sacramento | Gardens For Goldens

Elfin Magic

August 17, 2014 by Ogee

There are elves among us. I don’t know where they hide, but they leave their mysteries and mischief all over the garden. Bunnies that rearrange themselves to better smell the flowers… beautiful sayings that magically appear in the beds… stepping-stones crafted by small hands… wind chimes and bird houses that find their way into trees… and trees that are mysteriously deposited without so much as a note. Can anyone identify this tree so we know what to do with it, […]

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: Dog Photography, dog rescue, Dogs, Garden Elves, Garden Photography, gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Nature, sacramento

Rain Glorious Rain

February 9, 2014 by Ogee

Rain. Glorious Rain. A Pacific storm – an atmospheric “river” we refer to as the “pineapple express” – dumped a more than generous amount of rain in Northern California setting a record in Sacramento for most rainfall in a 24 hour period. It helped our nearby Folsom lake to rise nearly 3 feet in a single weekend, and the Sierras above us were topped with more than four feet of snow. While we are all soggy and practically swimming in […]

Categories: Gardening • Tags: California Drought, dog rescue, Garden, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Pineapple express, Rain, sacramento

Work is love made visible

February 25, 2013 by Ogee

Q: “What are you planting today?” A: “Stone.” Big weekend of work in the Memorial Garden; I am just recovering. Jody and I began the stone walkway project on Saturday. I finished on Sunday, while she oversaw the completed clearing of the adjacent pen. Moving a half ton of stone certainly makes you sleep well at night. But the results are worth the effort, I think. “It is better to wear out than to rust out.” – Bishop Richard Cumberland […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Nature, Pets, Photography, sacramento, Stone Path, University of San Francisco

A Welcome Frost

January 6, 2013 by Ogee

Below the frosty morning surface of the garden, all the little microorganisms are busy creating nutrients. But for gardeners in need of rest and recovery, January is mercifully slow. After a week of hard overnight frost in the Sacramento Valley, the roses in our Memorial Garden have finally succumbed. On New Years’ Day, Jody and I completed pruning and tying the grapes; soon, the roses will be ready for their turn. Yarrow is the only perennial still in bloom, but […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Nature, Pets, Photography, sacramento

Wet Walk Around

December 23, 2012 by Ogee

Walking dogs between rain storms provided a chance to spend some time in Homeward Bound’s other eight acres – beyond the Memorial Garden. Here are a few vignettes from the pond which has overflowed its banks, and a very soggy landscape. This is what winter looks like in the Sacramento Valley. Good thing dogs can paddle!

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Pets, Rain, sacramento

Winter Wools

December 16, 2012 by Ogee

“The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools.” ~ Henry Beston, Northern Farm We all had on our winter wools this weekend, with a light frost blanketing the garden on Saturday morning. It’s early for that in the Sacramento Valley. It disappeared quickly, but left the garden a little too wet and cold for any heavy duty effort. Only a few blooms remain in the garden now – […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, Garden, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Nature, Pets, Photography, sacramento

What Blossoms Here

December 9, 2012 by Ogee

After last weekend’s deluge, it was good to be back in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, focusing on clean-up. Lawns were mowed, leaves were raked, and spent blossoms were removed. It seems that more than a few of our favorites haven’t figured out that it is December. Many of the roses are still pushing out blooms, The Blue Geranium that struggled all summer in the heat has made an appearance, The Daylilies are still gracing us. And Maria’s Sunflowers? Well, […]

Farewell to Fall

November 25, 2012 by Ogee

November served up a last magnificent fall weekend at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. When the sun is t-shirt warm, the garden is still showing off, but the shadows grow long by mid-afternoon, it is a perfect time to get in the last fall plantings in the Sacramento Valley. Before the December rain and cold arrive, Ina added grasses to the front-facing California Natives garden – while the rest of us focused on getting our spring bulbs planted. “Autumn is […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: Dogs, Garden Blog, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Nature, Pet Adoption, Pets, Photography, sacramento, Spring Bulbs

Inspiration from the WPA Rock Garden

September 29, 2012 by Ogee

I have taken so much inspiration from my fellow gardeners at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. With a season under our collective boots, there is a garden closer to home that I now appreciate even more. It is the WPA Rock Garden at William Land Park in Sacramento. This three-quarter acre gem is tucked inside the park, between the quaint Fairytale Town, Sacramento Zoo, the outdoor theatre in the round, and the duck pond. It was originally built in 1940 […]

Categories: Gardening • Tags: Daisy Mah, gardening, Homeward Bound Garden, Mediterranean plants, Nature, Photography, sacramento, William Land Park, WPA Rock Garden