Maybe someone can use them or will be willing to trade some plants for them - looks like we lost alot of things in the yard while I was sick - especially during all the freezing weather this past winter. Lost all but one of my angel trumpets, some of my camelias and gardenias and lantanas -- Good thing I enjoy working in my yard because it looks like I'm going to be doing alot of it this year.

Claire is correct - it's the timing. Excerpt from hummingbirds.net "Where did my hummers go? You watched the migration maps and hung your feeder in time to attract the first migrants. You kept the feeder clean and the syrup fresh, and were rewarded by lots of visits from migrants, then the activity settled down to regular appearances by the resident birds. Pretty cool hobby, eh? Then, perhaps in early May (depending on your latitude)... NO MORE HUMMERS! Where'd they all go? This didn't happen last year! Or did it? Welcome to the nesting season, folks. I'll discuss Ruby-throats in particular, but similar principles probably apply to most other species. Shortly after arriving, the females establish a nesting territory. Ruby-throats prefer secluded wetlands for nesting, if available, and proximity to your feeder is not an issue; in fact, females don't like to build nests in a male's feeding territory, and your feeder is probably part of one. Visits to distant feeders take too much time away from the eggs. When the chicks hatch, they need protein to grow, not sugar, so their mother spends most of her time catching small insects and spiders for them. During this period, I personally still see a male or two at my feeders, but typically only early or late in the day. I suspect that once their breeding duties are over, males tend to abandon territories and forage more widely to fatten up for migration. After the chicks fledge (leave the nest), expect the number of hummers at your feeder to be double what it was before the "disappearance." As summer progresses, there will be fewer natural hummingbird food sources available in many parts of the continent; feeders can have a real positive impact on the number of birds that survive, especially in the dry Midwestern U.S., so please keep them clean and fresh. And keep notes on your tiny visitors, if you like, so you can verify for yourself that this is a normal, annual process." I checked my photo library and all of my backyard hummers were photographed in July, August, and Sept. Been a long spring. Thank you, Claire. Kindly, Jane Here is a link that might be useful: hummingbirds.net

Well, today the broccoli goes into the ground. Daughter and granddtrs were supposed to come yesterday to help me but I had a sore throat and told them not to come. Which means I'll have to plant them all myself. It's a week late, but they'll still make. And will plant some tomatoes as well and hope we don't get another hard freeze the third week of April like 07 and 09. I have extras if we do. The electric company brought the 5th load of chips today and dumped them inside the garden where we used to stockpile sawdust. Next year the asparagus will get a chip mulch instead of leaves. That means I will have leaf mold for mulch again. Glenda I've been looking for the blue azures as others in Ok have seen them, but so far none. Saw a black and a tiger Swallowtail though. And I have been disappointed with the Miracle Gro Potting soil too. One bag I bought had way too many big pieces and the next didn't seem to have enough nutrients. My seedlings turned pale green and I started watering with a weak fertilizer. In years past I made my own starting mix using sterilized soil, compost, sand, perlite, decomposed granite chips from a chicken house and leaf mold. It worked good but sterilizing soil stinks up the kitchen. Have used Jiffy Mix in the past but this year lacal WM didn't have it and I didn't want to drive to Tahlequah Lowe's or Atwoods for something else. Congrats on the mower Christie. That is on my wish list. Our old one has about given up. And I do want a zero turn as I have so many trees and odd shaped areas. Anybody recommend a good one. Well, daylight's burning, and my hot tea with lemon and honey has soothed the throat so I've got to get moving.

My Hummers have been back for a few days. It took me 3 days from hearing the first one, to get my act together enough to get the feeders out and filled, but as soon as I put them out they were in use. I guess it was the 22nd when I heard the first one. They really like to perch on my living arbor and scope out what is going on before and after drinking at the feeders. The honeysuckle flowers on that arbor are just starting to open, but so far the feeders seem of more interest. -Rosalinda