small things

Oh, I was so HAPPY today! I planted this really cool fuchsia in the back yard about two years ago (actually, it's still in its pot, I have a hard time putting things in the ground when I feel so impermanent, like I'm going to have to move again and haul all my favorite growies with me when I go). But anyway, so this little guy has been struggling along back there, somehow surviving the winter (I cover my favorites up with plastic to help them get through the coldest bits), and this year I must have given it a boost at just the right moment, because about two weeks ago it started producing huge quantities of blooms, these gorgeous masses of deep coral-orange-red trumpets with bright yellow centers (maybe if I can find a photo of this particular, unusual cultivar I'll post it, no camera to take a picture of my own flowers, dang it! Unless I use the old technology point and shoot. Got to look again for a cheap digital, I really long to take photos on a regular basis.)

Anyway. So, yesterday I glanced at the fuchsia as I was walking past, and lo and behold, finally a hummingbird had noticed them! Yay! I'd been hearing one in the yard that day, and kept thinking, sorry little bugger, no food for you, unless you've happened to notice that lovely fuchsia in the back yard? And today, finally he (she?) noticed! I think it was, in fact, a 'she', because, as well as I could tell in the near-dusk shade that the fuchsia was in, it looked like her body was that shimmery, all-green color that I think the female (Anna's? not sure on my varieties here) has. She was hovering like a little rocket under each one (the bells hang straight down on this particular variety, and can't really be tipped up the way most varietes can, so she'd have to point her beak straight up to drink the nectar. They're really amazing to watch, these little hover-buggers.) At one point, I swear she became aware of me watching her, because she stopped and sat for a while on the longest branch, just sat, resting, maybe? Anyway, she *seemed* to be looking at me (I like to think we were communing in our mutual admiration of fabulous fuchsias), and we watched each other for a while, til I decided to go back in the house, and she went back to her nectar-slurping. FABULOUS! Thank you, universe, for hummingbirds and fuschias and perfect sunny days, oh my.

Yay for hummingbirds! Inspires me to possibly, finally, at the dog end (?) of summer, plant the other poor stragglers of hummingbird bait in some more easily accessible and enticing location. Also, while house-sitting for friends this last month, I got to know *their* hummingbirds pretty well (they have a really nice feeder that I learned how to fill properly), and it has me scanning Craigslist for a cheap feeder of the same type to hang outside my window. We'll see, the list of 'to do's' is already pretty dang long.

***
And the other one: When I first moved in here, almost five years ago, I dug up this flower bed along the front of the house and filled it with perennials and a gorgeous, purple clematis. The first year the clematis had a few straggly flowers and didn't do much; the second year it started ok but then got eaten by a squirrel (?) or something, and I thought it was a goner. The next year it did even better, but I'd planted it in the corner by the chimney, hoping it would climb up there and make a bright splash of color against the blue-gray of the house.

This year I thought it had died altogether over the winter, and sort of poured a bunch of stuff on it as a last-ditch effort, but without any particular expectation.

Two weeks later, I saw some green shoots, but it still didn't seem to be up to much (too much cool, wet weather for too long, too late into the season?) Anyway, so I fed it again, began to pay it a little more attention (after basically nearly abandoning hope) and, slowly but surely, it began to put on more green leaves.

Then one day I went out and saw that it had completely gone nuts, sprawling and spreading all over the place, and even, (at long last!) sending a shoot up the side of the chimney, where I'd hoped it would grow all along.

But still no buds, just lots of green, healthy leaves. So I fed it some fish fertilizer (supposed to be good for flower blooming) and some liquid kelp (generally good for strengthening the plant, especially when the weather's stressing it out a bit). Two weeks later, guess what? Billions upon billions of buds! (I exaggerate slightly).

And the little tendril that crawled up the chimney? Is now covered with blossoms, I came home the other day to check on the plants (from house-sitting) and it was absolutely gorgeous, the little buggers had gone nuts in the day since I'd been back. So I watered (it was another hot stretch), and almost lost them on one 90-degree day (agggghhhhh!) But they recovered - I watered them like mad, cooling down the wall behind them by hosing it a little (without getting any on the leaves or flowers, so they wouldn't get burnt by being wetted in the direct, hot sun).

Oh, I wish I had a camera so I could show you! They're so gorgeous, I'm so proud! Like a mama hen or something. Maybe I'll use the point-and-shoot just so I have some record.