Some Blooms and a Rescued Dog in Tiger Gardens

'Rubra' Flowering Quince in Front Sidewalk Garden

Hyacinth

Chionodoxa 'Pink Giant'

Purple Hyacinths

'Ruby Giant' crocus (later bloomers here)

Unknown Viburnum Bud-It looks to be a good year for my viburnums.

 Spicebush Buds/Blooms (Lindera benzoin) Do you see the cobwebs? No housekeeping in the garden-I let the spiders do their thing.

The Virginia Bluebells are showing some color.

Muscari has just begun blooming.

Bloodroot is in full bloom.

And here is Lili, a temporary bloom in the garden. We are house sitting my daughter's two dogs (the other is Bella) for a bit while she is away on Army training. Short story about Lili. Christine found Lili running in the middle of the road and stopped to rescue her. She is a pit bull. Our county automatically euthanizes pit bull breeds if the owner does not come and claim them after the three day waiting period. They took down her info and we all hoped her owner would call in. No luck of course. 

We posted her 'Found' info in all the local stores. If received a call saying 'my' pit bull was seen running around. Ha! Ironic huh? I post a 'Found' sign only to have some say I lost the dog. We got her back quickly and found she is an escape artist. Enter choker chain and tie out. Still, Lili escapes. This time we don't find her so quickly and my daughter is frantic. We spend all evening hunting for her. The next morning I call the local gas station to see if anyone reported seeing a pit bull. The clerk tells me a friend of hers who is a clerk at another local gas station reported to her that a customer said she found a friendly pit bull at her house and is holding her. Wow! In the meantime I am calling Animal Control the same time as this lady is reporting this lost dog and could they come and get her. A lucky ending for Lili was I was able to secure her. Christine will have to fix her fence and watch her closely. She has not escaped my yard though she tries awfully hard. 

I only tell you Lili's lost and found story because we know this dog was loved and had to have been a family pet. She was well cared for though not spayed and not chipped (both have been rectified). I we can find her with a little effort why didn't her owner come forward? It is so heartbreaking seeing all the unwanted animals in our society. People, if you have a pet or know someone who does, encourage them to spay or neuter them. If you know someone who does not have a pet, encourage them to adopt one....

in the garden....

I figured I'd soften you all up with pretty pictures of flowers before I got on my soapbox. Animals suffer so much. I know there are many who suffer and I wish I could help them all, but in the case of animals they have no control-we do. All it requires is for us to be responsible.

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Our New Girl-Lady; A Lucky Dog to a Forever Home

From In the Garden

Memorial Day weekend was a very nice weekend. I worked a bit during the weekend with my garden design business but we Ramseys did have time for a day off and some fun. Our fun began on that Monday when we were headed to the post exchange for some shopping when what do we see? From a distance I knew it was a dog running in the middle of a main road on Fort Campbell. There was no one around and no buildings were in the immediate vicinity. I often see dogs running loose on Fort Campbell and other streets and I usually try to stop and 'rescue' the dog. Most of the time the dogs are so skittish they simply run away, but not this girl. She came straight to the Jimster and Mr. Fix-it and was all too happy to jump in the truck. Oh dear, now what do we do?

We headed straight for the Stray Animal facility on base where we were fortunate enough to catch a tech on duty checking on the animals. She was kind enough to check this girl for a microchip. Of course there wasn't one found. What did I expect when she is running loose on a highway with no collar? We briefly talked with the tech who said they take in about 40 animals per week but only adopt out about 15 during the week. What does that tell you? Animals have life so rough. I know humans do too but for the most part humans have a way out whereas animals are completely dependent upon we humans. This is not always a winning situation for the animals. We decided to keep this girl and see if we could place her. I knew at that point Mr. Fix-it was sold on placing her in our home. Who was he kidding? Normally we do not keep stray animals or we'd own about 20 dogs. Not a good thing for anyone. But this girl had something special about her. She immediately lay her head down and went to sleep in the truck. She was not in any way frightened of us and was very trusting. We were not used to this and totally fell for her sweetness. The next step was to introduce her to the four dogs at home.

We've had experience with this in the past so we were all confident we could handle any situation that may have arisen should the dogs fight. First BJ is introduced. If he accepts a new dog then the rest fall into line. It is funny too since he is the most laid back dog and we consider Link to be the alpha male I am always surprised how BJ is the moderator of everything dog related in our home. This gal barked a bit but bowed down to BJ. She was very submissive. We feel like she is not even one year old due to her very shiny white teeth. Jimmy remarked her teeth are whiter than his-not fair! All dogs accepted this gal. Bella was a bit gruff but she'll get over herself I am sure. She is just grumpy anyhow and misses her mama Christine; who will take Bella back once she is settled back here in Tennessee in a few months.

Jimmy named this gal Lady. At first he had named her Goody since she was such a sweet girl and very loving. She is apparently a German shepherd mix. Perhaps with a collie? The vet says collies are very submissive. We don't really know her background. Normally I am a strictly golden retriever type of girl but this gal's personality won out and opened my eyes to other options. She is such a sweetie and most loyal! She knows her commands and is healthy, albeit a bit skinny. She sticks by our sides like glue. She even escaped our very well fenced backyard to run after me. She had no interest in running away and only wanted to be with me. Too bad Bella can't learn that lesson then she might be allowed out front. As it is Bella runs straight for the road-talk about heart failure! Anyhow, we think Lady will be a good dog and are able to give her a good home. We can't do that with all dogs but are feeling most happy we could help her out.

The Fort Campbell Stray Animal facility was a very kind place to work with. The cost of having her 'adopted' was $97. This included a fecal test, all shots and spay. I would strongly recommend any locals reading this blog to consider adopting a pet from there. There are several animal shelters in the community in addition to the Fort Campbell shelter. It just so happened we found Lady on Fort Campbell so it was within their jurisdiction. You do not need to be military to adopt out there. All of our pets have either been strays or come from animal shelters. They are, in my humble opinion, the best pets and the most grateful. There is a right fit pet for every single soul out there-you need only find it. That right pet may be waiting for you right now...

in the garden....

Update: After a visit to the Fort Campbell veterinarian we have found out Lady is most likely a mix between a shepherd and collie due to her submissiveness to the other dogs. She has never been in heat so the vet estimates she is about eight months old. A puppy indeed. She weights 35 pounds (update: after two weeks she now weighs 45 pounds!) but it is anticipated she will grow a bit more. Her ears are huge. The vet said they were characteristic of coyote ears. Not a good thing but she can hear real well. Now on to the listening...as in no swimming in my bathtub pond and no chewing everything in sight!

Any pet stories of how your pet came to its forever home?


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Gardening WITH Dogs

From In the Garden

The way I see it gardens and dogs do not go together no matter how you slice it. People and dogs do go together however. So what happens if the people happen to be gardeners or if not gardeners, maybe just someone who happens to love dogs and appreciate good landscaping? There is the crux of the matter and we need to figure out some solutions. I have four dogs, three are very large and have caused some serious damage in my gardens. While gardens will heal and can be repaired the frustration of dealing with the damage is more the problem for me. I've had to figure out ways to reduce the stress of having these wonderful dogs in my backyard or continually be frustrated so here are some of my solutions. I hope they can help you if you garden with dogs..

The way I see it there are a few main issues when it comes to dogs in the garden and I will address each of them based on my experiences with my wonderful mutts-uh dogs. Those issues in simple terms are:

1. Running through gardens
2. Chewing
3. Relieving themselves
4. Digging
5. Drinking and bathing in water features
Running through gardens is probably the biggest complaint dog owners have when addressing dogs in the garden-next to digging. Dogs are just made to run. They don't care what they run into, over, or under, they just want to run. Let's hope there are no neighbor dogs your dogs are running after but most likely there may be another dog or two in the neighborhood; which will make the problem three times as bad. Trust me, I know. Here is the way to solve that problem. If you are able to, put in a privacy fence so your dogs can't see the other dogs and the problem will be somewhat alleviated. If this is not a workable solution for you then plant groundcovers and shrubs along the runway along your property line. In the picture above my dogs run along that fence fairly frequently. There are a few dogs that live on the other side of the fence and even with the privacy fence the dogs still occasionally run along the fence but not as bad as they would if the fence were not there. Next to the fence I planted a really strong groundcover that is low maintenance and is not fazed at all by a pack of dogs. The groundcover is Liriope spicata, aka creeping lilyturf. This liriope is also called monkey grass in some circles but this type of monkey grass should not be confused with Liriope muscari, aka lilyturf or monkey grass. Liriope muscari will also work as a great groundcover but it is a clumping grass versus the creeping grass like the spicata. Clumpers (muscari) work well but do not hold onto the soil as well as runners (spicata). Spicata cannot be bothered by anything. Tree roots, shade, weeds, and dogs are all laughed at by the spicata which grows and grows and grows and looks good pretty much all year long. As a bonus it is low maintenance. All I do to mine is weedwhack it or mow it at a high length in February of each year and that is it. You don't have to mow it but I choose to for aesthetics. Other groundcovers would probably work but there are none I would recommend planting in your garden due to the invasiveness of them so stick with spicata for a groundcover to protect your ground from dog paws.

The above picture shows my privacy fence with the spicata growing along side it. Bella still loves this area and has made a path through the spicata but the ground itself is safe and not prone to erosion due to the dense roots of the spicata. Spicata is great to stop erosion, weeds, and to cover a difficult area such as this area under a silver maple tree. Note: Spicata WILL run too but is much easier to get rid of if you decide it is not for you. If you do plant spicata choose your location wisely and be prepared for it to spread in shade or sun, dry or wet soil-it's quite adaptable.

I have also planted shrubs and trees along this and other fence lines in my garden. They help out but when a dog gets going even thorny shrubs are not likely to stop a dog's run to getting where they wish to go so you still need to protect the ground. Mulch is also a good ground protector but requires more maintenance.

Okay, when a dog is doing its business and not intent on playing with another dog or chasing a squirrel they are more sedate and more manageable in the garden. I have found that borders such as the stone edging along trenched garden beds as in the above picture work great to guide a dog's path. Rarely will my dogs venture into this garden even though they like running along the fence at the back of the garden. Once the dogs are done playing they will naturally gravitate toward the paths in this garden out to the turfgrass where they will follow the edge of the garden around to the next new spot they wish to explore. The rock borders and trenched gardens work like a charm and are attractive as well for directing a dog's run.

I do sometimes have to take tougher measures to control the dogs though. When it comes to chewing and breaking habits sometimes the only thing that will work are fences. I know most folks don't like fences in the garden but I am more of a functional gardener than an aesthetic gardener so I use fences when necessary. The first picture on this post shows one of my fences as well as a pathway. The dogs tend to stick to the paths through the turfgrass and don't usually venture into the fenced gardens. This garden really needed protection because it apparently had some nice and juicy trees and shrubs planted in it. One very expensive and desirable tree that was eaten by one of my goldens was a weeping Japanese maple. I was not a happy camper. Now whenever I plant a new tree or shrub I usually circle it with 24-36" wire until it is big enough to fend for itself. Sometimes this takes years but is worth it to protect the plant and the dogs. Shrubs like camellias and rhododendrons are supposed to be poisonous to dogs and for some reason my dogs have a taste for these shrubs. Fences are necessary in these circumstances.

Now we get to the last few issues. Relieving themselves is a big yuck for gardens but oh so necessary for the dogs. The best solution to deal with wastes from a dog is to select an out of the way spot in the garden and train your dog early to go only in that area. Training puppies is the best method but even older dogs can be trained to relieve themselves in a certain spot-far away from living areas. You will have to walk your dog to the designated spot (most likely on a leash) and build a habit for that dog to relieve itself in only that spot so it will take time and training but will be worth it in the long run. Once the habit is in place it should stick with the dog for its entire lifetime. I find that generally dogs tend to find an out of the way spot anyhow but in case they regress or like to use pathways you can gently retrain them not to do their business in such a spot by catching them in the act and redirecting them. They don't forget such indignities I can assure you. Cleaning up after your dog is an important part of maintenance chores in the garden as well.

One note on urinating. Many people complain the dogs leave a yellowed spot in areas of their lawn when they urinate. In the eight years I've lived here I have had only one yellow spot and that was during a drought in 2007. If you have a problem with urine concentrating and building up in your garden rinse the area with a hose daily. This should help. Otherwise I don't stress about urine unless it is on me!
Another issue we have to deal with when gardening with dogs is digging. This is a frustrating trait. My little dachshund was the worst when it came to digging when he was a puppy. He would dig and dig and dig and no matter how quickly I tried to fill the hole I never could find enough dirt to fill the hole up and still he would dig. I still wonder what happens to all the dirt! My solution to digging is multi faceted like my other solutions. No one trick will solve all issues with dogs and gardens. Being proactive I would try to catch a dog in the act of digging and severely scold them for it. This helps. I also try to limit the dogs freedom outside when I am not around. I know bored dogs tend to dig. This helps a bit too but it will not completely eliminate the problem. Here is the good news, as dogs age they seem to dig less frequently. My dachshund never digs and neither do my goldens, though they all had their moments when they were younger. Enter Bella, my daughter's rottweiler mix mutt, she digs. She is young. She is persistent and most irritating. I can always tell when she has been digging because her dirty nose gives her away. Bella's favorite spots to dig are near the house and wherever newly planted plants have been put in. Grrrrrrr! We've had a real issue with her this past year. I try to catch her in the act but even that is not enough to give her the message digging is not acceptable. In her situation I usually wind up placing a barrier over the hole. I usually use mesh wire like chicken wire, heavy rocks, or even the above pictured trellis to block off her current holes. This just sends Bella somewhere else to find easier pickings but at least the hole doesn't get any larger and I can fill it in. Sometimes I leave the barrier in place because the problem is ongoing, sometimes I remove the barrier. I do like to cover the wire with mulch when I leave it in place so no one can even tell there is a wire on top of the ground-but Bella! Barriers help but digging is one of those things I think dogs may always do, especially young dogs.

Another area of concern might be with water features. My goldfish in my little bathtub pond may have received a few shocks when a 100 pound plus dog jumps in and takes a bath. Perhaps BJ reasons it is a bathtub after all? At any rate this is not desirable and could wreak havoc with not only the fish, but the plants and the pump. When BJ is not dunking himself in the pond Bella is drinking from the pond. Sigh. My solution is to provide the dogs a pool of their own. I purchased a small hard plastic pool for them. The pool is less than four feet round and easily dumped and refilled as necessary. The dogs will always use this pool over the pond provided it has clean and fresh water in it. They also drink from it fairly frequently on hot days.

These are pretty much the major problems I find when trying to work with dogs and gardens. What are your issues with dogs and do you all have any tricks that help you when dealing with dogs?

in the garden....



Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Pets and Garden Bloggers

What is it about garden bloggers and pets? Now I know there are some garden bloggers who don't feature pets, or who don't even have any pets, but I CAN'T think of a single one. Even those bloggers who don't talk all the time about their pets do occasionally show us the pet in the garden.

Is it a truth that gardeners like pets? Even pets who dig in the garden? Poop in the garden? Scratch up the garden? Run over the prized perennials? Bark at the wildlife? And eat the garden?!

I think garden bloggers, who are all gardeners, like extending their paradise to all living things and are comforted by their pets. Pets just seem to be a natural part of gardens, no matter how many concessions we have to make for them. There are many. Fences, pooper scoopers, and selective plantings come to mind.Here are just a few of my many pets: Peter the Rabbit in the top photo (he and his buddy Cuddles provide very good stuff for the compost). The picture of Peter is not misleading, he is a HUGE bunny, and has the appetite to prove it. I think he is bigger than my cat and definitely heavier. Orkin is in the second photo. She is sometimes a good kitty (when she does away with pests like voles), and sometimes a bad kitty (like when she does away with birds). Lastly, my old dog Link. He is 13 years old now and my first dog. He has been a good dog who is beginning to fail now due to his age. His hearing is gone and he is very crotchety, even more so than most Chihuahua/dachsund mixes. I have many more pets too, but wondered about you all's pets and if you think garden bloggers and pets just go together like peanut butter and jelly.

What do you all think of garden bloggers and pets? Is it a natural thing and is there a common theme with us all?

in the garden....

Don't forget to post on veggies on the 20th of next month.

I had a super visit with some very fine bloggers last night-and a surprise guest! I will post on that soon. Okay all?