Gardening – Page 6 – Gardens For Goldens

The Birds and The Bees…and More

A fresh batch of new volunteers came through the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden today during their orientation.

Maria is smart enough to address the question proactively: no, there are no dogs buried here. Just a quiet place to remember, gather with friends and enjoy some peace and quiet with those in our charge.

We try to make the garden a welcome place for all – the birds and bees – and more.

There are plenty of warm places to sun or hide for lizards and our friendly snakes.

We leave bunny burrows alone as long as they only take their share.

Makeshift bird baths, seeds, worms and ample bugs (no pesticides) support a variety of feathered friends.

And we plant purposefully to attract bees and hummingbirds including butterfly bush, gaura, coreopsis, gaillardia, bee balm, dahlia, lavender, sage, aster, daylily, coneflower, verbena, yarrow, zinnia, delphinium, penstemon, lantana, milkweed and more.

Fittingly, Saint Francis – the patron saint of animals and the environment – watches over. Maria has just completed his new stone pedestal…a fitting throne and a beautiful addition to the garden.

He whispers to the pups – like newbies Chip and Cookie – ‘everything will be alright’.

And the garden whispers to us in the cheerful chatter of birds, the hum of busy bees, and butterflies gracefully gliding from bed to bed.

“Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending.” ~ Author Unknown

Wordless Wednesday: Daylily- Fleeting Beauties

Wordless Wednesday: Evening Light

Wordless Wednesday: Pink

Seasons Pass

Winter turned the page to Spring.

By next week, it will feel like we are beginning Summer’s chapter.

Time passes much too quickly to wish away the seasons. Accept each moment as a gift knowing that tomorrow we will say goodbye…and in another time – and another way – ‘hello’ again.

My soul is full of whispered song;

My blindness is my sight;

The shadows that I feared so long

Are all alive with light. ~ Alice Cary

April Showers

After the (blessed) rain…

(Golden cat will have to do. Could not wake any Golden dogs from their rainy day slumber!)

Wordless Wednesday: WPA Garden in Spring

Awe

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ~ W.B. Yeats

Walking into the Memorial Garden this weekend, I was overcome with awe.

During the week, it seemed like everything was in bloom – like an orchestra moving from chaotic warm up notes to a full blown symphony…

only this symphony was of sight, color and smell. So overwhelmingly beautiful – I scarcely know how to describe it. Everywhere I looked there was a treasure from a previous season making its re-appearance. Our garden is back!

“These beautiful days … do not exist as mere pictures – maps hung upon the walls of memory to brighten at times when touched by association or will … They saturate themselves into every part of the body and live always.” ~ John Muir

The day was punctuated with other happy notes. Young Ava’s birthday present wish was donations of kibble for our pups. It was fulfilled in spades and delivered in person, along with 67 cases of canned food in response to our appeal for a dog whose jaw had to be rebuilt.

Two of our Reservoir Dogs found their forever homes; a third goes home on Monday. Amazingly, Michael – who was one of the shyest upon arrival, was among the first to bloom. His new “mom” Tara was smitten from the first time we wrote about him, checking in weekly on his progress. As soon as he became available, she was on our doorstep, clearly in love.

Joseph will enjoy the company of dogs in his ready-made family…just as soon as he finishes his nap!

Exhausted from a day of planting, hauling mulch and clearing foxtails and about to head home, I was overcome again. Our transport arrived with five more dogs…three with significant medical needs. To watch our team kick into gear, calming fears, reassuringly introducing them to their new surroundings, assessing and beginning to care for their needs…I was left speechless and filled with another kind of awe; esteem and admiration. The beauty of the garden pales in comparison to the goodness and dedication of these people. There truly is magic here.

Wordless Wednesday: Iris

A little different kind of iris…

Hey! Who let a kitty cat in here?? 🙂

Wordless Wednesday: Tulips

Spring and Hope Greet the Garden

“She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
“Winter is dead.”
~ A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

Spring has greeted the garden.

The rains last week produced blossoms on the apple tree, and set the Wisteria, Iris and Tulips to blooming.

Maria has been working on a new stone base and platform for the St. Francis statue that graces the garden. A mysterious message: “finish me” – appeared to urge her on.

Between stones and mortar, she planted sunflower seeds in the Iris and annuals bed.

Rows of sunflowers will hopefully frame a colorful center of annuals and grace us long after the Iris have faded away. I focused on replacing the Little John plants that we lost to frost last winter in the entry beds. Ina strictly forbade me to go to the nursery in springtime. She must have known that would only encourage me. A mix of drought tolerant Lavender, Ceanothus, and Artemesia will provide near year-round interest – and their performance is proven through two seasons in the garden.

“Spring drew on…and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.” ~ Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

The ten dogs that arrived nearly two weeks ago are gradually coming out of their shells.

Tails are less tucked and smiles quietly cross their faces.

They are gaining weight and regaining their strength.

We call them “The Reservoir Dogs” and you can read their rescue story by following this link.

Dakota is one of our latest arrivals.

He needed emergency surgery to remove one of his eyes – a choke-related injury. We are hopeful that the other eye has been saved; it appears better each day.

You’ll notice an unusual twist to his paw as well. While he does not let it slow him down, he will be having surgery soon to repair and restore his beautiful gait.

These dogs have endured some long hard days – like the garden has weathered winter. But it is spring again – and hope is everywhere.

Rain Falling on Sunshine

There is a saying that God made rainy days so gardeners could get housework done. To heck with that.

We had two storms move through this week. While they didn’t put a significant dent in our drought situation, the rain did bring welcome relief to our thirsty trees and gardens.

Paired with warm temperatures, the flowers, leaves – and weeds – are exploding.

So, a showery – sometimes rainy – day was not going to deter us from enjoying the early spring celebration, or getting a jump on weeding. Maria and I arrived early to find the daffodils, tulips and rosemary blooming, the willow tree leafing, and the lawn freshly mowed for the first time this year (thank you, Rob).

The rainy day also brought a welcome guest. Tigger went home a month ago as a foster. We do that when a dog is being medically treated to carry the cost of care for the family, and to ensure that all will be well before an adoption is finalized.

When Tigger went home, he was suffering from still uncontrolled diarrhea. For that transgression, he had been surrendered to a shelter where his fate would be clear. The team brought him to Homeward Bound.

While he improved with medications, he needed to be in a stable, home environment. After a month with his amazing new family, his health is back on track, and his weight is up by six pounds.

Clearly surrounded by love, he is a totally different – and completely doted upon – dog. His adoption was finalized.

“Is the spring coming?” he said. “What is it like?”…”It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine.” ~ Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden