A Story - "A Dog's Life" - and Some Special Dogs

 A Story

A Dog's Life

From the time he was a young puppy, Marshall was in training.  Marshall had to obey his owner: no chasing cats, no jumping on people.  He always came when called.  His owner gave him fun things to do: searching for objects, playing frisbee, navigating obstacle courses.

From the time she was a young puppy, Molly did whatever she wanted. She chewed shoes, pulled on the leash and never came when called.  Her behaviour meant she rarely played with other people or dogs.

One day Marshall found a lost child.

One day Molly ran into the street as a car came.

Since we are on the theme of dogs,  here are some photos of dogs that have lived and visited with us.  This is Bonnie who was my daughter's dog.  Bonnie was energetic, mischievous and fiercely loyal to my daughter.

This is Bella, my neighbour's dog.  She comes for walks with me.  She looks a bit like the Littlest Hobo from TV fame years ago and she also has a very independent spirit.

Our two Labs that we had for about 12 years.  Ginger and Snap were sisters.  Ginger, on the right, was the bossy one but she was afraid of the vet and couldn't handle car rides.  Her sister Snap loved to play find the Kong outside and didn't mind the vet. I thought Snap would be very sad when Ginger died but we had our son's dog at that time and that eased the transition.

They almost always slept touching each other.

This is Jaws, who my son took in from a shelter.  He was extremely stressed at first but my son won him over and he became a real cuddlebug. He was much smaller than the Labs, only about 25 lbs. but he never felt that he was a little dog and happily played with them. He stayed with us for several years when our son's job didn't fit with keeping a dog.

Sullivan is a newer addition to the family and belongs to our other son.  He is playful, gentle, well-behaved and a bit of a chicken.  A good friend to our young grandson.

A Story - "Wasted Life" - Purple Aster, Red Leaves

 A Story

Wasted Life

September 19, 1970, was the day that Linda decided to waste her life.  It was the day she told her mother she was pregnant, the father not interested.

"You can't keep it.  You'd be wasting your life."

Linda moved in with her friend's family who helped her stay afloat.  Eventually she became a teacher.

September 19, 2015, Linda cradled her delightful newborn grandson in her arms.

"Grandma, play with me."

"Grandma, look at my picture."

The two older grandchildren vied for her attention.  She loved spending time with them.  They were precious.  It was wonderful to be a young grandmother.

The last wildflower to die to a hard frost is the purple aster.  It is the fall bookend to the purple crocuses in the spring. The asters are one of the last food sources for the wild bees before winter comes.

I don't know what kind of tree this is but the dark red leaves are super nice contrasted against the rough cedar bark.

A Story - "Silence" and Dried Flower Arrangements

 A Story

Silence

After the funeral, friends hugged James,  They promised to deliver casseroles, arranged to do chores, shared memories of his lovely wife who had died just before her sixtieth birthday.  His daughter assured him she'd call every day.  His son encouraged him to come with him on holiday.  Robert was glad to see his friend being supported.

Reluctantly, Robert returned home because the carer was due to leave.  His wife was still sleeping.  He mindlessly made a sandwich after noticing the message light wasn't flashing.  Silence engulfed him.  The lonely emptiness of caring for someone with dementia left him swaying precariously.

It can be fun to experiment with drying various flowers.  I was surprised at how well pink peonies dried.  They're the main feature in this arrangement. As well as the usual statice,  some astrantia, sedum, ornamental onion seed heads fill out the arrangement. For some longer wispy accents, I used coral bell seed heads and grape hyacinth popped-open seed stems.

This little posey has quite a few dried roses - some regular size, some miniature. In the back are some ornamental onions that still have petals, some yarrow and some astrantia.

This is a more traditional collection of dried flowers.  I didn't grow them. So there is strawflowers, statice, gomphrena, and a bit of wheat. I have in the past had good success growing gomphrena and the flowers keep their colour for a long time. Gomphrena usually comes in pink, red, and white.

A Story- "The Wolf" and Coleus, Pink-Polka-Dot plant, Geraniums

 A Story

The Wolf

The sheep saw the wolf tiptoeing around the perimeter of the field but they unsuspectingly kept grazing.

Craftily, the wolf plotted his moves but he'd wait for dusk.

Suddenly, a flurry of white and black rocketed into the field scaring the sheep.  They ran, hearts thumping, this way, then the other.  The dog raced in arcs, driving them forward.  The sheep arrived at the pen, hardly knowing how they got there, panting with fear.

The sheep huddled together, worried about the dog.  But he was gone.  They sighed in relief.

They didn't see the wolf slinking off into the distance.

Last spring I started some coleus from seed.  I always find that coleus is slow to grow at first but quite a few of the seeds germinated and I put them together in a large pot on the back deck where they got morning sun.  I didn't pay much attention to them but as the summer progressed and they grew bigger, I started to really enjoy their colourful leaves. It seemed a shame that soon the frost would kill them and that would be the end of them.  I decided to take some cuttings to overwinter in the dining room.

I cut shoots about 4" long and dipped the ends in rooting hormone.  I was feeling cheap and decided to just plant them in 4" pots( reused) in garden soil instead of buying potting mix.  In a week or so, they had all rooted. I'm really pleased that it worked so well.  Because they don't need full sun, they will be fine on a table set back a couple of feet from the window.  In the spring, I will pot them into bigger pots and give them a good pinch so that they branch out more.

It's such a pretty collection of colour.

   I also started some pink-polka dot plants last spring.  This one (actually two) is a red variety. It was much larger but I gave it a real prune and so it's a manageable size again.  I read that pink-polka dots are a short-lived perennial and sometimes die after they have bloomed.  The pink ones I grew, which got to about 12" tall, were starting to bloom.  Again it seemed a waste, after starting them from seed, to just say goodbye to them so I have taken cuttings and am trying to root them in water. Internet advisers suggest that the cuttings be potted in soil when the roots are 2" long.  It's only been a week and no sign of roots yet but I do see some swelling near nodes so I guess the roots will come out soon.  I change the water every 2 days.

I bought these three geraniums on sale at the very end of the bedding plant season from the grocery store.  I only paid .99c each.  I didn't feel like potting them up so I just kept them limping along in the original pots. In February, I will start fertilizing them and get them going more vigorously and then in April/May I can take some cuttings.  I'll pot up the original plants into bigger pots.  

I tried to take some cuttings from larger geranium plants I had in the garden in September but they didn't root even though I used rooting hormone.  I had good success taking cuttings in the spring so I guess with geraniums the season is important. 

A Story - "Drone Flight" and Minnie Pearl Phlox, Evening Primrose, Wild Daisy, Mauve Clematis

A Story

Flying over the Icelandic moonscape, the drone smoothly closed in on the volcano.  At a safe distance, the operator took zoom photos of the lava flows, the crater.  Toxic gases drifted erratically threatening the lungs of the oblivious tourists lounging in the mineral waters of the Blue Lagoon a few miles away.  South of the volcano, Grindavik valiantly tried to hold the lava back with huge earth berms but, in a couple of spots, the black lava dripped ominously over the walls.

The drone's battery became low.  The operator regretfully terminated the dramatic flight over Iceland from his Colorado office.

Minnie Pearl phlox is an early blooming, shorter phlox. It helps to bridge the gap between spring and summer flowers blooming in the middle of June. It's not always easy to find but it is hardy and super reliable.

These evening primrose were initially given to me about forty years ago.  I have divided it and moved it around and enjoyed it every June.  It is somewhat aggressive so it needs to be planted where it can be managed with other strong growers.  If it's planted at the edge of the garden, the lawn mower can keep it in check. In the fall, the leaves turn a lovely dark red. It blooms best in full sun but will still give you plenty of colour in a shadier location.

The native daisies are so pretty I let a patch grow in our back lawn.

Here is a pale purple clematis I've had for several years.  Clematis like to have cool roots but sun for the top growth so you can either mulch the roots with hard scaping (rocks, patio stones, etc.) or put down wood chips.  Another way to keep the roots cool is to plant low growing, shallow rooted plants near it. I have pulmonaria near this one.

There is a lot of hoopla about how to prune clematis.  In my zone 4 garden all the clematis that survive the winter bloom on new growth.  I am very haphazard about pruning them and find they grow well no matter what I do. A little bit of slow release fertilizer in the spring will give them the nourishment they need for the season.

A Story - "Pause" - Pink Poppy, Hosta, Pink Rose, Astrantia, Lamium

A Story

This story is the bookend to the last story, "Attack".

Pause

When I remember the first year of Covid, I think of anxiety, sorrow, death, the world on pause.  I remember masked faces, people six feet apart, direction arrows in the stores.  I remember people scrambling to figure out work from home, parents overwhelmed as they cared for children while on video meetings.  I remember family and friends not able to visit or to travel to get home.  So much stress, so much uncertainty, so much pain.

But I will also remember the sky: so breathtakingly clear, so unbelievably blue, so incredibly beautiful. How it filled me with joy and hope.

I really like this frilly pink Oriental poppy.  It's so flouncy. I have some regular reddish orange poppies but this poppy is the one I look forward to. Oriental poppies are very hardy and reliable.  Mine are in a location that gets spring sun and part-shade for the summer.  They like adequate moisture. They will survive with dry conditions but will not bloom very well.

This interesting hosta is Snake Eyes.  I bought it from Botanus. I haven't seen another hosta with this kind of leaf markings. I also like the fact that it has decent vigor in its growth habit.  I have some other newer hostas that have nice leaves but they hardly get any bigger.  I have some old varieties of hostas that get really big but it seems the new varieties are bred for leaf colour and shape but not good growth.

This pretty Knock-out rose has survived for several years in my zone 4 garden.  I like the classic rose shape of the blooms.  The only downside is it doesn't have any scent.  Not prone to blackspot or other diseases. With my winters, there is always some die back so it doesn't get taller than 2-3'. Not super bushy but it is a reliable bloomer and will rebloom later in the summer.

I like the unique flowers of astratia (masterwort). No other flower is quite like them.  This pretty white one has pink ends to the flowers as they mature. The flowers are about 1- 1 1/2" wide and grow in clusters.

I had a failed attempt with astrantia several years ago.  I think the key is to have a constant level of moisture.  They like to be damp but not soggy and definitely not dry.  I mulched around this plant with some hard mulch - left over flooring, and it really appreciates the root protection. It is in a part shade location which it likes. It makes a nice big clump without getting out of control.  Does not spread by runners.

This red astrantia, which isn't fully open yet, was a pleasant surprise.  Two years ago I planted two bareroot plants and only one sent up leaves.  However, this spring the other one sprouted and now I have a lovely dark red astrantia.  I had a similar thing happen with a bare root giant fleeceflower.  It only sprouted the third year but has kept growing nicely since.  Don't give up on your bare root plants.

The lamium, geranium,  and euphorbia make an interesting combination.  The flowers of the lamium and geranium are exactly the same pink which helps to give the area a cohesive look.
 

A Story - "Attack" and White Rose, Columbine, 3 Iris, Early Lettuce

A Story

This story is about how our immune system fights off infection. Inspired by Covid but based on research. Quite amazing really.

Attack

The scouts came back with alarming news.  The enemy had infiltrated their territory.  Quickly, elite first responders spread out, stealthily searching for and swiftly attacking the foe.  Messages zinged throughout the area co-ordinating the operation, and special coded signals were dispatched to confuse the enemy.

Reinforcements struggled to replace the injured and dead, so chemical warfare was released strategically lethally.  Special sharp shooters stalked and eliminated fortified pockets of the hostile force.  Massive units arrived to surround and destroy entrenched enemy strongholds.

The battle feverishly raged on but finally, victory.

The Covid-19 test was negative.

Blanc Double de Coubert is a hardy rugosa rose with a lovely fragrance.  Plant habit is kind of scruffy and the flowers are delicate but they are so elegant and smell so nice.  I have found a new Youtube channel for all my rose questions :  Fraser Valley Rose Farm. Very good presenter with clear advice. He also grows some perennials. Some of his plants can be ordered through the mail but most are only available in his location.

I got this columbine last summer when the plants were on sale.  I have already had both the blue and pink version of this double Winky columbine and found them to be durable and bloom well.  I bought four of them but one mysteriously died.  Not sure why. Maybe something ate the roots. The bees like these columbine even though they are double. They are best in a part shade location and are hardy to zone 4.

So I have three different kinds of iris blooming right now.  These ones are Siberian iris in two different colours. They like to be wet. I wanted them in a drier location so I just kept giving them a good drink every few days, plus we did have quite a few rainy days.

This little iris, Bristly Iris, is native to some parts of North America.  It is only about 16" tall.  It can deal with wet or dry locations.  This one gets rain off the roof and is in a partly shady spot.  I was surprised to see a bumblebee go to each of the three petal areas and then later a swallowtail butterfly was feeding at it.

Here is a standard bearded iris.  An old variety so it's not as flashy as some new cultivars.  Bearded iris like a hot, dry full-sun location with their tubers partly exposed.  If they are not in a suitable location, they may still bloom but will likely flop over.

 The first planting of lettuce is doing well.  I started it inside in April. The challenge for me is not to start too many plants.  Do I need twenty lettuce at any time? No.  The seeds germinate so well and you get so many in a package  I find it hard to restrain myself. Fortunately, Pepper, my horse, will eat over grown lettuce.  I have made a new planting as lettuce gets bitter once it has reached maturity. Successive plantings are the way to go with lettuce and allow you to have fresh lettuce up until frost.