What cool plants /great bargains have you found this spring?

I scored 3 Heuchera Plum Pudding at HD @ $5.97/each, one-gallon pots. They had some nice Phormium too. $10/gal. They've started selling summer flowering annuals...a bit early, unless you've got a gh.

I saw a bunch of basket stuffers at QFC today. They had huge Ornithogalum in full bloom inside, too. So tempting, but mine keep rotting, so I kept on walking . . .

I might check out HD tomorrow . . .

Oh my - the lady who runs floral at my local QFC is a gardener: I cannot ever look at what she has in stock. Plus, they tend to be priced on the high side, so I do what Kathy does - keep walking.

I have enough Heuchera, I have enough Heuchera, I have enough Heuchera....Click my heels three times and spin around. Maybe I will believe it.

Anyone (HEY LYNN!) who needs straw, drive on over to my house. I can load you up.. I bought two bales to overwinter bananas and tree ferns that were not yet settled in. NOw I have an overload of straw that is still good for planting.. I can't use it all. Come and get it. Bring a truck.
I also have zillions of sedums, some of which I am getting ready to rip out in order to make way for some alpines. come and get them so I don't have to put them in the recycle and then make some kind of sacrifice to the gods of the garden in order to make amends.

By the way, that hydrangea looks like a Paniculata to me, from the small image and the flower shape. It should stay pink.

I was checking out other forums (! dangerous !) and stumbled upon this timelapse photography:
another stunning example of "everything wants to live".

http://www.wimp.com/moldmushrooms/

I was looking for info on growing Portabello Mushrooms.....gotta find a way...

Pix, if I was closer I would take all the straw off your hands. I was going to try to source 2-3 bales this week for my annual Springtime "start another large area of sheet composting" mania. I think I need to go to Horsey country to get it - geez, nothing is ever simple.
Don't ever believe what you click your heels to. It will come back to haunt you. mwuuuahahaha.....

and here's what to do about railroad ties you have and are sick of looking at:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/967036/

the moss walk is cool; I have the moss, but not enough consistent moisture in those shady areas.
Moss sculpturing?

back to research...oh maybe not - sunny day! sunny day!

Interesting moss ideas. I just cracks me up that people in other parts of the country feel about moss the same was as I feel about their caladiums or other heat loving plants. They want moss? I can give them moss! I got moss in the yard, moss on the sidewalk, moss on the trees, moss moss moss. Good thing I like moss and don't try to fight it. A moss yard? no problem!

I will be happy and grateful to take some straw and sedum off your hands. When is a good time to stop by?
I think my cat Ginger is dying. I cannot stop crying. I do not want another pet.

Lynn, I'm so sorry . . . try to remember how wonderful it has been to have Ginger with you.

Melissa - it is a paniculata. Do those keep their color regardless of soil acidity?

I peel the moss of my boulders every spring so I can see the texture of the stone (except where there are ferns growing out of the moss). By the next spring they're completely covered again. I guess that's what comes from living on a north-facing slope . . .

I've been staying away from this thread because I've been trying to avoid nurseries the last few years. Instead, I'm attemping to use what I have, trade with others, see what's growing in the wild, etc. I did, however, find a great deal on Atlas thin gloves at the feedstore yesterday, and bought 6 pair - one in each color, except pink (which I have an aversion to), so two oranges. $3.49 each.

bonehead, are they the Palmflex gloves? Might be time for another coop on gloves? LOL

I just bought 2 pair of the sloggers for myself and one pair for Bob (he wanted them for when we take the boat out. He always gets soaked) I got one pair and liked them so well I sent for another pair. $19.99 and free shipping. Tax tho. Never thought I would like those things. But they sure are comfortable.

Jnette, no these are Atlas nitrile gloves, which I really like.

Oh dear Lynn, I'm so sorry about your kitty, Ginger. It is very tough to lose a companion like that. My heart goes out to you.

So sorry to hear your kitty is sick Lynn. Take care.

I got in on a coop for gloves two years ago. I got so many I took them to a master gardener meeting and they were gone in seconds. I still have about six pair left of the nitriles. They are my favorite.

Lynn, I'm sorry to hear about Ginger. Having recently lost Crookshanks, I remember the sorrow all too well.
You can stop by anytime. I'll probably be home tomorrow almost all of the day. My daughter is recovering from surgery, so I'm sticking close to home. I'll dmail you my home number if you want to call before you come. If for any reason you don't catch me, just come through the gate. You can't miss the huge pile of straw just by the greenhouse. Take as much as you want. But if I am here, I can give you sedums as well.

So sorry Lynn. This is a tough time. I'm going to hug my 2 dogs and 2 cats.

Oh Lynn. I'm so sorry about ginger. It's a difficult thing.

Pix, where did the name Crookshanks come from?

((Lynn and Ginger)) to lose a loved one is always difficult, my thoughts are with you both.

Good news Update.
I took Ginger to the vet, and $700 later, she is resting in my lap right now. She is 16 yo, so hopefully she still has some quality life left.

Wow. That's good news, Lynn. You know, it's a small price to pay for the companionship and loyalty you get from a pet you've had for that long. I'll bet your heart is much lighter today.

Scritches to Ginger from me . . .

Yes, my heart was so heavy watching her going downhill each day. Joey did not want me to take her to the vet, said to just let nature take its course. When he went to town, I took her to the vet. He is happy about it now (probably feels guilty), but the sticker shock was a doozey.

Lynn good luck with Ginger. We have been keeping a cat from one of our daughter's ex-roomates for about 3 years and he just came over to take him back....it was sad but at least he went back to his original owner!
Also I have a lots of sedums and you are welcome to take as many as you want when I see you on the 10th.

Lynn, what was wrong with her? Came back fast for being so bad?? Be sure to let us know.

I'll bet that was sticker shock. That is awful.

She had a blockage and was constipated. It sounds really simple and dumb, but it was life threatening. (I googled it.) She was dehydrated from not eating or drinking and she was in a lot of pain. She still is not eating or drinking, but hopefully when she feels better, she will be back to her own self. She is on some pain meds and stool softener. At least she is comfortable now.

When the vet told me the bill was $679.00, I almost had heart failure. I told her she could just keep the cat then; and she just stood there with her mouth open. I quickly told her I was just joking.

Thanks for the offer of sedum. I am going to plant them in a little red wagon.

Glad to hear about Ginger being better. My Shadow is going to be 16 on April 11th.

Joey should know that nature is not always kind - even if you can't fix the problems with an old pet, sometimes there are meds to take away the pain or you need to make a decision to take away the pain so they don't suffer. Good for you to stick to your guns.

It's amazing when we look at our historical finances what we see that we spend our money on. And, collectively, many of us would have to admit the things we purchased weren't nearly as important as our furry friends in the end. Only a few times have I cried over losing a plant and I've spent plenty on them over the years if I were to add it up. I've spent $700 and more on supportive care for mysterious fevers and never even had a diagnosis. Heck, last year Bug ripped out a toenail (almost) while he was running. That was a $500 toenail in the end because they had to anesthetize him to finish getting it out, give him antibiotics, wrap the wound, etc. But I wasn't going to do it myself and I was going to see what the natural outcome would have been. :-)

At least now you know what is going with Ginger and what to look for.

Shadow - good for you. I have not yet had a cat live to be that old - isn't that like 112 years old in cat years?

Linda, bless your hearts for taking care of that guy's cat. I bet it was a relief for him to have somewhere to place the cat while he could work things out.

Have you asked the vet about canned pumpkin? I use it periodically on the dogs to get rid of gas and to help with their digestive systems. Palmbob, the guy on DG who is a vet and posts to the Pet forum wrote an article on it awhile back and said that it's also a good thing for cats - it has lots of fluid and lots of fiber, so it works for both constipation and diarrhea.

I wonder if baby food has a pumpkin and if that would be okay for animals. Mainly because it comes in small containers. Wouldn't waste so much.
Shadow is beginning to throw-up more than usual and wants her Party Mix treats instead of food. Probably should look for a senior cat food she might like. She only eats dry food.

Oh, Willow. That's too bad. Is it digested food or hairballs or spittle that you're seeing?

Here's an article on the vomiting, which could be due to a lot of different things. You might want to get a blood test done just to see if it's due to anything that is easily and inexpensively treatable. My geriatric blood panel for my dogs was $130 for each, but I'm sure it's less expensive there than it is here. http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/f/eldervomiting.htm

Pumpkin baby food is worth looking at - the key is to get pumpkin without sugar or preservatives, etc. And I don't know whether other squashes would have the same benefit. A 12 oz can of pumpkin didn't used to cost much and you could refrigerate it for a while (I wonder if you could put it in an ice tray and freeze cubes?), but last year was a bad year for pumpkins and the price has gone up a little. Of course, you could split the can between the cats and dogs - it's good for everybody.

Here's the article: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1817/

FYI - I used the DG search function to find this article. It appears to be working.

Willow my cat has turned to the dry foods also. Do you think they should have something else too? Why couldn't you freeze the pumpkin in the cat food cans? Do you have the plastic lids for them?

Lynn, you can tell Joey that when I had that happen to me personally, it was a perforated bowel, and cost $143,000. The $700 is nothing in comparison. Plus, I find the animals get better care. The vet always calls in a day or 2 to see how the dogs or cats are doing. Can't remember when I got a call from the dr. asking how I was doing.

BTW, Blue Cross negotiated that bill down to $97,000.

Jeanette

It's always a good idea to feed your cat wet foods if they'll eat them. Cats are obligatory carnivores and so their digestive systems aren't designed to handle the grains in dry food. They key for some, though, is just to get your cat to eat.

My vet has me feeding probiotics to one of my cats with chronic digestive issues, and it does seem to be helping. It's a powder that's sprinkled on top called ForitFlora. I actually have to feed it to several of them because they like how it tastes so much if I didn't give it to all, he wouldn't get any. I checked with the vet, and she says it won't hurt them, so maybe that might work as an appetite stimulant and help her digest food better too? It's available OTC, I'm buying it from Amazon at the moment.

Oh, and I think my vet charges $200 for the senior panel. I pay a lot to use a 24hr vet, and I'm getting tired of it, but I don't want anyone left uncared for overnight should I ever need that, I lost a cat that way once. (Also makes it easy if there's an emergency) I wish it hadn't gone corporate, though. I've got two vet checkups this evening, which I'm sure will set me back $100+ each-the appointments for the other two were $500 after the senior panel, etc, etc.

Wow, Jnette.Hospital care costs are outrageous. Did you recover OK?

The vet mentioned canned pumpkin last night for her. Joey went to the store, and came home with Beechnut Butternut Squash baby food. It says it contains natural vegetable sugars. Ginger is still refusing food and water, and now she is totally avoiding me. She must really be ticked off at me now, the little stinker.

Does canned pumpkin work for humans also?

Gosh, it sounds now like we got a good deal from the vet! I will have to relay this info to Joey.

Either that, or I'm overpaying even more than I thought, ugh! Time to go herd cats into cages!

Lynn, that was 8 years ago. Can you imagine what it would be today? I was fortunate to have good insurance. If I hadn't I wouldn't be here today. Yes, I'm fine. And you are right, that was just the hospital. I didn't see the dr. bills.

Susy, what is that senior panel? I have heard of this before, but don't know what it is. So, in order to use it you have to keep the check ups etc. like you would a vehicle under warranty right?

Curious Lynn, why did Joey get the baby food? Oh, I see, 'cause he thought it would be easier for the cat to digest? If it's good for babies it would be for the cat. Ok.

Lynn didn't the vet give you any instructions for care at home after that bill? I would call her back and tell her the cat is not eating and what would she suggest? I guess she did, pumpkin. Did you get some today? I think I would. She should not go without eating. Our cats used to like buttermilk of all things. My dogs love cottage cheese. But, just because they like things doesn't mean they are good for them after a thing like your cat went thru.

BTW, what did the vet do for Ginger????? Your cat will hold a grudge for a while. Cats are very independent creatures. She probably thinks you did it to her.

Susybell there is a very well regarded 24 hour veterinary hospital in NW Portland - Dove Lewis Animal Hospital. My vet is not 24 hours and I did have to take a cat to Dove Lewis one night with a urinary blockage, and the bill was not too bad. I can't remember exactly how much it was.

When I lived in San Francisco one of my cats started wheezing badly so I took her to the vet and paid $ 645.00 for xrays. That same day my son who was at UC Berkeley paid $ 35.00 for shoulder xrays after he fell snowboarding. Funny, actually.

Lynn, so happy Ginger is doing better!

Thanks everyone. She did a blood panel, xray, anesthesia, "dig" out the impaction (gross), stool softener and pain meds. We're going to try to force feed her the baby food with a medicine dropper tonight.
Sorry about hijacking the thread.

My "cool" plant find is that pretty Hydrangea 'Vanilla Strawberry'. I THINK
I am going to order it tomorrow from Jung's.

Lynn, it may just be that Ginger is a little freaked out at all the attention. You might "trick" her into drinking by changing the size of the bowl, changing the height of it, putting it in an unusual location. My cats drink from their bowls, the sink faucet, the dogs' bowls, the individual little bowls mounted on the dogs' crates. They are always curious when they see a bowl in a new place. You can also try putting a little broth into a dish to see if you can get her to drink that way. Tuna water would work, as well, though I'd dilute it. If you end up feeding tuna a lot, there are mercury levels to consider.

Jnette, I suspect that the vet recommended the pumpkin for digestion, which is what the article I posted mentions. Cottage cheese is a cheese, which can be constipating for a cat. And many cats can't digest the lactose in dairy products, so I wouldn't give that to a cat with issues without consulting with a vet. That could cause trouble.

A senior panel is a comprehensive blood test to check general body function - thyroid, kidneys, etc. It targets things that generally start to go whacky in older animals. I've never heard of a vet requiring that you be up-to-date on health care before drawing blood to take the test. It's a diagnostic tool for potential future treatment, and I'm sure that all vets would be happy to perform that for a cat or dog, no matter the situation. :-)

I know what you mean, Sue. I'll head to the ER if I think an animals is uncomfortable - my goal is not to let them suffer overnight. But you might find a day vet for the senior panel, vaccinations, teeth, etc. I would suspect that the 24-hour vet is a little more expensive. But in the end, it's peace of mind that matter, right? Hope your checkups go okay!