By Victoria Torley

I got up this morning and wandered onto the deck with my coffee just in time to watch a tiny exquisite hummingbird dining at a Sanchezia flower. I’m not sure what species of hummer it was, its wings were all a blur and it never took a rest. Who can blame it? It had been a long chilly night with heavy morning rain and the poor thing must have been famished.

Flower to flower, mostly Sanchezia but an occasional sip from morning glory. Then off into a tree where it may have one of those absurdly minuscule nests and babies to feed. We feed a lot of birds at our house but Metric Man does love the hummers.

We all plant for birds, whether we know it or not. Hummers, of course, like the tubular flowers but we have so many birds that feed on seeds, fruits and berries that you can’t help but plant something that nourishes them.

Take the cashew for example. I never go out to the tree without seeing that something has pecked holes in the cashew apples. I like cashew apples but the birds usually get there first. I also like cashew nuts but here’s a secret: the reason that a bag of salted cashews is pricey is because they are poisonous, unless meticulously prepared for that bag.

There are also evidently birds that can eat that cashew nut before you pick it – they don’t seem to mind the toxicity. No wonder I seldom get anything delicious from my tree.

Ever try to grow rice? We have a lovely but perpetually damp site at the bottom of a hill that would be perfect for rice, if it weren’t for the birds. The only way to get a crop of rice is to plant a large area with it and hope the birds don’t take more than their fair share.

Still, you can’t help but feed the birds. We have a sky-flower shrub, Duranta repens, that produces heaps of blue flowers followed by bright yellow berries the size of peas. And the alternative name for Duranta repens? Pigeon-berry.

Guess what loves to eat the berries? I am not a pigeon fan, but they aren’t the only ones who eat the berries, so I am happy to grow the shrub. Besides, butterflies love the blossoms and the leaf-cutter ants leave the sky-flower leaves alone. Those things alone are a reason to plant more Duranta repens.

Plant of the week. Our property never ceases to amaze us. After all, 11 acres can hide a lot of surprises. This one happened to be right on the road so it was easy to access. This vine produces a shower of lovely yellow flowers that attract butterflies and it’s all over the tree. The name? There’s the problem. I have an entire shelf full of garden and wildflower books plus all the resources of the web and not a single name pops up. Anyone?

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For more information on this article or about gardening, Ms. Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached at victoriatorley1@gmail.com