Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now

I should have done it sooner. Should have known why sooner. For all my devotion to nasturtiums–bright, messy, self-seeding, edible–I had no idea that the little spur coming off the back of the flower is full of nectar. I’ve had them here and there in the garden, but this year I potted them up on the back deck so I could see them every morning.

Imagine my surprise at noticing on a recent morning an Anna’s hummingbird at the bright red blooms. The hummer compounded my joy by pausing briefly, maybe 20 seconds or so, less than 2 feet from my face, hovering then circling around me, hovering again then zinging off.

I use the word magical too much, but what’s the word for when a tiny sparkling winged creature takes an interest in your face?

Back to the flowers. I first fell in love with them when reading The House at Pooh Corner. Winnie-the-Pooh calls them “mastershalums” in that book and won’t be corrected by Piglet. “No… Not these,” Pooh tells Piglet. “These are called mastershalums.” And that’s what I call them when no one else is listening.

Want more on these “feeds everyone” flowers? The University of California Master Gardeners will deliver.

Photos by Susan Palmer