Gardens Home & Garden

Discussion in 'Off Topic Chat' started by Toedtoes, Mar 31, 2023.

  1. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    The brick structure just collapsed, so the bricks still have mortar all over them, are in little chips or broken in half, and are in clumps of 6-9 bricks and mortar. We're waiting to see how many there are in good shape at the top of the soil. May use them to help with the deck substructure.

    Thanks. I like it a lot. Got a complement from a regular passerby yesterday. The bark definitely makes the plants look much greener. Once the yucca and bottlebrush grow and fill in along the front, that will help a lot. Those bottlebrush are very slow growers.

    Four of my butterfly bushes in the back have blooms coming. The one I thought I killed and then started coming back has lost its new leaves - it's in a small fence so it wasn't the dogs. Planted a replacement in a different spot. Have four more coming to plant in other spots.

    My roofer has agreed to come put up Biz the Gargoyle when he arrives.

    Good to rest! That's where most folks go wrong - they overdo it and take painkillers to ease the pain and then go right back out and do more. Instead of letting their bodies rest and recuperate for a day.

    You're a cruel task master making Tally jump. ;) My akita, who loved food, thought that rice cakes were really delicious (he tried to eat styrofoam squiggles, so I bought him some to try). You might try something like that and see if she likes it. Or maybe use popcorn.
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  3. Helidale

    Helidale Member

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    Toedtoes likes this.
    She does like popcorn, and the Marmite, (yeast extract), flavoured rice cakes. I also get packs of beef strips which have only 2% fat, and she likes that stinky dried fish skin too.
    I took the little monster to an enclosed field tonight. It gives her off-lead time and is easy for me. It used to be two bowling greens and is 7/8ths enclosed by iron railings and 1/8 of hawthorn hedge. The first time ever, she spotted a small gap in the hawthorn and shot through onto a, (fortunately not in use), rugby pitch! My lazy girl then sprang into life and galloped as she has never done before. She did keep coming back to me, but didn't want me to reach for her collar, so I just kept throwing treats into the grass, and asking her to search for them. When she realised that I was not going to rob her of her newly discovered freedom, she let me to attach her long line for the walk to the car. Quite a positive result I think. :069:
  4. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    Isn't it great when they realize you aren't going to stop their fun and just go along with you?

    I keep telling Tornado-dog "with greater freedoms comes great responsibility". I've been letting him out front with me as long as he listens to me and stays in the yard. The past couple days, he's been jumping the gun and rushing out the door before I say OK. So, he has been made to come back inside without exploring. Today, he did it twice at the backdoor while some work was being done... After being made to come back inside both times, it reached his brain. So when I had to pick up some Rxs, he waited inside the front door and didn't go out until I told him it was OK. So he (and Cat-dog) got to run errands with me.
  5. who owns who

    who owns who Member

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    My dogs love rice cakes, or the crumbles that I’m not going to eat.

    I’ve been keeping up with this thread, just never commented on it.
  6. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    Must be an akita thing. None of my other dogs would touch a rice cake.
  7. CaroleC

    CaroleC Member

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    Toedtoes likes this.
    Beagles don't discriminate, if it's food it can be eaten. The only exceptions are raw celery and lettuce, and she will even eat celery if I blanch it in the microwave first. Today I have boiled, then diced and baked, a pound of liver. This really put her nose into overdrive and she spent ages searching the house for it. (Ha! She didn't see me putting it in the freezer).
  8. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    Those freezers and fridges are just horrid - they make it impossible for a little square dog to sniff out the goodies.

    Bat-dog, who was part beagle, was a foodhound. She ate anything - except pineapple. She really tried to like it, but didn't. She really loved chocolate. Fortunately, she was one of the few dogs who didn't get sick from it, because she stole it every chance she got.
  9. CaroleC

    CaroleC Member

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    @who owns who
    I hope your health is improving. Are you still at your forest home?
  10. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    I received Bis the Gargoyle. Unfortunately, he got into a tussle on the trip and his left ear was bitten off (broke in transit). I spoke with D'Nell who made him and she offered to replace him free of charge. Which was very very kind, but not fair to make her lose money due to Fedex's handling.

    Anyway, I told her that Bis has battle scars like any proper gargoyle would and that it just gives him more character.

    Now we are just waiting for my roofer to drop by and get Bis settled on the roof. I'll take a photo of the yard once he is settled and the rest of my birdbaths arrive next week.

    I currently have two baths out front now. One is deep, so the water doesn't evaporate daily but it's too deep to bathe in. The other is the copper one. Really pretty, but in hindsight, metal isn't that great for the birds in our summer heat.

    So I have two nice polyresin ones coming that are shallow so the birds can bathe. I also have a glass one coming - we'll see how it is liked. Then I have a metal one, but it is on a trellis with little hummingbirds on it - I thought it would be nice as a decoration.

    I'm going to set one up as a dirt bath (likely the trellis one) - the sparrows have been enjoying the bit of dusty dirt still on the driveway but that won't stay long. So I'll keep the one bath filled with dusty dirt for their enjoyment.

    I have another three birdbaths coming to add to the backyard.

    I also just received four more butterfly bushes. I'll plant them tomorrow in my backyard. I think I'll add some lavender (the non-toxic ones) in the backyard. It will be nice to have that scent wafting while in the pool.

    Update on Looney2: he has decided that he is NOT going to die. His energy has picked up and he's eating his canned more - he's even put on some of his lost weight. He comes downstairs to watch out the front and back doors every day. And he's watching the birds through the windows again. He still shows signs of anemia - he eats dirt. I have some catnip, catmint and cat grass in pots and am bringing them inside for a bit so that he can enjoy them. The cat grass is his favorite (Tornado-dog's too but don't tell Looney2 that, he won't approve).
  11. CaroleC

    CaroleC Member

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    A pity that your gargoyle has arrived damaged. I think I would have accepted the replacement as the lady should have been able to claim against the carrier. I don't suppose it will show though because of the height.
    We are having a run of hot sunny days at present, which makes watering a chore but everything is growing like mad. I hope the plants aren't spent by the time the true Summer arrives. I potted my tomato plant in a black pot - then read on Google that you shouldn't use a black pot! (Keeps the roots too hot apparently). I have slipped the whole shabang into a dark green pot, I can't see that making much difference but I haven't got a light coloured with a large enough base. The sweet peas and mini roses have flower buds already.
    Glad to hear that your poorly cat is rallying. Long may it continue.
  12. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    I was going to accept a replacement when I first sent her the photos, but as we talked, I kept looking at him and it gave him a rough and tumbled look and made him unique. By then, I was attached to him and he was Bis.

    I did confirm that he would not be more succeptible to additional damage in the elements due to the ear.

    I read about dark colored pots too - after I bought several. I just don't really like the light colors so I decided I'd deal. So far it hasn't adversely affected the plants.

    Yeah for the flower buds!!!

    I had a couple hummingbirds come and eat from the blooming catmint and the one poker plant and one sage. It was nice to see. And the sparrows are just happy happy happy. They will come down and sit on the edges of the pots and look at me sitting on the porch. Not afraid at all.

    And the crows are back this year! I haven'r seen them around much with the drought. I forgot how much smaller they are to ravens.

    Looney2 says thanks. Last night, he even glared at Tornado-dog nose-to-nose on the couch. It may have been because he had just enjoyed the catnip, catmint and cat grass but he was ready to take down that wildebeest for dinner.
  13. CaroleC

    CaroleC Member

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    I have crows too! Well Jackdaws to be precise. They arrive in sixes and chatter noisily to each other while they throw clumps of dry moss of my roof. I had to shoo them the other night as the game was throwing the vermiculite out of the plant pots, ("This shouldn't be in here").
    Reminds me of a horsey friend who many years ago was pegging out her washing when a Jackdaw landed on her shoulder and said, "Hello". Jack was clearly used to living indoors and had quite a large vocabulary. She never managed to find his owner - maybe he had been deliberately released.

    I'll bet you thought I was going to say that it pecked her nose! :043:
  14. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    I love it! Reminds me of my sibling's cherry headed conure. She was a live in worker at a kennel. She had a small room with a slanted ceiling so the head of her bed was in the middle of the room and the bird had a perch on a chest up against the bed. I was fast asleep when I woke up to this donald duck voice whispering "hi there" in my ear. He had come down off the perch to literally whisper in my ear. Freaked me out completely!

    The corvids are amazing birds. Very smart birds that counter the bird brain addage.

    But I think I love the lyre bird more:
  15. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    Woo Hoo!!

    So, a second hummingbird sage is in bloom:
    IMG_20230605_170007593.jpg

    And a third is just getting started:
    IMG_20230605_170000320.jpg

    A backdraft poker plant is just getting started:
    IMG_20230605_165755919.jpg

    And a Lion's Tail is just getting started:
    IMG_20230605_165949794.jpg

    So that just leaves the California fuchsias, the bottle brush, and the coral yuccas with no sign of blooming. I suspect the fuchsias will be soon - they have been having a nice growth spurt.

    The, now, nine butterfly bushes in the backyard are all doing well. I've got them all fenced in to keep Tornado-dog and Cat-dog from thrashing them. One is almost big enough to remove the fencing. When I do, I'll take photos.

    I did end up ordering one Phenomenal Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia 'Niko') and two Grosso Lavenders (Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso'). They should arrive within the next week. They'll go in the backyard also. Once they are in, no more plants until next spring when I see how these all survive the winter.

    Still waiting for Bis to settle on the roof. And I just have one birdbath left to arrive.
  16. CaroleC

    CaroleC Member

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    I bought a small Fuchsia at the supermarket this week. It is in flower and covered with buds. The pink foxgloves that grew in the neglected tub with the violets, are looking well too, but they never last very long. I've potted it up and it's looking well.
    I can't really see your hummingbird flower. I find the same when I try to photograph my plants - really showy here, but they lose features in a photo. If you enhance the colour, the other colours go out of balance!
  17. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    The humminbird sage is a weird bloom. It is these green and purpley bulbs going up a long stem. The blooms are actually a deep pinky-purple that come off the bulbs. And, at least so far, they don't seem to be a ton of blooms but just a few on each bulb. They aren't real showy at all. But I'll get a closer photo so you can see it better.

    I have a few photos taken so far with my real camera, I just have to process them first.

    I love the "regular" fuchsias. The California Fuchsias are actually a completely different plant (Epilobium canum).
  18. CaroleC

    CaroleC Member

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    OK. I'll Google them, I don't think they will be in my RHS guide.
    Got them, rather similar looking plants. What colour did you go for in the sage? The purple looks a beautiful deep colour - though sometimes purple doesn't stand out. We had a bright red trumpet shaped flowering shrub when we lived in Derbyshire - can't remember what it was called now - but it tended to move itself to a slightly different spot each year. Like Tally, it never learned a reliable Stay! Poker plants like families they are never alone for long. I don't know whether they seed or put out runners.
  19. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    OK. Here is the hummingbird sage closer up (sorry for the blurriness, I can't see the phone screen in the sun):
    IMG_20230606_120939349.jpg

    It only comes in this one color. It is a California native. Its official name is salvia spathecea.

    I do have three potted "purple sage" - when I didn't get the hummingbird sage at the plant sale, I called home depot to see if they had it - gave them the latin name. They sent my yard guy back with a "purple sage" which I believe is actually Salvia x Balsalmysty. It's very pretty on the porch steps and only grows to 12 - 18 inches tall and wide so great for containers and small spaces: IMG_20230606_133558961.jpg

    There are so many varieties of salvia. I have a list of ones sold at the plant sales to consider for next year. If I end up doing the deck in the backyard, I'm going to have my guy build some planter boxes along the edges and I'm thinking I'll fill them with the various salvias.

    I really like those dark dark purple ones, but they aren't very showy, so they are on the alternate list.

    The ones I will most likely get are:
    Salvia 'African sky' - sky blue blooms
    Salvia 'lello' - creamy yellow
    Salvia x jamensis California Sunset - peachy
    Salvia argentea - blush white
    Salvia apiana - white
    Salvia 'Dyson's Joy' - pale and deep pink
    Salvia 'Lemon Joy' - pale yellow
    Salvia 'Peach Cobbler' - salmon
    Salvia 'Blast' - salmon

    That corner will be filled with bright soft colors.
  20. Toedtoes

    Toedtoes Member

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    Oh dear. I think I've overdone it. In addition to the three lavenders, I apparently ordered two salvia Caradonna... I forgot about them. Now I have to figure out where to put them.
  21. CaroleC

    CaroleC Member

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    Purple Sage has taken me back to the cowboy books that I loved as a teenager. Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage - unbelievably still seems to be widely available. I can't remember the story after all these years, so I might just have to buy a copy.

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