Hummingbird Antipasto

One of the most pleasant things to do in the garden is to sit on the bench and watch the hummingbirds. Ed and I were doing just that, watching a hummingbird go from the bee balm to the phlox, to the cardinal flower and the Nicotiana, but I was surprised to see the bird go to the flowers of this plant.

This is society garlic. It has beautiful striped leaves and lovely lavender flowers. It is in a pot because it has to be brought in the house in the fall. Purchased on a special day with my daughter Amy, I love it. However the plant is like a beautiful lady with a horrible case of halitosis. Whenever you water this plant, it expresses its delight by releasing an intense garlic aroma. It is for this reason that I was surprised to see the hummingbird sipping nectar from these lavender flowers. Maybe the nectar is sweet like the others or maybe a hummingbird likes a little garlic now and then.