Gardening
amazon.com book store The Sustainable Vegetable Garden: A Backyard Guide to Healthy Soil and Higher Yields Paperback – February 1, 1999 - by John Jeavons (Author), Carol Cox (Author)
amazon book store Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre Paperback by Brett L. Markham
amazon book store Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long, 2nd Edition Subsequent Edition by Eliot Coleman (Author), Kathy Bray (Illustrator), Barbara Damrosch (Foreword)
Plants
Hummingbird Attractors
birdsandblooms.com/gardening Top 10 Vines For Hummingbirds By Melinda Myers
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Trumpet Honeysuckle - Lonicera sempervirens, Zones 4 to 9 - Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees love native honeysuckle
Mandevilla
Mandevilla, Annual, Perennial in zones 10 to 11
A drought-tolerant vine that can be grown in a container, hanging basket or right in the garden, mandevilla thrives in full sun to part shade and well-drained soil. You’ll find many new cultivars with white, pink, maroon, crimson and bicolor flowers.
Why we love it: You can overwinter mandevilla indoors in a warm, sunny location.
Cup and Saucer Vine
Cup and Saucer Vine - Cobaea scandens, Annual, Perennial in zones 9 to 11
A vigorous grower, give this vine a sturdy support to climb and display its cup-shaped, aromatic flowers. The blooms open green and then mature to purple, lasting about four days. Grow in full sun and provide a bit of afternoon shade in hotter regions.
Why we love it: The flowers have a sweet musky fragrance and are reportedly pollinated by bats.
Scarlet Runner Bean
Scarlet Runner Bean - Phaseolus coccineus, Annual
Grow scarlet runner bean, a hummingbird favorite, in a sunny spot in your vegetable or flower garden. You can grow these long vines on a trellis, arbor or fence. Regular harvesting will keep the plant producing more pods and its scarlet flowers blossoming.
Why we love it: The red blooms will brighten the landscape and lure hummingbirds. Plus, the edible beans will amp up your veggie options.