Sunflowers | Gardens For Goldens

If only for a season

August 10, 2014 by Ogee

At the rescue, people and dogs pass through our lives. Some we know only for an instant; others stay on for years. Each makes a special impression – often in often unforeseen ways. I was touched and honored this week when a woman reached out to request a copy of a “going home” day photo I took earlier this year. I remember the day so clearly. The woman was 80; the dog she chose was also in her sunset years. […]

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: Annual, Dahlia, Garden Photography, Gardens, Golden retrievers, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Perennial, Ritu Ghatourey, Sunflowers, Volunteering

Second winds

July 22, 2014 by Ogee

After weeks of scorching hot and dusty dry – we caught a weather break and had unseasonably mild temperatures for a bit. The garden got its second wind, and sent blooms skyward again. Spectacular Sunflowers… Dazzling Dahlias… Daylilies… A second round of Delphinium… And the long-awaited appearance of those elusive Naked Ladies. Then – on Sunday – something truly amazing: clouds and a very light rain. You don’t realize how much you miss those drops until you live in California […]

Categories: Gardening • Tags: Dahlias, Flowers, Garden Photography, Nature, Summer Rain, Sunflowers

Summer Signs

July 6, 2014 by Ogee

The surest signs of summer: The arrival of sunflowers… the return of the Dahlias… Golden sunsets – sun setting Goldens… And water dogs – of course! Here’s to the lazy days of summer!

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: Dahlias, Garden Photography, Summer, Sunflowers, Water dog

On a Wing and a Prayer

May 11, 2014 by Ogee

Small miracles surround us. Hummingbirds… Baby Mourning Doves… Honey bees… and Love in a Mist (aptly named). This collection of miracles flew in just a week ago on a wing (traveling from Taiwan – where it’s not so good to be a dog) and a prayer (of rescue and a forever home). One – Mary – has already found her way there. Abigail – another of the ten Reservoir Dogs rescued from a hoarding situation – has recovered from her […]

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, Gardens for Goldens, Golden Retriever, Hummingbird, Sunflowers, Taiwan Dog Rescue

November Notes From The Garden

November 4, 2012 by Ogee

Maria and some other Homeward Bound volunteers traveled to Tahoe today to join in the search for Murphy – a Golden on the run since a family camping trip in early October. So I was holding down the fort alone in the Memorial Garden today. A large shipment of newly arrived commemorative bricks were lined up and ready to be installed. The messages are so touching. It truly is a great way to honor our departed pups. Maria’s sunflowers have […]

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

When One Door Closes…

August 10, 2012 by Ogee

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 […]

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Nature, Photography, Sunflowers

Honest and Upright: Sunflowers

August 3, 2012 by Ogee

Those who follow this blog regularly know that Maria, one of the dedicated volunteers of our Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, has abandoned us for a few weeks to run around Eastern Europe. She forwarded this photo of Sunflowers grown in Bulgaria. The sheer quantity is impressive and creates a stunning impression. I’m a bit biased, but I’m not sure they can compete with those growing in the Sunflower bed in Maria’s absence. Is it the TLC they are receiving while […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: Cottage Garden, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Memorial Garden, Nature, Photos, Sunflowers

Sunflower Appreciation

July 25, 2012 by Ogee

So many people seemed to enjoy the post capturing the transformation of Ina’s Cottage Garden, I thought I would share some others with you periodically. Here’s a look at Maria’s Sunflower bed – from its messy start, to it’s mid-summer delight within the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. Inauspicious beginnings last Fall… By February, it waits in anticipation. Some April color, while the rains delay planting. Then, they begin their march. And before we know it… “Keep your face to the […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: Garden, Homeward Bound Garden, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Sunflowers

Mid-Summer Update

July 23, 2012 by Ogee

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” ~ Sam Keen In the hot Sacramento months of July and August, the garden is best tended to in the early morning and early evening. I snuck out to the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden late yesterday afternoon and early evening to get some of our weekly heavy lifting done, knowing that Sunday would also be over 100 – and that Maria, my Sunday gardening partner, refuses to quit as long as there is […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: Bee Balm, Coneflower, Garden, golden retriever rescue, Homeward Bound Garden, Roses, sacramento, Sunflowers