Nature – Page 4 – Gardens For Goldens

Doing our Part

Our garden not only provides a welcome place for rescued dogs – it supports them through donations for commemorative bricks in our Memorial Garden Path and plaques on our Garden Wall.

This is Sally.

This young, puppy-faced dog has already had a lifetime of breeding. Those days are over. Pampering and TLC are our orders for her moving forward.

But pups are not the only creatures helped by our garden.

Monarch butterflies have a symbiotic relationship with Milkweed – their host plant.

A female monarch lays its eggs on a sprouted milkweed plant. The eggs hatch in four to five days producing tiny yellow, black and white banded caterpillars which feed solely on Milkweed. After three weeks of voracious munching, the caterpillar enters the pupa stage and gradually changes into an emerald-green case ringed with golden dots. After five weeks old, the transformation is complete and it emerges as a butterfly.

Two or more summer generations might be produced in the North before the migration begins for over-wintering in the South. Their principal winter vacation spot is Mexico, with some finding warm refuge in Florida, Cuba or Southern California.

Today, Monarchs are disappearing in huge numbers. Their habitat is being lost due to development, overuse of herbicides, climate change and roadside clearing programs. Once common, this beautiful butterfly is on the verge of collapse. We can all help by creating Milkweed “way stations” – which is exactly what we have done in the Memorial Garden.

While it is a perennial, hardy for zones 3-9 – the Milkweed we planted last year did not reappear. So we reinvested and have installed a couple dozen more plants in small patches throughout the garden.

The brilliant Gulf Fritillary, which flourished in our area until the 1960’s actually became extinct in our region.

For reasons unexplained, it made a reappearance around the year 2000. Its host plant is the Passionflower vine – which graces one of the entries to our garden.

The Gulf Frit has a particular taste for the nectar of Lantana, Mexican Sunflower and apparently, Verbena.

It’s no surprise that it has found a welcome home here.

And then there are the bees. Colony collapse is threatening honey bees everywhere. Honey bee pollination is critical for tree nuts, berries, fruits and vegetables. The loss of Honey bees threatens crop production and other species who depend on it as well.

There are many theories surrounding the cause of the disappearing bees, but little certainty. We can support them now by improving their health and habitat – and reducing the things known to be hazardous to both. Give up or severely limit the use of pesticides. If you must use them – avoid applying during mid-day hours, when honey bees are most likely to be out foraging for nectar and pollen on flowering plants.

Plant bee-friendly plants – those that are good sources of nectar and pollen such as bee balm, coneflower, goldenrod, aster, borage and sunflower.

Finally, there are those that we unintentionally support in the garden. Bunnies, lizards, snakes and birds are welcome guests – as long as they keep a respectable distance or don’t eat more than their share. The birds – which have been knocking off the grapes and gobbling them up – may be pushing their luck this year.

They better watch out. I bet we can find some bird-dogs around here somewhere!

Beating the Heat

It was 110 here in the Sacramento Valley on Monday. Fellow gardener, Maria braved the heat the next day to do an evening check and give a little first-aid to anything that had not weathered the weather! She’s also turning into quite the camera bug. She captured this funny-faced Robin who found his own way to keep cool!

Just for Fun

Surprisingly…the bunny won!

Wordless Wednesday: White

Where Hope Grows

I took a trip to the river on Saturday. We sit at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers.

At this time of year, the banks are usually under water. Now, there is just dried grass and thistle.

One of my blogging friends said that nature has a way of protecting her garden. This week, she did. We had two days of actual water falling from the sky. When hope gives way, you rely on faith. When faith is not enough, even those with questions turn to prayer. However briefly, they were answered this week.

You could almost feel the budding trees and early spring risers saying “thank you.”

The groundhog saw his shadow and declared six more weeks of winter. We felt its shiver today, and will gladly welcome it if it brings some more wet weather. We may yet see some rain ahead, but not enough, unfortunately, for our ranchers and growers who have been told there will be no release of water this year. We forget that California was once desert.

Our garden is planted with many drought tolerant perennials. Their hardiness will be well-tested. In a supreme act of faith, Ina pruned the plums today.

Filled with fruiting buds – we all said another little prayer.

On the subject of prayer, could you say a little one for Ballou? This shy, scared boy has returned to us because his human mom passed away. It has been several weeks, and I have yet to see him smile. He needs a special someone who understands his worried heart and just wants to hold him close.

And raise a cheer for Ginger. Smiles all around for this gorgeous girl and her new forever home.

“Where hope grows, miracles blossom.” ~ Elna Rae

Wordless Wednesday: Fluffiness

Hopes Planted

The skies teased us this weekend.

Dark clouds moved in, raising our hopes for rain. But a sprinkling was all Mother Nature had in store for us.

Days like these are perfect for curling up and napping, dreaming of the warm months ahead – and that’s exactly what the garden is doing.

If you look very closely, you’ll find the tiniest treasures under the blanket of grey and brown…

including these two sweet faces…

And this wonderful pair of dogs who have been cared for by a generous neighbor in a house left vacant after the owner died.

Just four of the 10 dogs – all treasures – who found their way to us in a single day.

“Hopes are planted in friendship’s garden where dreams blossom into priceless treasures.” ~ Author Unknown.

We’ll do our best to fulfill our treasures’ hopes – and keep very busy until the cold subsides and the rains (hopefully) arrive.

Bow to Winter

Just a week ago, the garden still managed a display of fading, but beautiful color. Then came the cold.

From west to east across the nation, the freeze is on. The garden has bowed to winter.

“Autumn to winter, winter into spring, Spring into summer, summer into fall, – so rolls the changing year, and so we change; motion so swift, we know not that we move” ~ Dinah Maria Mulock

Record-breaking overnight lows have burst pipes and snapped the flowers from their stems.

The frost lays like a blanket of crystal ice across the landscape.

The sun shines for a bit…until the icy cold blows in again.

Fur coats, shorter outings and warm hugs keep the dogs safe and cozy.

At home, white lights and frost covers protect sensitive plants.

But the Memorial Garden is in the country and on its own while this cold snap drags on…and on…and on.

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” ~ Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

A Wooded View

“You only need sit still long enough in some attractive spot in the woods that all its inhabitants may exhibit themselves to you by turns.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Lest you think I never leave the garden. 🙂

The Coming Cold

The squirrels know. It’s time to store away and prepare for cold.

The Sacramento Valley has true seasons; it’s one of the reasons why things grow so well here.

But the overnight temperatures we are expecting this week can wreak havoc on sensitive plants and fruit trees.

True cold does not usually arrive until January, but this week we’ll see night-time temperatures in the mid 20’s..and that is way too cold for our newest orange tree. Planted in honor of the beloved Shelby, it should be well protected from the hard frost thanks to a special tent which lets the sun in during the day and keeps cold out at night.

Because the garden is on its own during the week, we just have to do the best we can to prepare it. This means we don’t cut our perennials way back until spring, with the withered leaves and stems providing some protection for the plant crown. We also ignore the blanket of leaves which serve as insulation until the danger of frost has passed sometime in mid-February. They also help to keep some moisture in with the water turned off.

Where do butterflies go in such cold?

The Dahlia bulbs have been tucked into a dark box and covered with vermiculite for cold storage in the garage. My favorites are labeled with gardener tape.

But we can pretty much say goodbye to these last hold-outs from the season. They have served us well.

Hello to winter grasses, pruning chores and dreaming of spring.

Good thing we have pups to keep us warm.

Fall’s Grace

“For the Fall of the year is more than three months bounded by an equinox and a solstice. It is a summing up without the finality of year’s end.” ~ Hal Borland

This blank spot in the perennial bed signals the end of a season, as the Dahlias have been lifted and stored for the winter.

The weather this weekend was beautiful after a stormy start to the week, so Daylilies were divided, bulbs planted,

and giant holes filled in the yards where dogs chase bunnies. Who me?

The light is beautiful in the garden at this time of year.

Although most of the brilliant blossoms have faded away, a few remain and it is as if the sheer warmth of the sun bathes the garden in gold;

it soaks up all the magic that goes on here.

Where big dogs come to find homes,

tiny dogs are nurtured,

blind dogs see that they are surrounded by love,

and old dogs can sum up their own seasons in sanctuary and peace.

“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace, as I have seen in one autumnal face.” ~ John Donne

Divide and Conquer

“Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas.” ~ Elizabeth Murray

The garden looks especially beautiful and welcoming in the fall light.

Though the blooms are fewer, their rich colors pop against a canvas of turning leaves and warm brown grasses.

Ina’s asters have finally arrived, draped over the fence like a bee’s blanket of purple.

Maria, has of course, dressed the garden for fall.

Her holiday displays may not bespeak a memorial garden, but they certainly make a beautiful backdrop for our posing dogs. This is Ella.

Princess and Duke – all new arrivals.

With Maria and Ina both on hand, it was a perfect time to tackle the iris bed.

Peggy and Steve had a good start, but work has called them away. With three of us on scene, we decided to finish the lifting and dividing. From the size of the bulb clumps, it was pretty clear they had been left for years – a first, forgotten effort in the garden.

While Ina and Maria divided, I dug trenches and raised berms in a semi-circle.

We have decided to plant the sunflowers in the center next summer as the Willow Tree has taken their sun. During the other months we will fill with annuals to keep color in the garden year round.

It’s pretty amazing what the three of us can get done in a day when we put our minds (and backs) to it. We went home dirty, tired, but satisfied.

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” ~ Emile Zola