gardening – Page 6 – Gardens For Goldens

Heroes in the Garden

There are heroes among us. In the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, between the Dahlias…

and the Roses…

the Lupine…

and the delicate White Lavender…

you will find some of the heroes of Homeward Bound.

1. Robin and Jim – with their rescue, Owen who visited with us in the garden before “school” today.

Even the staff of HB was surprised by their pick; Owen had flunked adoption twice for his youthful exuberance and ill-mannered ways. A suggestion was made that they might want to foster first to determine if he was a good fit, Robin’s reply was simple: “I don’t return things.”

True to her word, she and Jim have put in the training and love needed for Owen to succeed. A month later, he is already a changed dog. He is still a work in progress, with much more training ahead. But it looks like he has found his forever home.

2. Laura. She and other dedicated dog-walkers were out early to get the dogs walked before the temperatures soared too high in the middle of our heat wave. She shared the Willow Garden – the coolest spot on the property – with her golden friend, Tom (such a ham!)

Here she is with Tristan – one of the dogs who has come all the way from Taiwan.

In the past few years, Homeward Bound has taken in over 30 dogs from Taiwan, working in partnership with the Taichung Universal Action Protection Association (TUAPA) and Asians for Humans, Animals and Nature (AHAN). Many have been adopted, but Tristan remains a much-loved Sanctuary dog due to his special needs.

3. Edna. A very special hero. She – too recently – said goodbye to yet another of her permanent fosters. She has another at home. And today, she arrived with with Jezell, her adopted pup, to share some tears, hugs, and to pick up yet another foster.

Edna is a long-time foster mom. From a 2007 newsletter speaking about one of her fosters with terminal cancer, she said, “For all that I give them; they give 1000 times more in return. It’s like having a ‘No Vacancy’ sign on your heart. All of them teach me life lessons every day. Even with Monty’s cancer, he shows me how to just be happy for this day and this moment. I try each day to celebrate his life and not cry so much about his dying. We have today and that’s a blessing.”

Edna’s heart seems to have endless capacity.

The world needs more Edna’s.

When One Door Closes…

I thought that these sunflowers were the perfect metaphor for our Memorial Garden. Growing from one stalk, one head has faded, while another blooms. This is the cycle of quiet ends and new beginnings – sadness and joy – that we see so often at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary.

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell.

The Memorial Garden as a place to remember and celebrate the lives of our four-legged friends who brought us such joy, companionship and happiness.

Every dog lover knows the heartache of loss, and yet we risk it all over again – because the need is so great. So many pups in need of homes; so many homes in need of the unconditional love of pups.

“Dogs just wrap themselves around your heart in ways you never thought possible.” – HB

Often we hear people say that they can’t bear to adopt an older dog with the possibility of only a few years together. And yet, there on the organization’s Facebook page this week, was a post from a woman who said goodbye to her Golden – adopted at 10 and lived to 17. Seven wonderful years. Life has its own plans, and there are no guarantees. So worry less about the age and more about the connection and the difference that you make in each other’s lives. Hearts are like gardens – with endless capacity to be reborn. Never the same…

but equally beautiful.

What is a Weed?

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

I always thought of Milkweed as a weed. I never knew that it had such mysterious powers.

I stumbled across Asclepias, or Tropical Milkweed, in our nursery this spring. I never had enough hours of direct sun in my own shady garden to even consider it. Listed among its virtues (color and height) was its ability to attract butterflies. In our area it grows as a perennial. Bonus. It will return year after year. I planted a couple of 6” pots at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden and waited.

It wasn’t until later that I read that it was a preferred habitat of Monarch Butterflies. By the looks of things in the garden tonight, they are delighting in their home.

As the sun lowered and temperatures “cooled” to a more moderate 94-degrees, they were putting on quite a show; delighting in a dance that had everything to do with each other and nothing at all to do with me. It looked a lot like these Milkweed seeds.

Still as I stood, they would not settle long enough to capture them in a photo. So I put away the camera, returned to my watering duties, and just enjoyed them as they swooped, fluttered and glided through the air.

For their beauty and companionship in the garden, they are more than welcome to munch and make their home in the Milkweed of our Memorial Garden.

Perennial Progression

Here is another in the series of garden bed transformations at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

When we read about the need for volunteer gardeners in the Homeward Bound Newsletter last Fall, a group of us showed up to see and select “beds” that we would assume responsibility for. It was a little hard to find the beds! This is how the Perennial Garden began.

The (very loose) vision. We wanted a palette of intense color, breaking every garden design rule.

Work gets underway.

Tulips surprise us in early March, poking up through the bark that keeps the weeds at bay.

Planting day finally arrives in early April after rain delays. The plants looked pretty puny in nearly 400 square feet of space.

Two weeks later.

In May, the plants are loving the moisture-retaining clay soil. Deb installs branches for Dahlia stakes in anticipation.

Things are filling in. Watch how the flooded rice field in the background changes over time.

Early June; not looking so puny anymore!

Mid June. Still waiting on the Dahlias, but the Coneflowers are magnificent. Look how the rice field has turned a brilliant green.

And July.The Dahlias have arrived, joined by Delphinium, Bee Balm, Coreopsis, Cosmos and a few Zinnias that snuck in.

On the other side you can see the Yarrow, Dianthus, Lavender, and Salvia.

And on the corners, Verbena and Gaillardia. OK…so maybe we went a little crazy this year.

All in all, not too bad for a first year effort. Just imagine what next year will bring!

Perfectly Imperfect

There has been a lot of discussion recently about sun dial which was donated to the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

We set the dial in position – but it did not move correctly with the hours of the day. We read up on it a little and set it again. Still no luck. We assumed it was made incorrectly. Not true. We read some more and learned that it can tell time precisely – in its own way.

It definitely requires some extra effort and calculation to understand and make it useful in the way it was intended. It has to be aligned with the axis of the Earth’s rotation and point toward true Celestial north (different from the magnetic north pole.) Of course, the Earth’s orbit about the Sun is not perfectly circular, so the reading is not precise to standard clock time. Adjustments are also needed four days each year, and again for daylight savings time if you want it to deliver a perfect reading.

Perfection, however, is a relative thing.

I’m not particularly concerned about the exact time of day when I am in the garden. The position of the sun and the slowness of my pace tell me when it is time to take a break or retreat. So if the sun dial time is imperfect, it makes no difference to me.

I like this quote:

“Even imperfection itself may have its ideal or perfect state.”
-Thomas de Quincey

Like this bent, but still beautiful and blooming sunflower resting on our garden ground.

It’s the same with the dogs of Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary. Like Zander, the three-legged wonder recently adopted.

Three legs or four make no difference to his ball-chasing abilities, or his gigantic heart. One lucky family figured out that this was his perfect state. There are more waiting. Rescue. The compassionate (and perfect!) choice.

Confession of a Dog-Loving Gardener

I have a confession. This has been bothering me for some time, so I thought it best to come clean. An observant follower of this blog will likely notice that despite our volunteering at the Memorial Garden of Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary – there are plants among us that are not dog-friendly. Like these evil lurkers: Clematis, Iris and Daffodils:

In our defense, the dogs who visit our garden are always on leash and accompanied by dog walkers. Lest you feel that they are completely deprived; they have beautiful grassy pens with splash pools to frolic, run free, chase balls, and play with each other in. They visit us on walks to get some quiet exercise and human socialization time.

In my own garden at home I am very aware of dog friendly and unfriendly plants. Our two Goldens have never fully outgrown the puppy stage. For love of them, I have willingly sacrificed Hydrangea, fenced Azaleas, and raised Geraniums out of reach.

A close look at the Memorial Garden will also reveal Calla Lily, Chrysanthemum, Dahlias, Geraniums, Lantana and even evil Apple Trees! All on the bad list. Guilty as…well you know.

If you did not know, there is a very long and helpful list of toxic plants on the ASPCA website: http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/plant-list-dogs (cats and horses have their own lists). The emergency poison hotline number is also posted. I keep it taped to the inside of a cupboard, just in case.

So what is a dog-loving gardener to do? Well, on the same site, you will also find a pretty lengthy list of non-toxic plants. There are more than enough options for gardens of any style. Here are just a few of my favorites from the list, many of which have found their way into our Memorial Garden:

Canna
African Daisy
Alyssum
Snapdragon
Bachelors Buttons
Gerber Daisy
Climbing and Trailing Begonia
Blue Marguerite
Butterfly Iris
Camellia
Aster
Star Jasmine
Heuchera
Coreopsis
Crape Myrtle
Bottlebrush
Sword Fern
Day Lilies
Desert Trumpet
Elephant Ear Begonia
Marigold
Globe Thistle
Forsythia
Honeysuckle Fuchsia
Ice plant
Impatience
Japanese Pittosporum
Magnolia Bush
Phlox
Grape Hyacinth
Pampas grass
Petunia
Pincushion Flower
Verbena
Purple Passion vine
Roses
Sunflower
Scarlet sage
Torch Lily (red-hot poker)
Turf Lily
Zinnia

So forgive our transgression, but rest assured that dogs who visit the Memorial Garden are safe. Keep yours safe too with picks from the good list – and happy dog-proof gardening!

It’s Official

Note to self: polls are not all that popular with our volunteer gardeners. By a margin of one, our Homeward Bound Memorial Garden snake has earned the name “Rocky” because he enjoys hanging out on the warm stone.

There was no Rocky sighting this weekend. With temperatures in the high 70’s, perhaps he had warmer places to be. He did leave behind his skin, however. I guess he found a new, warmer coat!

Sunday Dogs and Gardens

Another beautiful Sunday in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. I arrived early as the morning was cool, offering the best time for planting. It has been that way most of the week since our merciful Delta Breeze blew in, and the plants were showing their gratitude. Everything looked refreshed and happy after our heat wave a week earlier. Maria joined me, neither of us anticipating much to do today – yet somehow it never works out that way!

I put in some more Zinnias to add color where spring blooms have faded, and started some Asters which will bloom into the fall. In a particularly dry and troublesome spot, I added Coastal Rosemary (westringia fruiticosa for those of you who are more formal). The compact shrub is native to eastern Australia and tolerates many soil types and dry growing conditions. I like its variegated leaves alongside the Russian Sage. Its size may eventually be an issue – but there are plenty of other spots for it to shine in the gardens if it becomes too unruly.

Sue has been a little overwhelmed with her new adopted puppy (you forget how much work the young ones are!) so we pitched in to make sure Grandma’s Flower Bed was well kept. Things have really filled in – with the Iceland Poppies, blooming very late into the season, producing an unexpected and rich color palette alongside the Petunias.

Thanks to lots of mulch, the weeds were few. Maria cleaned out the solar fountain that serenades us each day beginning around 11AM, and I added some Cosmos to an open spot until Sue returns.

Ina’s recent visit was evident in the perfectly coiffed white white roses…

and in the Cottage Garden where she has masterfully matched silvers, greens and muted colors with shades of grey.

Maria continued staking the monster sunflowers which just keep growing. While my back was turned, she started another project – lowering the sundial to be flush with the ground so flat stones can surround it. Luckily, two of our other volunteers came by and made the mistake of asking how they could help. They were quickly put to work digging! Thanks Peggy and Steve.

Errant tree branches were pruned and dead rose blossoms removed; Jody’s garden was weeded and the African Iris she contributed found a home in the Willow Garden. The entryway was weed whacked into some semblance of order, and the orchard trees deep-watered as we do weekly now.

But the best part of the day were the many dog walkers who visited us with Bailey…

Sonic (read about this ball-loving, part Chesapeake Bay Retriever boy here):

And Donna (a terrible name for a dog, and not a Golden at all – but she found her way here thanks to the big heart of the woman who rescued her. Read about her here.)

Sundays at Homeward Bound. Dogs. Gardens. What could be better? Thanks for stopping by.

Dog Rescues Volunteer Gardener

As volunteers at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary, we should know about the “occupational hazard” of being around so many wonderful dogs in need. One of our volunteer gardeners showed up a couple of weeks ago with spade and shovel; she left with a dog.

On a pretty Sunday in early June, Sue planned to garden, walk dogs, and then join other volunteers training shelter dogs in the obedience class. If you are a regular reader, you’ll remember that Sue has a special needs Homeward Bound rescue named Brock, a couple of cats, a very active grandson, and is a devoted volunteer. She also has a huge heart for those in need.

The dog she expected to work with that day was “taken” – or was it? The dedicated teams at Homeward Bound have a special knack for match making. Winston, a puppy, was suggested instead. Not exactly a Golden Retriever on the outside. But he has the heart of one on the inside.

This chocolate pup was a stray, picked up by the City of Stockton Animal Services and named Mateo. The shelter has few resources, and dogs are not kept long. He was lucky to make his way to Homeward Bound where he was renamed Winston.

Sue caught her first glimpse of Winston shortly after his arrival and evaluation in late May. He had been momentarily confused with Brock – who was with Sue while she was gardening with her grandson that day. The confusion was quickly cleared up, but the resemblance shared by the two was unmistakable. That should have been a clue.

“By the end of the hour, Winston had shifted from feisty, flighty and floppy to calm, collected and charming,” said Sue. “He epitomizes ‘puppy eyes.’ When I returned Winston to his kennel, I sat with him a loooong time.”

We expected Sue to stop by the garden before leaving for the day. Instead, she was captured with this bundle of energy packed in her car and a huge smile on her face. “Winston drove home with me that afternoon. I later realized that Brock came home with me two years ago on the exact same day – June 3^rd.”

He has since been renamed Cooper. He has all of the usual puppy behaviors to work through, along with other issues resulting from lack of attention and training. A work in progress. But he also loves snuggling, is a velcro dog, is great with Sue’s grandson, adores Brock who looks like his twin, and now has a forever home.

You just never know what the garden will turn up.

Things Learned in the Garden

First, as the tile says, “a garden is meant to be shared.” All kinds of two and four-legged creatures are drawn to the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. Some to toil, some for reflection or remembrance, and some simply in search of stray tennis balls! All are welcome – even those that don’t have legs (snakes) as long as they are friendly.

Be adaptable. Things change in the garden. The tree that was a twig now covers the garden bed in shade. A rice field overflows and changes the composition of your soil. Time and nature have their way. Fighting is futile. Things that worked in the past, might not work in the present. A garden teaches you to adapt, adjust and move on.

Plants are like dogs; they need the right home and elements to thrive. Put two vigorous and bossy plants side by side and something is going to get overrun. Try to plant a shade- loving plant under the hot sun, and it will wilt, then sizzle. Find complementary matches and settings – and you’ll be amazed at what blooms.

Listen and learn. Our volunteer gardeners have all level of experience and much to share. If you pay close enough attention, the land itself will tell you what it needs to put forth its best effort. Similarly, the way a dog looks or leans in to you will tell you just about everything you need to know about what it needs to feel loved.

Finally, volunteer dog rescuers, walkers, groomers, feeders, trainers, vets and placement teams have hearts as big as the dogs they care for. They absorb the trauma of whatever brought these dogs to this special place, stare down countless hurdles, and with patience and nurturing, bring out the best in every dog at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary turning ends, into new beginnings.

Chance Encounters

There were few people, but lots of creatures in Homeward Bound Memorial Garden today. Most everyone was at the Homeward Bound Reunion Party, where adopted dogs and their human friends get together to reconnect and trade stories. In the garden, the most delightful encounter was with a boy named Chancy.

He is total sweetheart and a complete gentleman with some special, but manageable needs for the right human match. You can read about him here, and see additional pictures here. His sad, but regal eyes say it all: take me home. I’m a great find and loyal friend.

I arrived early today, as the weather was expected to heat up. The wind has been blowing for two days – keeping things cool while I installed the rest of the Willow Garden, but wrecking havoc on the Sunflowers. I staked them loosely and set about planting: Lily Turf, Mondo Grass, African Iris, a Chartreuse Huechera and Barberry. Soaked well, with drip line installed and heavily mulched – I hope they will weather the next few days of high 90-degree temps in their new home.

As the beds mature, there are more bees, butterflies and even a Hummingbird spotting. With the quickly rising temperature, others arrived; a camera-shy lizard, and our resident snake. This guy used to scurry away when we walked by. Apparently snakes like warm stone, and this one was not moving! Stare down.

Deb’s Dahlias are taking off. It won’t be long before they tower over the rest of the perennial garden and grace us with a bold display of color.

The Tree Circle Gardens are freshly weeded and filling in; in the Bulb Garden the spent bulbs are tied off with the daylilies now blooming; and the Cottage Garden is growing large and full.

Everything got a deep soak in anticipation of hot days ahead. Think good thoughts for our Memorial Garden under that hot Sacramento Valley sun!

Maria and Her Men of Stone

“Done.” This is the email I received from Maria – a woman of few words after spending an entire day with three burly guys (Kent, Kevin and Anthony) laying the new stone patio under Pear trees at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

Here they are, before their pile of pain:

They make it look easy, don’t they?

Piecing together the puzzle.

The result: another shady spot in the garden for dog walkers and their rescued Golden Retriever wards to take a break and soak up the garden dedicated in their honor.

In one (warm) day, this crew managed to dig out approximately 120 sq. feet of heavy clay earth, move and place a pallet of beautiful flat quartzite stone, level, and then fill with fresh workable soil. Tired trio!

Eventually we plan something like creeping thyme between the stones. But that’s another project and another day. Today belongs to our garden heroes. Great job all! (Funny how Maria never makes it into the picture!)

P.S. Rumor has it we have a new sundial donated to the gardens. Probably a good thing. We lose track of time out there! Look for an update later in the weekend.